AE Storyteam info, schedule & reviews

I found the AE Storyteam's feedback on save the diver invaluable--if you ever have a "origin story" or "Cimoran times" theme, I would love to have your feedback for The Serpent Beyond the Horizon (in my sig)

Thanks so much for supporting arc authoring and providing such useful and actionable feedback.

I bet you thought I forgot to update the AE Storyteam thread this week. Wrong!! I've just been recovering from the Zombie Æftermath action (and still working overtime at my new job.) So, in case you missed it, last weekend we found 3 zombie arcs and brought them back from the dead:

#129569 "Brains!"
2 missions/Heroic by @Radisonx

#394516 "Z-Day 2039: Part One"
5 missions/Heroic (NOTE: removed by author, no longer playable)

#165163 "City of Zombies"
2 missions/Heroic by @Valegor

Whether you like your zombies slow moving & shambling or cracked out & amped up on RAGE!!! the AE has a zombie arc for every undead slayer out there!

Brains! Is a fun action-oriented zombie slaying arc that has a nice bit of story mixed in with its gore. Rescue a hero and beat up zombies for fun and XP! BEST ACTION!!

Z-Day was a highly detailed zombie story that took place years after an undead apocalypse. While it had some mechanical problems and a couple grindy missions, the concept, characters, and overall execution was going to earn it BEST OVERALL for the week...but the author pulled the arc shortly after our run-through so, sadly, unless someone can coax them to put it back up Z-Day is just a fade memory...

Our final zombie bash was City of Zombies! Another quick, fun, action-oriented arc but this one has some humor thrown in and a super-wide variety of undead enemies to try and survive! Be sure to check out the bios on this week's BEST CUSTOMS!!!

Nice job Supa, you fill those britches well!

And since you did such a good job, we'll meet on YOUR home server of Guardian next week for part II of Players' Choice Æwards. I'll try to be there, too

Every great movie deserves a sequel and it's the same with great AE Storyteam themes! This week we continued our run through this year's Players' Choice Award finalists. Remember, if you haven't put in your vote yet, you have until December 5th to play and vote for your favorites! This week, we chose 2 arcs from the most highly competitive category: Best Heroic or Vigilante arc.

#497506 "A Mosaic of Shattered Dreams"
5 missions/Heroic by @Avonlea

#522236 "The Ouroboros Chronicles: the Tales of Nemesis"
4 missions/Neutral by @Neon Rider

These 2 arcs could not be more different in terms of theme and concept, but they are both incredible examples of detailed storytelling and game mechanics. Definite standout entries in this year's competition. Good luck to them and all the finalists!

If you like mysteries and plots with dark & twisty turns then A Mosaic of Shattered Dreams just may get your vote!

An apparently simple rescue mission kicks off this very dark arc of family tragedy and redemption. The characters are well fleshed out, the action flows smooth, and everything is balanced with standard enemy groups (tho many are renamed into customs groups.)

But what really makes this arc shine are the mechanics. In mission 4 the author managed to pull off something I've never seen before in a player-created arc! Then, the final mission takes advantage of creative mechanics, again, to do something very unique and very player driven.

The only drawback I see to this story is the "hijacking" of the player's thoughts and emotions in the mission text. On one hand, it helps create the overall mood and motivation. But on the other, as a player, I would rather be the one deciding what my character is thinking and feeling.

Still, Mosaic is a very strong contender and a well-crafted arc BEST MECHANICS & BEST MYSTERY!!

If you like arcs rich in CoH lore, then maybe The Ouroboros Chronicles can sway your vote!

This arc features a creative take on the history and future of one of CoH's biggest villainous personalities...Nemesis. And while you travel through time to undo Nemesis' biggest exploits, it's also an extension of the Ouroboros arc of Mender Silos.

The fun-factor of this arc is playing out Nemesis' most historic plots: Brass Monday and Emperor Nemesis. The player is transported to these 2 previously only read about events to be a key in saving the world as we know it! Filled with a mix of standard and custom automatons, these adventures bring to life the lore of Nemesis!

As if that weren't enough, you're then transported forward in time to stop yet another Nemesis plot. All the while, learning more and more about the mysterious Mender Silos of Ouroboros. Is he fighting to save the future or just pulling your strings? You'll have to play to find out.

The only drawback I found with this arc was length of it. It's only 4 missions long, but many of those missions have chained objectives and large maps which leads to a lot of back-tracking. And because of that, patrol dialog becomes repetitive and the story slows down.

Still, the rich details, ties to CoH lore, and custom additions to both the enemy group and Nemesis' plots more than make up for the extra grind BEST CUSTOMS & BEST LORE!

Thanks all for running these themed reviews.

I'm finding lots of arcs that sound great for playing with my favorite characters.

Best regards -

Didn't have enough turkey last thursday? Still have room for another slice of pie or a heaping of Mom's fruit salad? Did you sleep through the Thanksgiving Day parade or the football game? Well, you can always find some Thanksgiving LÆftovers at your local AE! This week we loaded up a couple quick holiday-related arcs that are sure to please your palate:

#349017 "Cranberry Express"
1 mission/Neutral by @Crystal Vanquisher

#1614 "Don't Rain on My Parade"
1 mission/Heroic by @President Black

I was pressed for time this weekend, in order to get on the freeway home with the rest of America, so we just ran some quickies. Both of them were fun arcs and were made even better with the company of 2 new AE players joining in the team! (Thanks for joining us, Teeto & Pixie!)

