Steam and Sand: OOC and Character Thread

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Well, I figured it was about time I gave this a go.

I'm just wondering what the interest in a new roleplay would be. I'm thinking one with perhaps a smaller number of people, but who are up for fairly frequent posting. I do enjoy the big Realms of Aether game, but am interested in playing around with something on a little smaller scale.

If  people are interested - the idea I'm working on is something a little different than the standard. I'm thinking of a post-apocalyptic steampunk setting, with England a barren desert wasteland. The catacylsmic "Event" taking place in the late 19th century. The best I can describe, is think Mad Max, but if Mad Max happened round 1880 instead of 1980. So, there will be a gritter feel...I want to have lots of massive, over the top, clanking, smoke belching machines of transport and war. Hopefully this is unique enough to stand on it's own here. So, I'm just wondering what the interest would be. Probably not much requirements...I just would like people who would join to be able to post frequently.

Thanks for reading

-The VAP

[Titus Wells]

Sounds like fun, and I'm usually able to post a couple of times a day at least. Never posted in a role play thread before though.

[Judicator]

Im interestd,but what is mad max?

[Titus Wells]

It's a series of films. The second, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, is set in a post-apocalyptic world where people drive round in vehicles and live in townships made of cannabalised wreckage. It has Tina Turner in and her song 'We Don't Need Another hero' is the theme tune. Definitely worth a watch! I only saw half the first, but as it didn't seem to have anything to do with the post-apocalytpic world I was watching it for (seemed more like a bad cop film) I switched to something else.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

The Second is actually Road Warrior, and the only one I've seen. It's the closest to the general idea, though. The first one is more of a cop movie, definately. Road Warrior though is amazing and I recommend it.

Oh, and as for number of posts, I'm talking more about regularity than volume. I don't mind if you make short posts, or just a few a day, even one a day. I've just had a lot of experience with smaller roleplays suddenly grinding to a halt when everyone just stops posting. So, looking for regular players then.

[Judicator]

so you want dialouge?

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Hmm? The posts will be like regular roleplay posts. I'm just requesting that people consider whether they can post regularly before joining up. If I get enough people interested I'll post a thread with the ideas and make this the OOC thread.

[Judicator]

Aha....well its pretty random for me as you can see from my posts in the Realms of Aether thread,so sometimes you might get consistent posting and sometimes ou wont out of me.So you may want to review the consistency of my posts and see if you would actually want me to join.

[Aeryenne Tederich]

I could probably post regularly - I'm online very frequently, and although I've never taken part in a roleplay-thread on this particular board I'd like to give it a try. And your idea sounds really very interesting indeed!

[Nigel Wetherby]

Hmmm a post apocolyptic settign with a steampunk twist?
You can count me in!

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Alright. I'm sneaking on to the site at school right now and the ideas I made up are at home, so I'll post them up tonight. (May be a bit later as I'm on the Pacific.) Yeah...so basically a gritty, desert, heavy industrial sort of steampunk. This seems like a good level of interest so I do think I'll keep this going.

[Alessio]

If it isnt dependant on a persons knowledge of Mad Max films I would happily give it a go. I'm always up for a steampunk RP ^_^

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

No, no, one not need have seen any films at all. I was just at a bit uncertain of how to capture the feel and used that as a possible reference mark. Just keep postapocalyptic, desert, big cool machines in mind.

Sorry I didn't post the ideas, the forum was giving me some problems yesterday. I'll make a game thread with that and you can give feedback here.

[Titus Wells]

Game thread looks like an interesting setup. Where are you looking at starting it up (what location in the world I mean)?

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

A fairly independent city in Mercia, I think, to keep politics out of the start, but might implement them later.

[Aeryenne Tederich]

Just read the intro-post on the other thread - very eye-catching indeed! You can certainly count me in on this for sure.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Excellent then! I suppose character bio's are...

Ah, Mr. Wetherby has beat me to the chase.  I would actually prefer that character bio's be posted in this thread, so as not to interrupt the game thread. Sorry, should have made that more clear. Nigel's actually got the right idea going, so I'll post my own. Once I have enough, I'll make the starting post.

[Judicator]

Hmmmm......sounds interesting,I think ill just make suggestions though and follow along with the story if thats ok?

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Sure Judicator, that should be alright for now. Anyways, here is a character bio...I just went with what Nigel did because it seems good enough...it doesn't need to be long...just descriptive enough. Any sort of character is good, though I like characters with flair, something that makes them unique while fitting into the world. And I would prefer no "superpowerful" characters, either through combat or political strength. I'm going to start it with my character wanting to start a salvage crew, so more "adventurer" types would work - but "adventurer" is a loose term by itself so be creative!

-------

Name: Royce Grosvenor

Age: 24

Occupation: Currently unemployed, former occupation wryly described as "big game hunting"

Appearance: Royce is tall and thin, with messy brown hair but piercing blue eyes. His gait and form make him seem strangly delicate, at least when not wearing his desert gear. He tends to gaze off at other things, even when talking, partly due to things being on his mind, partly because it is his habit to try and see everything.

Nationality: Unknown, was affiliated with the State of York, but was not born there and has recently closed off his ties to them.

Weapon of choice: Royce's primary weapon is the "Repeater Gun". This is a short, squat gun that can fire multiple bullets in succession. While this ability is a fantastic technology, the gun can fire erratically and will jam if pushed too hard. He tends to use it in close quarters where it is more effective. His signature weapon, however, is actually the long concealed wrapped package he carries on his back. This is large, ornate and lovingly crafted device known as a "Mobile Artillery Unit" - recognizable to us as a missle launcher. It takes a while to load and patience to fire properly, but it is the weapon that Royce has made his living and name by.

