5000 contest file

Summary:

Mystery box is mysterious.

5000 contest file

Nathaniel DeNila 09 Jan 2020 16:05

Second file idea, I've put the first one on the backburner as the 4000's are now filled up and the 5000's are still to start. I'm not entirely sure about it so I'm hoping I might get some help developping the idea.

The box of many things.

A device that can produce a seemingly unlimited number of items, effects or functions based on input using the nineteen buttons on the device.

The keys would sort of work like a keyboard but without markings I'd want to include a series of tests that produce items etc. so the Foundation can determine how to work it. In the second part of the file I might want to introduce the idea that environmental factors can also make the item activate; a tremor or an alarm going off making something happen/appear.

Let me know, thanks.

*Edit: Feel free to send me a PM rather than responding here.

Last edited on 09 Jan 2020 17:50 by Nathaniel DeNila Show more

Re: 5000 contest file

Doctor Fullham 09 Jan 2020 17:58

Okay so this is basically just SCP-294 but portable and with more functionality.

Also, Dr. Mackenzie's Guide to Common SCP Pitfalls recommends...

The Foundation is not a Magic Item Compendium or Monster Manual.

Named for several iconic sourcebooks of the Dungeons & Dragons product line, this is a bit of a broad category that requires explaining.

Generic Magic Items

Generic magic items can be any of the following:

• An object that is absurdly effective at what it's supposed to do. (Such as a sword that can cut through anything or a gun that can destroy everything, often referred to as an "Over The Top" or "OTT" item.)
• An object that is absurdly ineffective at what it's supposed to do. (Also referred to as a "Reverse OTT" item.)
• Any object that consists only of an object with clearly defined activation and function, with no context or backstory.
• In general, any object whose description reads like it could have been out of a game of some sort falls into this category.

The problem with magic items is that they're universally boring. The Foundation is, to me, fundamentally an exploration of the human response to the existence of the supernatural and paranormal; simply having an object that exists without any in-depth emotional response does not fit that description.

In order to make an SCP article successful, it's helpful to think of an effect and a story first; once you have a story to tell, you can always come up with an object or entity that you can mold into the right shape. It's a lot harder to start with the object and work backwards.

There's also no real "mystery" here. A lack of information is not the same as a mystery.

Re: 5000 contest file

Nathaniel DeNila 09 Jan 2020 19:31

Not really applicable here. Yes it has more functions than the coffee machine and they know how to turn it 'on'. I was hoping to bring in an element of chaos by not having it being marked and not by having it have defined parameters.
But yeah, I get what you're saying. Scrapping it.

Last edited on 09 Jan 2020 19:32 by Nathaniel DeNila Show more