First up was a PUN-tastic romp called Cranberry Express! This little side dish of fun was fresher than a can of Smuckers! Custom groups, witty dialog, and clever humor make this arc BEST CONCEPT & BEST COMEDY!

Our 2nd serving of AE adventure was a Work In Progress titled Don't Rain on My Parade. The annual Freedom Phalanx Parade is in jeopardy of being sabotaged and it's up to your hero to save the day! Once again, a fun, quick arc with good dialog and a simple, fast-paced story that makes you feel like a hero! Unfortunately, a couple hostages' character models have been invalidated and turned into MekMen, and the arc is supposed to continue in a 2nd mission that doesn't exist yet, but it's still worthy of BEST WORK IN PROGRESS!

Superman has Krypto. Batman has Ace. And now Paragon's heroes & villains have their own furry companions, too! With the recent introduction of 4 pawed friends, it felt like a good time to explore what AE has offer in the way of Pet Ædoptions! 3 arcs made this week's playlist:

#244158 "A Pound of Cure"
1 mission/Neutral by @ChaosCoyote

#163220 "DeadKitty and the Vahzilok Rejects"
1 mission/Heroic by @Euryale

#489005 "Well of the Furries"
3 missions/Neutral by @Rodion

This week's mix of arcs were cute, fun loving, and just need a good player to run them, love them, and keep them warm.

Our first arc up for Ædoption was a fun trip to the Pound! A Pound of Cure sends your hero on a mission to save cute critters from mutating into dangerous pets that need to be put down. Lots of PUN action, varied customs, and even talking birds!! Check this one out for MOST VARIETY!

Our next potential RÆscue features a clever twist on a familiar enemy group as you fight DeadKitty and the Vahzilok Rejects. Explore a humorous, clever, and well-detailed take on the Vahzilok and learn why, one day, cats will rule us all. MOST ORIGINAL! I LOVED IT. IT WAS MUCH BETTER THAN CATS...

We find our final pet-Æ-the-week at the bottom of the Well of the Furries. Sure, you could go the easy route and become an Incarnate at level 50...but do you dare seek Incarnal knowledge?!? A fun, nearly mission-by-mission parody of the Incarnate arc, the Well of the Furries is more than just a punchline...it's an homage to CoH lore and a fun arc filled with detailed customs and witty dialog. BEST CUSTOMS! BEST OVERALL!

To celebrate the release of the Gunslinger costume pack, the AE Storyteam decided to strap on their chaps & spurs and seek out some six-gun action with Western Ædventures! This time around, 4 arcs caught our fancy:

#93431 "The Big Roundup"
1 mission/Heroic by @suedenim

#226126 "Cowboys and Indians..."
2 mission/Heroic by @Arkangelo

#121376 "BlackeyedBart's Loot"
2 missions/Neutral by @a phoenix

#333593 "Roundup in Paragon"
1 mission/Neutral by @Leroy1

With a genre as classic and wide open as Westerns it was surprising that there were very few arcs with more than 1 or 2 missions. While the arcs we found were still fun, they were more on the quickie concept/customs side than deep story/character arcs. Heads up AE authors: The "epic," CoH cowboy arc is still ripe for the picking!

I'm kind of strapped for time this week so I'll just get right to the accolades!

BEST OVERALL - The Big Roundup
MOST IN NEED OF FEEDBACK - Cowboys and Indians
BEST COMEDY/ONE-LINERS - BlackeyedBart's Loot
BEST CUSTOMS - Roundup in Paragon

I actually have two arcs, well one being an on-going story, the other is a one-shot.

Both are actually in my signature, but I figure I'll let you guys know now:

Author Name - @Issen1

"The Directive" - Currently a 4-part 'arc', with each chapter being it's own arc. The story itself is not finished because over on Virtue, the arcs are run in-character, staggered over a period of weeks and months to give players a sense of progression. As such, each 'arc' has level tiers to reflect the levels at which the arcs were made (I started them back when I started CoH). There's lots of information in the briefing and the clues, so it's a bit text-heavy.


"This Inglorious War" - A one-shot arc I wrote as a tribute to something I very much enjoyed outside of City of Heroes. Again, very story intensive arc.


Both these arcs are fairly challenging, without being silly broken or containing ridiculous enemy mobs, as I like to balance a story with some difficulty to make the players feel like they've earned the progression that they achieve. I highly recommend a full team of 8 with a balance of ATs, especially for the Directive arc.

This weekend @Lord of Storms picked up the mantle and chose a Christmas theme. We played 2 X-Mas arcs:

#18775 "City of Ho Ho Ho"
3 mission/Heroic by @Tubbius

#353610 "The Christmas Zombie Attack"
3 mission/Neutral by @dedcat 2

BEST ACTION City of Ho Ho Ho
BEST CUSTOMS & BEST OVERALL The Christmas Zombie Attack

For those that still want to play, I will be running some "American Legion Winners," part 1, this Sunday. Yes, Sunday, January 1st. That is at Noon eastern. If no one else shows, then we will be starting next Sunday.

