Review: Circus of the Damned

Forum - Jcink

Canon; Anita Blake Vampire Hunter.

The great thing about the Anita Blake fandom is that it is already set up for rpgs in different locations due to Master Vampires each having a territory. So at a first glance this RPG doesn't look original, it's just another Anita Blake RPG in another city. However, the originality comes from the plot and the inner workings of the RPG, so it is worth a closer look.

PG-13

40.

Unknown.

Intermediate to Advanced.

Between 3 - 5 paragraphs on average..

Varies, new posts can be daily or there can be up to 4-7 days between replies. It is very dependant on the member.

Original.

Beautiful skin that has been tailored to show the flavour of the RPG and the city of New Orleans. Pleasant to use and no problems found while browsing the site.

There is a very handy menu bar directly beneath the header, however, it is in a very small text and italicised. It is readable but it wouldn't hurt to go up a font size or two. Also, 'Rules' is listed here and not elsewhere on the forum. While I noticed it right away it might not be the case for every visitor. The rules are hosted on the wiki, and I can understand how annoying it would be to also have a copy on the forum (twice as much to edit for the staff) - but there's no harm in sticking a topic called 'rules' with a link to the rules page.

Another small suggestion is adding a copy of the character template under the WIP profile sub-forum. It's a bit of a pain having to go find it outside of that subforum, and it makes more logical sense to have it listed there.

Easy to understand although this is just the basic plot. As I'm unaware of the exact age of the RPG it's hard to recognise how much has happened ICly. A summary of IC plots and events would help make the plot feel like it is growing and moving forward. At the moment it seems very stagnant, even if that isn't the reality.

The information is quite easy to understanding, the only addition I would suggest is some examples on the power lists. As a visitor it isn't really clear what sort of powers are viable, so a few examples from current characters (staff characters would be a good choice) would help visitors gain a better understanding. I really like the Territory list which is very handy in an RPG/genre which has specific consequences for entering territories without permission. This list makes it easy for new players to check before they make a mistake ICly.

The FAQ says to use the 'Dear Admin' forum, however, I can only find the 'Dear Staff' forum and it isn't guest friendly. Chat boxes are great for visitors asking questions, but I always suggest a guest friendly area as messages easily get lost in a chat box. There aren't any posts in this subforum so I cannot accurately gauge how active the admin/staff are in replying.

An in-depth character profile is required. To submit a character this needs to be filled out and submitted (posted in the correct sub-forum). There are two sub-forums for applications - one for incomplete templates being worked on (WIP) and for complete applications pending approval. A writing sample is not required.

N/A.