Forward unto the Dawn of a New Age!
CHATROOM
Influences:
Dishonored, The First Law (Joe Abercrombie), Fable II & III, Victorian Age, Bas-Lag (China Miéville), common ‘steampunk’, …
General overview:
Focus of the RP is not to lose ourselves in game mechanics, instead this is a game of logic, reason and collaborative writing. Our goal is not to have an overly competitive game, but to immerse into a nice creative experience for all parties. We write a story with each other, not against each other.
Players are rather free to engage in their own sub-plots and character development. Though a setting and possible storylines are provided, participants are free to pursue their own course on the proviso it does not conflict with elements already in place.
The story will be set in a fantasty (pun intended) world -called Ardua- in the middle of, what we historically refer to as, an Industrial Revolution. A glossary concerning technology, geography and countries is/will be included in the opening post (OP) of the OOC thread.
Rules and guidelines:
- GM is myself. Feel free to contact me whenever should you require assistance or information. GM has the final word in case of conflicts.
- Advanced standards; common sense approach; game of logic and collaboration.
- Character Sheets should be posted on the OOC (though they can be sent via pm as well) for approval/disapproval. Not all decisions will be made public.
- You are assumed to be an adult by submitting a character for this game; please act like one.
- Applications may take a few days before a decision can be made. Generally issues will be resolved over pm.
- Players are encouraged to be creative, and to be interactive with their fellow players on their own to plot. Take initiative.
IC information - setting:
Kingstone, capital of the United Kingdom of the Isles
Abercrose Square was largely deserted on this time of day. Few citizens dared venture out in a downpour such as this, especially not when the wind swept in the cold from the bay. Even though the waterfront was several blocks away and out of sight, the stones of Abercrose were being whipped by a merciless wind. Fortunately none of the smell reached the square.
Calwin Ruyne disembarked from the railway wagon, umbrella at the ready. Luckily the platform was inside of the train station so the roof shielded him from the rain. A sudden thought hit him in force. Not even ten years ago was the first time this big mechanical beast was put into use for the first time. Society had eagerly welcomed the invention, gratefully tolerating the crowded wagons as long as it shortened their commutes. Already it was unthinkable -even outright impossible- to remove the railway. The last four decades had seen a plenitude of scientific and technological breakthroughs. Progress they called it, but Calwin couldn’t help but see the analogy between society and a junky needing its next fix.
The age of industry had arisen from the workshops and factories of social pariahs called scientists and inventors. Factories had sprouted up like mushrooms, each producing more grime and muck than the last. Calwin thought them filthy, polluting the air, the water even the people working there. Everything was so crowded now as everyone came to live in the cities. The working class reminded him of squalor in need of nesting... First the area within the walls was filled up with brick housing, warehouses and industry. Afterwards the city had poured out in the countryside, like a popped boil.
Everyone, and he meant everyone, wanted to move forward, to discover new things. A better faster way of making money or living. Even a natural cynic as he, had to acknowledge the fact several inventions had caused an improvement in living conditions. Sadly, others negated those effects. Tooth paste for example: excellent for dental hygiene, the downsides were that it needed child labour forces and was a pricy commodity. Society and its paradoxes was what occupied Calwin’s mind as he made his way across Abercrose Square, avoiding puddles as he went. It would be a damn shame if his black shining leather boots got dirty.
Some 60 years ago the world experienced an earth-shaking socio-economic development that reshaped the balance of power. Unprecedented scientific and technological progress uplifted ancient societies in an era of prosperity as the power of steam was harnessed. No longer subject to the fickle means of natural energy coming from wind or water, production and trade skyrocketed. Society evolved from rural to urban.
As an economical golden age dawned, other fields, from agriculture to transport, took advantage of the ever growing understanding and knowledge. The cascade of developments sent ripples through society’s structure. Nobility, clinging to ancient rights and prerogatives, increasingly finds itself toe-to-toe with the growing influence and wealth of the bourgeoisie and merchants. Industrialists, bankers and businessmen are organising themselves politically to defend their interests. However, they are not the only ones with a growing sense of identity and camaraderie. The lower classes, exploited by both, are forming farming and labour movements to make their voices heard. Several new ideologies and ‘-isms’ have reared their heads.
In an attempt to vent domestic issues, the advanced nations of Ardua look outside their borders. Some employ the technological advancements on a military level to safeguard their sphere of influence, while others take to the seas and the newly discovered continent of Pan-Dessia in order to deal with an exploding population. Relationships between the advanced nations has begun to erode quickly; free trade has been replaced by tariffs, regulation, and distrust.
With the increasing understanding of the workings of the world, religion has taken to provide either charity to the populace or pursue worldly goals to maintain its influence. Though the power of the Church and general faith is waning, it is still a considerable international powerhouse. Especially among the solace-seeking lower classes, stuck in the mud and grime of physical labour, the Church of the Maker has a strong following. They are not alone though seeking to capitalise influence in the ‘crowd’ and proletariat. Socialism and nationalism are finding a fertile soil to put down roots. Both are eagerly used in the pursuit of political goals. Additionally there are the urban cults and splinter groups. They range from the ridiculously harmless to the unsettling dangerous. Of course, there is the ever present smudge of crime, organised or not.
OOC information:
Technology is clearly of industrial age, generally steam-power based. Gunpowder exists as do ironclad ships and steamers. There is no flight except for hot-air balloons and small zeppelins. Electricity is only experimental.
Though we play in a custom created world, it is styled after our own. Similarities may incur and are mostly even encouraged for the safety they provide.
The United Kingdom of the Isles is the most dominant nautical power and industrialised nation. Clearly based on the British Empire, it is relatively small in size but has a large population. Other nations will be thought of and included further along the way. They will probably be styled after genuine contemporary nations.
There are several factions such as the government, nobility, mercantile class, lower class unions, clergy, criminal organisations,... However, that is not to say any of the aforementioned is a consolidated block on its own.
Some roles I can easily see being played are: politician (noble or merchant), banker, crime lord, high clergyman, inquisitor or constable, military, trader, celebrity (actor, artist, painter,...), spy, scientist, revolutionary voice, spokesman of a union, ... It's not an exhaustive list, obviously. There are almost endless possibilities.
At this point I am unsure where to place the players, though I have several ideas brewing, so I would rather hear some suggestions. Do you guys want to partake in the tumultuous landscape of Kingstone, fighting for the interests of one group or another? Would you rather we encompass other advanced nations in the turmoil? Would you want to play out a revolution/coup? Do you want to go on an expedition to Pan-Dessia? None of these?
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Originally Posted by Ghostly Bagel