See you then!

Let's see if this is the right place....

Week Two of running the Amercian Legion AE Contest Wrinners. Last week had a decent turn out, even with a few old faces we haven't seen lately.
Last week we ran:

Tales of Cimerora: Of Feathers and Fur... Arc ID 12647 by @Nebulhym

Suppression Arc ID 374481 by @Gypsy Rose

This week I ran:

Nova Roma: American Empire Arc ID 347594 by @Liberty X

Day Job Hell: A Villain's First Day Job Arc ID 322480 by @Clave Dark 5

With a player new to the AE Storyteam.

Any suggestions on what Theme for next week?

Finished the American Legion Winners for Last year (of the arcs most of the Storyteam - of those present - hadn't played).

For those interested in knowing which ones:

Tales of Cimerora: Of Feathers and Fur... Arc ID 12647 by @Nebulhym

Suppression Arc ID 374481 by @Gypsy Rose

Nova Roma: American Empire Arc ID 347594 by @Liberty X

Day Job Hell: A Villain's First Day Job Arc ID 322480 by @Clave Dark 5

The Golden Scepter Arc ID 9852 by @Mystic Fortune

The Coldest of Wars Arc ID 299972 by @Zaphir

The Serpent Beyond the Horizon Arc ID 515140 by @Ankylosaur

*City of Ho Ho Ho Arc ID 18775 by @Tubbius

*Played in December before it was named a winner...

All were good arcs and I recommend them, although 1 or 2 proved difficult for us to play for whatever reason

Next week will be some new releases for the New Year

The three not played that also were winners in 2011 were:


The Golden Age Secret of the Paragon Society Arc ID 344596 by @Wrong Number

Small Fears Arc ID 12285 by @Wall of Knight

Save the Diver, Save the World Arc ID 183832 by @Ankylosaur


Just in case anyone is interested in being a completest.


WN

This Sunday will be "Villain"-tines and Valentines! I am not sure what "villain"-tines are exactly, but trying to go with the flow here! We will be running AE Story arcs that are flagged Romance or have a romance as part of the story in honor of Valentine's Day. For those with a darker view, "romance" might not be the right word (maybe "obsession" fits better?), but we will be giving both a try this weekend and perhaps next weekend.

Feel free to come join us!

We were talking about moving around servers again last Sunday. I think before there's much point in talking about it we should find out who would be joining us if we were not playing on Liberty every week.

I notice there's not much posting by the people who used to join us pretty regularly in this forum, either, so it seems more like the AE interest cycle is on the low end at the moment. If that's true we may as well stay put. (of course, with as many characters as I have I always like playing different character and server hopping always works for me).

Been working Sundays the past few weeks so I haven't had the ability to join. No clue whether it'll remain consistent or change up.

Here are the Villain-tines arcs we played last week. They were all top-notch and just may find a new home in your heart:

#2260 "The Burning Heart" by @TheDeepBlue
4 mishes/Villainous

#58492 "King's Row Story" by @Tempest56
3 mishes/Heroic

#114284 "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" by @FredrikSvanberg
5 mishes/Villainous

Finishing out the Villain-tines and Valentines, this last Sunday we ran Valentines

Digital Love #3571

Heart of Steel #407104

Next week we will be running some older requests and possibly again the next week. After that, we will see. I plan on a player's choice soon, so might want to start looking for arcs you will want to bring with you. The random player wins the right to pick during a player's choice, but you can't win if you're not there.

Sorry about this, but I need to go out of town unexpectedly and will probably not be back Sunday for the Storyteam run.

I planned on running the arcs some players suggested we run in this thread, starting with

"Two Households Alike" (#126582) by Venture

We played "The Serpent Beyond the Horizon" as part of the American Legion Winners, so next up would be

"The Directive" - Currently a 4-part 'arc', with each chapter being it's own arc. The story itself is not finished because over on Virtue, the arcs are run in-character, staggered over a period of weeks and months to give players a sense of progression. As such, each 'arc' has level tiers to reflect the levels at which the arcs were made (I started them back when I started CoH). There's lots of information in the briefing and the clues, so it's a bit text-heavy.


"This Inglorious War" - A one-shot arc I wrote as a tribute to something I very much enjoyed outside of City of Heroes. Again, very story intensive arc.

By Issen.

Or if Backfire or one of the others have some to run, be my guest. I hope to be back next Sunday (well, back in town much earlier, of course).

This week our fearless leader, Lord of Storms, was absent with RL issues so Doc Gemini & myself decided to duo a couple arcs that were requested in this thread:

#521781 "This Inglorious War" by @Issen1
5 mishes/Heroic

#515140 "The Serpent Beyond the Horizon" by @Anklyosaur
4 mishes/Heroic

MOST CHALLENGING: Inglorious War

BEST OVERALL/BEST COSTUMES: Serpent Beyond

This Sunday's Theme will be player's choice, so bring some arcs you would like to play. We will be rolling dice to see who picks.