The Spore Game -- Species B

flabort · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:37 am

So, how many of you remember me?
all of two, I'm sure.
Anyways, on another forum I found an interesting pseudofreeform RP game. Based off of maxis's Spore, in this game players dictate the life of a species, starting with a single celled organism, and working their way up to creature, tribe, civilization, and finally space, the final frontier. The catch to the RP is that, there is only one character, and the actions are decided by a majority vote. this means that anyone can play, and jump in and vote, without need to create their own character.

The actual mechanics are simple. You all vote to decide an action, I roll dice based off of any relevant stats, and even numbers succeed. the more even numbers, the greater the degree of success. You have an HP stat and a stomach stat; hp is how much damage you can take, and is restored by sleeping; stomach is how hungry you are, when it's empty you start taking damage, and eating restores it (the stomach, not lost hp).

My own twists: I am running two threads at once. that's two characters, and therefore you can take two different paths. I will update both at the same time. they will start a distance apart (direction and distance undisclosed), although they can, and likely will meet up. You, as the players, can decide if you're going to pit them against eachother, if they'll work together in harmony, or if they'll ignore eachother all together. While it would be polite for players of species A to keep out of the thread for species B, and vice versa, I'm unable to stop anyone, and it doesn't really matter.

Link to Species A, JIK

The game mechanics:

Spoiler: show

The basix:
There are six basic stats defining a creature: Health, Attack, defense, Perception, Intelligence, and speed. At least, normally. I'm adding Consumption, and Gestation.
Health is, of course, your maximum HP and stomach. Attack is how much potential damage you can do, and also covers feats of strength. Defense is how much damage you don't have to worry about, and also covers feats of endurance. Perception is how well you can perceive the world around you. Intelligence is how well you (and you species) can think and communicate, and is important. Speed is how fast you can move. Consumption is how fast you can eat, and gestation is how long you must wait before you can reproduce; to reproduce, you also must have eaten enough food.
When you decide on an action, I'll roll on the relevant stats. The more even numbers, the better you do. you won't see my rolls, but your performance will be a clue.
The roll of DNA and such:
DNA is required to evolve. it's pretty much XP, but you get it from eating enemies, and pretty much anything else. It's earned on a basis of Reward Vs Risk, so the more dangerous or risky the actions that would get it, the more you get. An easily obtained meal (small defenseless grazers, algae, dirt), is worth roughly 2 DNA. A fair challenge (grazers with fair defenses, weak carnivores, electrified algae, volcanic soil) is worth roughly 4 DNA, and truly fine, and incredibly dangerous cuisine (Aggressive carnivores, The Burning Bush, very rare glowing rocks) is worth 6. Certain achievements can also earn you Bonus DNA. Also, I'm adding "golden" DNA into the mix. A rare critter or rock may have a point of this rare material. It is very special.
Evolving:
To get anywhere without dying, you'll need to evolve. You evolve by spending DNA. When you evolve, you'll only have so many evolutions as you've unlocked to choose from. you can unlock an evolution by eating a critter with it, observing a creature with it long enough, or being exposed to a harmful effect to which it is a counter. living in a hot region will unlock Heat Resistance, for example, and being subject to electric shocks could unlock Non-Conductive. A general rule of thumb for evolutions is that something that increases a stat by 1 is worth 4 DNA, and something half as useful is worth 2. If an evolution calls for a Golden DNA, it will generally require eight or so normal DNA, and increase a stat by 4 or so.

Those are the rules. I did NOT invent it, and take no credit for anything but my PERSONAL twists, aka 2 threads, the two extra stats, and rare golden DNA. I got the game from Here, and he didn't invent it either. he pieced it together from a hodgepodge of similar games, with different rules sets, but all with the same general motive, yes, but he does not claim to have invented it, and neither do I.

Your Species (The "Kamira"):

Spoiler: show

List update upon current egg hatching!

Available Evolutions:

Spoiler: show

Previous evolutions:

Spoiler: show

I intend to update approximately once/day, times may vary. I may occasionally update twice in one day, but not often.

Remember, I got the original rules from This guy, so if you want/need inspiration or examples, there's your place to go. The guys there are approximately one sixth to one half through the cell phase, and have "Used one extra life".

