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Competition RPG Codex Contest: Wasteland 2 Shrine, Artifact, and NPC/Weapon

Crooked Bee

(no longer) a wide-wandering bee
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Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire MCA Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Tags: Codex Statue in Wasteland 2; Wasteland 2

At the RPG Codex, we love contests. You say "contest," and we reply "whoa!" So, as you're aware, given that our members recently collected and donated a relatively whopping $10,000 to the noble Wasteland 2 Kickstarter endeavor, we get to blatantly insert our website's self into the game in the most awkward and obtrusive manner possible.

Well, the thing is - believe it or not - we don't want it to be too awkward. On the contrary, we want it to be subtle and fun to the ordinary player and at the same time instantly perceivable and even more fun to those who are "in the know." You know what I'm saying; a supposedly prestigious magazine and all that.

Hence this contest.

WHAT WE WANT FROM YOU
There is just one thing we know for sure. We want Peter's troll statue as the in-game statue. Apart from that, however, nothing is set in stone.

What specifically isn't set in stone, you ask? Let's see. For $10000, we get a shrine; for $5000, we get a statue; for $2500, we get an artifact *and* get to name an NPC, weapon or location. And yes, we get all that at once (the choice between naming a weapon, location or NPC is exclusive, though). We don't need to name a location because we already have the shrine, but the rest is up in the air, really.

Therefore, if you want to take part in the contest, here is the SURVEY we want you - yes, you! - to fill out and submit to us, either in this thread or via the "Contact Us" button on top of the page.

1. Description of the shrine. I.e., what you would like the shrine to be. You must provide a concept, a name, and a description, long or short. E.g., a bunker/abandoned apartment/temple/etc. + e.g., "The Codex" or "Codexia" written above the entrance + some kind of description, e.g., "the shrine's main room is... inside the room are... the shelves are full of... at the back of the room is... on the wall/computer terminal there is a note/a log/etc." Just how detailed you make the description is up to you.

2. Description for the statue. I.e., what should be written on the troll statue's plaque or pedestal or whatever.

3. The type of in-game artifact + backstory. You must provide the type of the artifact + your idea for the backstory. No need to make it too long (although you may if you want to), the concept/outline should suffice.

4. Name an NPC OR weapon. Choose one - NPC or weapon - name it and provide a basic description of it.

The main criteria for evaluating the entries will be creativity, relevance, and appropriateness.

Note 1: You must submit your ideas for ALL of the above points for your entry to count! (Otherwise it'd be hard for us to compare and evaluate the entries against each other.) In other words, you must fill out the entire survey.

Note 2: If you already suggested an idea in one of the earlier discussion threads we had on this, be sure to *re-post it here* + fill in the rest of the survey. Only entries officially submitted to the contest count.

WHAT YOU GET
The winner gets A BOXED Collector's Edition of the game AUTOGRAPHED by Brian Fargo, Alan Pavlish, Mike Stackpole, Ken St. Andre, Chris Avellone and other key development team members + a Wasteland 2 POSTER + a digital copy of the game, if you need one.

(If it turns out the winner already has an autographed copy and doesn't want a second one for some reason, we will still work something out.)

There are also prizes for the runner-ups that include, apart from digital copies of the game, the Wasteland 2 Digital Concept ART BOOK, the Wasteland 2 SOUNDTRACK by Mark Morgan, and the two-part early release episodic NOVELLA on the Wasteland 2 world written by Mike Stackpole, a NYT bestselling author and member of the original Wasteland team. (The Novella will give hints and clues being built into the actual Wasteland 2 game.)

RULES
1. The contest runs through Monday, June 4. Wednesday, June 6. *Contest extended for two more days due to popular demand.*
2. No pornographic or offensive content, unless it is implicit to such an extent that no one except the Codexers will ever notice.
3. No self-inserts.
4. Any other rule that we may come up with on the fly. We'll be sure to notify you about it, though, before the contest ends.
 

DarkUnderlord

Professional Throne Sitter
Staff Member
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Jun 18, 2002
Messages
28,357
NPC: Somewhere in the game you meet a large, fat rounded, bearded man called "Saint Proverbius". He wears plain brown robes. He's mad drunk and out of his mind. Mumbling something about what he's created ("What have I done. *hic*", "What abomination have I created."). On him you find drugs of some sort, alcohol and a key... You can steal or kill him to get these items. Talking to him just has him mumble various inane ramblings.

Item: A small key
Description: This is the key to understanding the RPG Codex. You can just make out some writing etched on the side: Est. 2002

Statue: Somewhere or another in the game is a Codexian Troll Statue.
Description: This highly prestigious looking statue hasn't been scaled to your level. There is a small keyhole in the marble platform on which it stands.