Attire: He dresses plainly when in cover, with a shirt and leather vest. When out he wears a metal face mask with eyeslits and a chainmail veil for the lowerface. A cloth bandana also covers his mouth belowthis and he wears a brimmed metal helmet. The rest of his wear is mustard coloured desert clothes, strapped with various pieces of equipment, the most noticible being the oversized package strapped to his back.

Background: Royce doesn't know where he came from - from reports from people who found him it was somewhere from the north - though that could mean Scotland or the lands of the Scandinavian sea peoples. Perhaps even both. He spent most of his time with Traveller tribes in the north, eventually pledging himself to York. He did work for them over a period of time, eventually running missions directly for the council. He made his name as a "big game hunter" - one of only a few people trained to take on massive machines of war - by themselves. He staged ambushes constantly and became very skilled at slaying these iron beasts. However, he rarely talked of his work when not performing it, a bit uncomfortable with the destructive power he wielded. He eventually performed one last vital mission, with the understanding that he would be let go after it's completion and be allowed to take his own path.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Name: Sir Conlan O'Draigen.

Age:18

Occupation: Former Squire for Sir Brendan the strong. Currently de-facto knight.

Appearance: Conlan is a young man born from the cataclysm. His raven black hair is the color of the coal that fueled the kingdom he once served.  His pale skin is flecked with spots of brown, giving evidence of his exposure to the sun from long exoduses to far off places, holding the weaponry and gear of the late Sir Brendan. His form is well built, but far from bulky.  His eyes are dark brown, the color of the muddy irish earth beneath the thick layer of carbon which coats the once green countryside.

Nationality: Irish, the last of the fallen clan of the O'Draigen house.

Weapon of choice: broadsword. Standard issue royal irish Chutchullan model rifle. Rapier. Compact mace.

Attire: A black iron chestplate, greaves, shoulder-pads and guantlets, accompanied with a heavy wool undershirt and pants akin to those worn by soldiers before the cataclysm. A black, semi-dented steel sallet  holds down his thick black hair. His outfit is designed to permit both movement in combat as well as moderate protection. His shoulder-plates bear the symbol of the O'Draigen house, a pair of black thorn vines wrapping around a blade, the end of which digs into the belly of a serpent.

Background: Conlan was born the day of the explosion, many of the citizens beleived the young man to be the son of the devil. His parents were the ones who payed the price for his existance. When Conlan turned seven both his parents were sentenced to be drawn and quartered in the verdict a mock trial given by a supersticious jury. Conlan was forced to watch the entire thing in an act of "Penance" in this spectacle he became almost entirely desensitised to the idea of death.
It is with this last "gift" From his parents that he joined the armored guard of the O'Draigen house. When his potential upon the battlefeild was observed, he was made the squire of the famed knight Sir Brendan.
However, this position did not last long. After three years of training the O'Draigen house was razed by a band of scottish raiders lead by a man  nicknamed "Shamus the Boar." Conlan was the last of the O'Draigen house, taking the name of its lord whom he served as his own title. ))

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Ah, thanks Nigel. (Think you could remove the other one to clear up the game thread?  ) Just wondering for your idea for the character - by Knight do you mean one of Ireland or the more general term of Knight, which is used for the Knights of Mercia? I'm not sure how a foriegn knight would be seen in England, or what he would be doing there. (The Knights of Mercia are the only group that uses the term "Knights" in England. However, you do make a good point of Ireland probably having it's own system.) Not critisizing - discussion is what'll help this roll along.

[Judicator]

Maybe nights wear like cool armor thats kinda like clasic nights armor but way more slimfitting,i dunno if i can explain it properly,but yea sifferent knighthoods seems cool,that might be the most common way of keeping order in ireland?

[Titus Wells]

Name: Sam 'Red' Prentine

Age: 22

Occupation: Scavenger

Appearance: Hair bleached dusty blonde by the desert suns. Skin a deep rusty red colour, stained by exposure to airborne ferric dust. Sam's eyes are a cloudy blue and blaze with the determination of those forced to pull together a living from recovering, restoring and reselling artefacts found in the wastes. Typical wasteland clothing, hard-wearing leather and denims adorned with as many pockets, chords, pouches and ties as possible to ensure finds can be stowed away and carried. Sam carries with him necklaces with beads made fom the bones of unfortunate souls, lost to the desert storms, which he believes will deter the ghosts of the wastelands which threaten him in his nightmares. He is thick-set and of average height.

Background: Orphaned by the event, Sam was left to fend for himself at the age of four. In his early teens he was found and educated by a tribe of nomads, former engineers from a military trial programme caught unawares by the apocalypse. Sam left the clan at the age of twenty following his discovery of a deserted homestead in which he believes he found evidence that his parents were, in fact, still alive. He has been searching for them ever since, paying his way by salvaging and restoring items found in the wastes and undertaking the occasional mercenary contract.

[Nigel Wetherby]

I figure ireland would have a series of "Palaces" Each one rules by a family and would have its own miniature economy including feifdoms and serfs. Maybe knights work under these houses, battling other houses in order to establish territorial dominance.

As for armor, i figured it would look like an amalgom of medievil knights armor with accents of world war one military gear, ensuring mobility along with protection. I think the really high-up knights might even get massive suits of steam-powered battle armor.

[Judicator]

That sounds so awsome.....