The alien figures clustered around a tank, muttering excitedly amongst themselves in a language that is totally beyond you. This new experiment was predicted to yield great results. They'd finished setting everything up, and moved away, lest they contaminate the experiment and it should fail. They locked the room behind themselves, content that they'd be able to observe it on the monitors from afar. Their feelers twitched rapidly in excitement, partially because of what was predicted, and partially because they'd never thought they'd get the funding to try anything like this again.

In the room behind them, tiny machines released various fluids. One fluid is of particular interest to you. The Yellow fluid floats about randomly for a few moments, and then starts to collect. As it tightens, and draws into a ball, you realize that this fluid is you. you remain inert for several hours, as predicted, growing a skin and arranging yourself. Finally, you become aware of yourself, which should have taken a lot longer, but was predicted to happen quickly.

Your rudimentary sense of touch tells you little. There seems to be wisps of some sort of plant matter really close, and another cell. There also appears to be a few pebbles beneath you, and a soft loam. All of these seem like they would be tasty, although the plant stuff seems pretty thin. There appears to be a bit of a drop off just to your north east, and no real current to speak of. What do you do?

flabort · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 12:57 am

You sit there doing nothing for a while longer, getting a feel for your surroundings. You appear to be part ways up a mountain of sorts, or maybe just a gradual hill. There are thin wisps of algae, which wouldn't be very nutritious, floating around. The cell you detected has a rough, chitinous shell covering it's top, and several whispy feeler things dangling from it's soft bottom. It seems to be using these feelers to gather the algae, and seems to be the reason there is so little of it around. There is a slight chill, obvoisly coming from above. There are small cracks and crevises in the ground around you. There also apears to be a long snaking cell with a mouth full of teeth moving rapidly around. You may want to avoid ticking him off.

You have 4 health

You have 1 stomach (You are hungry)

You have 0 DNA

(note: Anything you post, at all, will be appreciated. the more posts, with the more options, the better. If you fail to post by update time, you will just float there, taking in your surroundings. Even in a dangerous situation)

vidboi · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:02 am

eat the loamy soil. try to grow a horn to attack the armoured cell

kittenpillar100 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:34 pm **Posts:** 247

Same as vidboi, it's an algea eater so he can't be that bad. do not go near toothy.

SilverWingedSeraph · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:11 am

Spore's representation of both biology and evolution is disgustingly inaccurate. This is no better. But I'll take part in it anyway because it might prove entertaining.

Seconding vidboi's suggestion. But smacking kittenpillar on the head. Just because a species is a herbivore, does not mean it is incapable of defending itself. Plenty of herbivorous animals in nature are very dangerous when threatened.

flabort · **Posted:** Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:16 am

Yay! you get a second update today!

You settle onto the soil, and start ripping nutrients out of it. It's nothing special, for soil, it seems, but you enjoy it's quality. you gain 4 DNA.
you feel you've eaten enough for a little bit, and split in two, jumbling your DNA like nobody's business. It settles, and you realize that you've ended up with a crystaline horn. You aim it towards the armored cell, preparing to attack. The dangling appendages appear to be for several purposes, including gathering food and defense. You don't know why, but you have the feeling it's evolved to only be able to eat plants.
The snaking toothed cell, which you have arbitrarily named "toothy", (+1 bonus DNA!) glances in your direction with it's eye. You notice that it is moving around by sucking water in through it's mouth, and expelling it out the other end. He also appears to have the beginnings of a skeletal system, judging by the jaw bone.

You have 4 health

you have 1 stomach (Hungry!)

You have 1 DNA

kittenpillar100 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:34 pm **Posts:** 247

Use our brand new horn to cut up the dangly tentacles then stab squidy where it hurts.
afterwards get the cheesepuff outta here by swimming down the hill.

I got us a bonus yay!

flabort · **Posted:** Sat Jan 29, 2011 12:20 am

You charge the cell, now called "squidy" (+1 bonus DNA), ramming into it pretty hard. Actually, hard enough to tear it's membrane asunder and kill it, spilling juicy fluids all over, and leaving it's shell floating there. You do, however, wind up feeling a nasty shock before it's over. You gobble up the fluids, (4 DNA), and then commandeer the shell as temporary armor as you swim down the hill quick as you can.