On the front of the marble platform which the statue stands on is a plaque which reads / pops up the text:

`Twas bumface, and the raging hordes
Did hurr and durr in the GD:
Indecent were the tranny-men,
And the gents sipped at their tea.

"Beware the popamole, my bro!
The Jews that fund, the health regen
Beware the quest compass, and lo
The sticky cover-walls!"
He took his MHD in hand,
Long time the casual foe he sought --
So rested he by Volourn's tree,
And wanked a while in thought.
And, as he fapped to members banned,
The popamole, with dicks aflame,
Came whiffling from retardo land
And regened as it came!
A, B! A, B! And so the QTE did go
The MHD went spatter-splat!
He popped its mole, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou ended the popamole?
Come to GD, my patriot!
Epic win! Over 9000!'
He chortled in his joy.

`Twas bumface, and the raging hordes
Did hurr and durr in the GD:
Indecent were the tranny-men,
And the gents sipped at their tea.​

When you use the key on the statue, a low rumbling noise is heard and the statue slides sideways, revealing a metal trapdoor beneath. Attempting to open the trapdoor brings up a panel that asks "Please enter FATE Unlock Code:" and displays a 9 digit keypad. Entering the 4-digit code from the key unlocks a Bunker...

Shrine: Going down the now open trapdoor brings you to a small metal bunker with two rooms. The main room has weapon racks along one wall with shelves along the other. The weapon racks are bursting with RPGs (generic in-game rocket-propelled grenade launchers). 20 or so should do it. Ammo may and or may not be abundant, depending on game balance [In fact, maybe the RPGs don't have any ammo in the game at all, rendering them useless]. The shelves are full of cans of tinned food. At the back of this room is a metal door into a small bedroom which has a set of bunkbeds and a computer terminal. On one of the bunkbeds is a skeleton with a generic description. Something like "Some poor sod."

Accessing the computer terminal brings up "Vault OS" and gives you access to "The Codex", which is a list of diary entries. This is where I run out of specifics other than one diary entry which mentions "No can opener! No can opener! I can't believe I forgot the can opener! All these tins of food and now I'm locked inside. Trapped! With no can opener! What's worse is the program that opens the hydraulic door mechanism has failed and I can't get out. Curse my poor coding skills!"

(Dialogue could do with a bit of work, but you get the idea.)
 

J1M

Arcane
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
14,626
Someone do a write-up for Cleve's bunker complete with a titanium statue.
 

WhiskeyWolf

RPG Codex Polish Car Thief
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14,786
The price is so good that even the Staff is taking part... wait, if DU is competing then who's going to be the judge?
 

Mozgoëbstvo

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Od Vardara pa do Triglava
`Twas bumface, and the raging hordes​
Did hurr and durr in the GD:​
Indecent were the tranny-men,​
And the gents sipped at their tea.​
"Beware the popamole, my bro!​
The Jews that fund, the health regen​
Beware the quest compass, and lo​
The sticky cover-walls!"​
He took his MHD in hand,​
Long time the casual foe he sought --​
So rested he by Volourn's tree,​
And wanked a while in thought.​
And, as he fapped to members banned,​
The popamole, with dicks aflame,​
Came whiffling from retardo land​
And regened as it came!​
A, B! A, B! And so the QTE did go​
The MHD went spatter-splat!​
He popped its mole, and with its head​
He went galumphing back.​
"And, has thou ended the popamole?​
Come to GD, my patriot!​
Epic win! Over 9000!'​
He chortled in his joy.​
`Twas bumface, and the raging hordes​
Did hurr and durr in the GD:​
Indecent were the tranny-men,​
And the gents sipped at their tea.​

Everything you wrote was very much boss, but I think an inscription on a pedestal should be much shorter and have more... how can I say... effect?
The poem is long, disjointed, and contains a lot of vulgarity (non allowed as per contest rules).
And I think it wouldn't be enjoyable by much public. On the other hand a diary saying "curse my poor coding skills" is so Stoppardian every non-codexer can get a chuckle, non knowing who Proverbius is.

Inb4 people don't give a crap about my critique 'cuz I'm a smelly newfag.
 

Peter

Arcane
Joined
Jun 11, 2009
Messages
1,544
Those with a higher Codex Lore skill than me should figure out the specifics, but I think Cleve still living in his bunker all these years after ITZ came would be p cool.

