Its a little hard to believe the Away Team project is only about a week and a half old. It was about this time last week that they finished working on their first set which got its premiere today during the
Gibraltar RP.
The concept was simple, make new original sets and sets on demand. In that space of time the team of Seven of Nine (zannadu Resident) , katie Zwilling, Rokks Resident and Richard Weatherwax have not only delivered on both those concepts but have done it with quality and speed.
Its always a bit nervy when you first try out a project on its target audience as you create a perception of what that project is, how it functions and what it should feel like to the audience and its always interesting to stand back and watch peoples reactions, did we get it right, was there something we could learn from the experience?
When putting the team together I wanted to see what could be achieve when you allow creative people to let rip with their imagination and that's what they did with the first set which resembled a borg junk yard.
The most interesting aspect when watching the team talk about ideas was how they took two opposite views and married them in a symbiotic fashion which not only worked but usually worked better. Its a concept i've always believed in, the best idea should win and be implemented. Its a rarity in most work you see in RL or SL, but its something that this team excelled in and I believe it has been the key to their success so far.
The first thing that hits you with the borg set is its dark and foreboding nature, everything about it is grim, from the dark green sky, imposing borg cube which rotates above the set to the broken beams and falling scenery, the flames in the main room and lava streaming outside.
There were also subtle and beautiful touches, like the bright green liquid pouring out of the giant tanks, the traps built in the scenery which collapse when you walk on them, beams that fall from the sky to smashed Borg alcoves and escaping cubes and spheres which shoot into the airy sky.
But its not all eye candy, the team also made you work for your rp experience. It wasn't just a simple case of making stuff up, you also had to go where the set led you which meant traversing obstacles to reach a pad on the floor at the top of the room. To get there required balancing on beams and jumping on ledges which was more akin to playing a computer game. Maybe this wasn't what most people expect from an RP but it shows the team are willing to try new things and encourage new ways of rping.
When the Rp was over I think we all felt we had experience something which was different from the norm, where the story didn't just come from your head, the set helped set the tone of the story and planted possibilities which players can use or ignore.
The Away Team Set Project is still in its infancy but has reminded us of the talent we have in the group and demonstrates that RP's can be whatever we want to make them as long as the imagination is there to build and play it.
Thank you Seven, Katie, Rokks and Rich you've done the GFC proud and proved what is possible in application, imagination, teamwork and respect. All features which should be the corner stone of every division and i'm grateful to be lucky enough to have it in mine.
Picture Gallery 1
Picture Gallery 2