You have 2 hp

you have 4 stomach (full, for now)

you have 6 DNA

after a short distance down the hill, you feel it's warmed up a bit. you leave the shell for a bit, which you have affectionately named "cheesepuff", for no real reason, and see that the soil here is less loamy, and more gritty. There's a couple more toothies here, actively chasing a few darting cells. you don't know why, but the name "midget" feels appropriate for these small cells. perhaps someone's already named them?
Anyways, you find that the algae is not so thin around here. two or three squidies are feeding on it, and everything seems to be ignoring you for the moment. There's still a ways to go to reach the bottom of the hill, and you can feel a slight current. there is a fairly large hole in the ground here, into which water seems to be drawn at a fair pace.

vidboi · **Posted:** Sat Jan 29, 2011 2:36 am

when we can evolve increase mass and become hermitous, using "cheesepuff" as a home. for now, concentrate on regaining health and feeding on any algae and midgets around you

kittenpillar100 · **Joined:** Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:34 pm **Posts:** 247

Sleep and when posible increase mass and use the cheesepuff as a home. after that stinging and slap I hurt a bit.

also, examine the hole and how big are we actually?

flabort · **Posted:** Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:20 am

This isn't an update, just a reply.

you are just about the same size as a squidy, so cheese puff fits you fairly well, or maybe a little snug. doesn't matter, as it only covers half of you.
In other terms, you are about the size of... well, a cold germ. maybe sort of larger. And whenever you evolve, you do grow a bit, but so does everything else, at the same rate. Your an ant, to an ant,... to an ant.

Relative to you, if you're the size of a Lego figurine, the hole is the size of a human's foot.

Silverware · **Joined:** Fri Apr 17, 2009 11:50 am **Posts:** 625

Um a cold germ is actually a virus, and is SMALLER than a single celled organism, I would imagine you mean a standard single cellular organism though, like a Staphylococcus Aureus.

flabort · **Posted:** Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:40 am

...yes.

You return to cheesepuff, and curl up inside it best you can. after shifting around a bit, you realize that you are still leaving one side unprotected. So, you float down into a groove beside the large hole. settling down with rack beneath you and cheesepuff above, you take a nap, recovering from your wounds. Once you wake up, you float over to examine the hole. Water is being drawn into it at a fairly good pace, as if it's being used for something. a faint chill emmenates from it, although it's still not as cold as whatever must have been up the mountain. you feel a tiny bit hungry, so you attempt to gore one of the midgets on your horn. Those guys are fast! eventually, though, you give up, unable to catch them. And also for the reason that you ticked off a toothy. He was hunting the midgets, and is upset that you were muscling in on his territory. He licks his teeth with his tongue, preparing to attack you.

You have 4 hp

You have 3 stomach

You have 6 DNA

(I'd recommend fleeing, as you only have one evolution, and he's got... 8. )

flabort · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:51 am

You are unable to decide on anything to do. So you just examine your surroundings, such as the Toothy charging at you. Well, Not only has he got a tongue, but he's got a REALLY large mouth. Lucky for you, you stopped right over the hole, and the suction it created sucked you right down. the toothy was unwilling to follow. eventually the current pushes you into an open cavern in which the current isn't so strong. You see a few things. Three tunnels, including the one you came from, all are pumping a strong current into the side of the cavern. A fourth tunnel pumps water pretty strongly OUT of the cavern.
A small swarm of small cells drifts by on the current, sucking nutrients out of the wall as they pass. They're not so small as the midgets you saw, but they're small. And reproduce quickly. Very. They almost double in numbers AS THEY PASS BY. a few corpses from their group drift out. The fact that they didn't eat them is confusing. You think either they can't, or they won't. One of the corpses bumps a sharp rock, and promptly explodes. You're taken aback, as you've never seen anything explode before. of course, you haven't been around long, either.

zoojoo717 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:57 am **Posts:** 14

feathered feelers for 3 dna, Enter the tunnel pumping out

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The Spore Game -- Species B

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