Edit: Also, it's very cool that my shitty little drawing gets mentioned now and again :love:
 

DarkUnderlord

Professional Throne Sitter
Staff Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2002
Messages
28,357
The price is so good that even the Staff is taking part... wait, if DU is competing then who's going to be the judge?
I was thinking we could do it on a combination of brofists received and personal judgement of the staff or maybe even putting all the entries up for voting once the competition closes. Otherwise, selecting a team of hardcore Codexians whose opinion is highly valued and seeing what they choose. Maybe we do all 3?
 

TwinkieGorilla

does a good job.
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Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pathfinder: Wrath
1. Description of the shrine. An abandoned and run-down arcade.

2. Description for the statue. "Forever Chasing Incline, Forever Disappointed"

3. The type of in-game artifact + backstory. You see: A heavily-battered "Whack-A-Mole" machine. It appears to have been relentlessly beaten over the course of many years. Something tells you this intense damage and deterioration had nothing to do with "playing" this game.

4. Name an NPC OR weapon. Laying on the ground near the "Whack-A-Mole" machine is a ball peen hammer with a string attached to it. Somebody must have replaced the soft plastic hammers of the machine with this much less forgiving weapon.
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
125
1. The Shrine

A small makeshift underground bunker complex made out of a few small rectangular rooms. Really shoddily made and it hardly provides protection even from rainfall. Final hideout of a cult who feared the great decline. There are stacks of printed pamphlets promoting the cults dogma. You have a hard time making out if this great decline is related to the dropping of the bombs, or something totally unrelated.

Inside are remains of many humans. In one room is a living ghoul who at the sight of the player chars scream out "ITZ COMING!!" and rushes to attack the party. The party is forced to one shot this pathetic creature (1 hp so a guaranteed one shot). This creature should be named BLOBERT.

Very little of worth is found here. Artifact named 'The Codex' could be found here?

2. The Statue

"This statue has been heavily beaten by the elements, making most of the plaque unreadable. The only sentence you can make out is 'United we stand against the great decline'. Otherwise you can only make out single words."

3. In-game artifact + story

"A ragged printed out book that has 'The Codex' printed in heavy letters on the cover. The bindings are poorly made and you wonder how this pile of paper manages to stay in one piece. Inside the book are warnings, ravings of something called 'The Great Decline', a disaster facing mankind in the future. Even after reading the book, it is unsure what this event is."

As long as a character is in possession of this item, he or she gains its effect. (+2 intelligence, -2 charisma [or similar effect])

4. NPC/Weapon name + description

Even though you said there should be no location, hear me out. A perfect location would be.. The Great Decline. Sky scraper(s) toppled over to form a big.. decline. No? :roll:

"This humble looking old revolver has seen better days. Even though it looks like a poor weapon and in urgent need of maintenance, it amazingly manages to work reliably."

A revolver that never breaks down and needs no maintenance. A cheesy name like "Old Faithful" would do.

I have no idea if item wear and tear is in game though. :?
 
Joined
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Messages
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The shrine: a destroyed recording studio adorned with a single sentence: "Nobody cared". The only tapes that remain are K-Pop.
The statue: a statue of Donald Duck eating an ice-cream or the RPG Codex troll.
The artefact: a crappy old gun called "Bingo RPGC 06". It doesn't want to shoot for it's too busy playing Diablo 3 (joking).
 

Don Peste

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||☆||
El mio English is not very good. But I'll try.

1. Description of the shrine

Kodex Kool Kave
A long abandoned penthouse in a ruined skyscraper.
This place used to be a house of sin and depravation. Now it's the home of a bunch of rats, old posters and lots of dust.

2. Description for the statue.

Those who don't belong anywhere belong to the Codex.

3. The type of in-game artifact + backstory.

Brofist (equipable). A gigantic clenched fist. Use: Brofist a bro!

4. Name an NPC OR weapon.

NPC. Definitely BLOBERT (Yes! He is a must!).
A HUGE middle-aged dude. Blonde, blue eyes. Shirtless. Lots of bald patches. Lost in the middle of nowhere. He is always eating some garbage, like chips or a rat in a stick.
Of course, speaks in ALL CAPS. He says random quotes from the forums when you brofist him. And if he could give the player a quest... :D (Or it could be a fake quest)
 
Joined
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Messages
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Yes a huge Blobert NPC speaking in all caps! He gives you a mighty quest in caps-lock: "BRING ME TEN MORE RATS!". And the reward of the quest is that he punches you in the face (-10 HP) while screaming: "FUCK YOU!". And then he cooks and eats the rats while you stare at him getting fatter and not giving a fuck. You will still be able to put a bullet through his brain but it won't give you anything in return apart from the cooked rats that he didn't already consumed. If you stare at him for 30 seconds he'll go: "WHY ARE YOU STILL STARING AT ME? GET THE FUCK OUT MORON".
 

Metro

Arcane
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Aug 27, 2009
Messages
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Love everything about DU's entry except the over-the-top/for effect statue inscription. No point in me doing an entry as it would just modify his work: revise the inscription and add a mini-quest with the St. P npc where you could find a special RPG (insert stats here) and various ways to interact with St. P (do quest, steal key, kill him) -- consequences of which would be getting the RPG blessed, adding more stats, turning it in for a copy of the Codex (different stats for characters of a different build, etc.). Feel free to use that.
 
Self-Ejected

Excidium

P. banal
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If I run into a really obscure and semi-humorous reference to the Codex instead of a giant :rpgcodex: statue I'll be really disappointed. But hey, it's yer money.
 

groke

Arcane
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SAVE THIS CHARACTER? NO.
Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera BattleTech I'm very into cock and ball torture
NPC:
2-update10_2.png


P.S. DU already won.
P.P.S. everyone who wants a BLOBERT npc should be banned.
 

KickAss

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rpgcodex.net
Modified from my post in the other thread:
I tried to think of something that wouldn't be too WTF for someone unfamiliar with this site.

Shrine - Something simple, but shows something about our taste and a bit funny without being distasteful:
Under a half collapsed statue you find a basement with a sign "RPGCodex"​
The basement is full with shelves loaded with game boxes. clicking on the shelves will give a list of the games on it.​
The list should be our favorite CRPGs - Fallout, PS:T, Shattered Lands, etc. (this warrants another survey).​
The center has tables with computers with skeletons scattered around them. Also there is a diary saying only "The food! We forgot the food!!".​

Statue plaque:
The following words of wisdom are written on the statue:​
"Odds are, something you like very much sucks"​

Item & NPC:
A "troll hide" - leather armor made of thick skin of a rare mutated beast. Provides extra protection from piercing damage. The leather is colored red.​
(Thick hide is something necessary here on the Codex)​
Can be bought from an old hunter that if asked about the beast recalls that:​
-It possessed a tiny amount of intelligence​
-Waved its arms and tried to speak, but all it could mutter was "Discuss"​
-Was neither male nor female​
-Coexisted peacefully with rats in a cave​
 

Haba

Harbinger of Decline
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Codex 2012 MCA Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2
2. Statue

Ranger party can discover a worn out statue in the middle of the desert. The sign on the base of the statue reads:

"Do you play a lot of RPG-games? Then you might have a bright future in the world of internet poker as well. Learn poker rules and use your ability of getting into character when you bluff your opponents."


1. Shrine

Passing a perception check, the party can spot a partially concealed entrance to a bunker near the statue.

The entrance of the bunker has been blown apart, lowering the huge hydraulic door to ground.

Inside the bunker shows signs of intense battle. The hallways are covered with skeletons of mutated mole rats and large humanoids clutching machetes.

In the inner sanctum of the bunker you can find the remnants of the defenders, who've died where they stood fighting. The defenders seem to have been an odd bunch with very little in common outwardly.

In the furthest corner of the room you discover a large defunct computer server. In front of the server lies a cloaked, monocled skeleton. The man seems to have died protecting something with his body...


3. Artefact

From skeleton remnants of a perished man in the bunker, the player can find a new item.

The Codex

This seems to be some sort of an electronic archive. Its contains the writings of a perished cult. The artefact seems to contain some hidden truth. Skimming through it gives you a glimpse on the future of mankind... salvation or doom, it is hard to discern.

[Should the player keep the item in the inventory of a character, the character will start having strange nightmares and delusions. If the item is not removed despite the negative effects, after a specific time limit has passed there will be a new status message:

"The secrets of incline and decline alike are revealed to you like the tolling of some great bell."

After this, the character will receive significant bonuses to skills/stats.]


4. NPC

Golden Retriever Trivia Expert

The rangers may encounter a huge hulking man in the wastes. This NPCs superior physique, intellect and titanium bones will prove to be too much for any unprepared party. He will simply defeat the rangers by throwing jars of baby food at explosive speed, while citing random facts about golden retrievers (of all things).

Should the player party have deciphered the Codex, the player will be able to defeat the NPC through dialogue. The character will voice his deep regret for his treachery and proceed to tear his own heart from his chest, not before shouting "The Grimoire was a lie all along... I'm sorry Trash, my love..!"
 

commie

The Last Marxist
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Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2
Having a fuck like Volourn enshrined for eternity in Wasteland 2? Fucking outrageous DU!

I'm not enthusiastic about naming or alluding to members, it's a wank. I'd much rather something that stands for all of us as a whole, for the broader reason we all arrived at this place.
 

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