Premise

Life Continues is a two stage roleplay that explores the areas some simply don't. Stage one opens the story as fear and panic spreads, but of what, we can't be certain. Things become chaotic quickly and surviving means committing to a decision quickly. Under intense stress, given limited information, riots break out, making this world dangerous and unpredictable. How and where you go is up to you -- just think hard, think fast, and hope you made the right choice. Stage two picks up some years later as the world has taken on a new face. Characters have grown based on the first stage and the theme has changed depending on the events of the first chapter. A legacy system will continue the stories of dead characters in some form, letting a player explore new horizons while maintaining the importance past events. Ultimately, we will enjoy the areas some stories would ignore, because whether you're between chapters or waiting for the sequel, life always continues.

Let me know what you think and if you're interested. I'd like to get this started within the week and can get things rolling once we have 4 players.

Introduction

Sit back and relax a moment. Let your hands fall to your lap, let the tension in your shoulders melt away with a couple deep breaths. Pour yourself a drink of something you strong enough you sip, or maybe light up if that's more your thing -- no judgements here. Now that your calm, imagine something bad. Not after midnight search history bad, something profoundly, life-changing bad. Something that redefines your day-to-day and makes that education or office job absolutely pointless. Safety doesn't mean four walls and a locked door -- those are just illusions, now. Security is a loaded gun, something you can swing, and some sturdy clothes. Things are different now and those who don't learn fast don't last. There aren't manuals for this. You do and you push on, because when things get bad -- real bad-- life continues.

The Outbreak


Life Continues



Plot
The roleplay will pull characters of various backgrounds into one place with a single purpose -- survive. What is causing the panic is intentionally obscure and could be the result of anything. It is up to the players to decide how they explore this world and where they'll devote their energies. Groups can divide or band together, create a haven or sell out the group. What decisions players make in the first stage will shape the world in the second, giving everyone a high degree of control over the setting with time. There are larger, basic questions where the story can naturally lead such as what is 'The Outbreak' or paths such as the aforementioned creating a safe-haven. The plot is flexible and will move with you no matter where you choose to go.

Characters
Everyone knows the feeling of creating a character only to fall out of love with them. I can't promise this won't happen, but I can offer a solution. Life Continues will explore the gaps between most stories and will also explore life after death. Should a character die, which I welcome, a Legacy Connection is open. Legacy Connections can come in the form of a diary, a video tape, a living character's stories, some relation to the dead, or even a direct connection (such as the new character being an old NPC). This connection will allow players to take up on a new face and style, while challenging them to experience the aftermath of a death. Fortunately, this system also allows much latitude so that an early death is not a waste of time, just a new chapter in your story.

Posting Style
I believe the most successful Advanced Roleplays are those which are flexible. My number one objective is to collect a group of dedicated players happy to post as much as twice a week, or as little as twice a month. What we need is commitment. To allow for this, I also welcome players to lead their own stories in addition to interacting with other characters. This allows every player their own, individual paths (short story style) while also taking part in the actions within the party. In this posting style we only require two players to keep the ball rolling -- not too hard at all!

I would be interested in this.

Yep, i like it. Count me interested.

Interested as well. I hope to play someone in the life of crime, someone who thinks he can get by. But what will he do when he realises the world is the predator instead of him?

Though I have to admit that whilst I'm a very committed person (think fan-level), my character might turn into dust if activity is a post every two weeks. At that point, I tend to lose track of my character's previous mindset and can't get back into the mood/setting of the RP. I'm easily okay with posting twice a week.

Looks fantastic. Very much interested.

I am interested also!

-Oops, double post-

SilverRain said
Interested as well. I hope to play someone in the life of crime, someone who thinks he can get by. But what will he do when he realises the world is the predator instead of him? Though I have to admit that whilst I'm a very committed person (think fan-level), my character might turn into dust if activity is a post every two weeks. At that point, I tend to lose track of my character's previous mindset and can't get back into the mood/setting of the RP. I'm easily okay with posting twice a week.

Commitment in the way I am speaking should not know time. Obviously if there are no posts a month my expectations are that things have fizzled, however, as I've seen in the past, I know a roleplay can continue after a week or two of silence. The way it endures is the commitment of players. Because players are free to shift between highly interactive and short-story style writing too, it should be easy to maintain your own interest in slow times. Hope that clarifies.

I'll be posting up the OOC today. Should be similar to what's above, but with a Character Sheet, starting location, etc.

My character is likely going to be a lawyer who enjoys the finer things in life as well as a bit of danger; gambling etc.

Catharyn said
My character is likely going to be a lawyer who enjoys the finer things in life as well as a bit of danger; gambling etc.

I have a little rule that I will not accept lawyers unless they really, really like cocaine. I may be joking, I may not be, you decide.

So we have a criminal and a lawyer so far. My character will be a businessman of some sort, nothing special really, I'll probably pull from my personal life and have them as a marketing consultant. I generally prefer more charismatic figures who don't respond well to brutality in my own characters. It's interesting to me to see how someone will respond when violence seems not just appropriate, but necessary, and to see if they let go a little, or break entirely and act more like a beast than a person. Maybe that's too deep, but I love it!

I'm interested if there's still room.

Engel said
I'm interested if there's still room.

Haven't put up the CSs yet, so there's definitely room. You'll see an OOC today.

This really interests me. I'd really like to try it out. Looking forward to the OOC.

OOC posted below. I'll be adding more content here and there, probably will re-structure the OOC given some time too. For now, let's get some character sheets and conversation! Looking forward to seeing what you all create.

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/62920/posts/ooc?page=1#post-1948594

Lo Pellegrino said
Commitment in the way I am speaking should not know time. Obviously if there are no posts a month my expectations are that things have fizzled, however, as I've seen in the past, I know a roleplay can continue after a week or two of silence. The way it endures is the commitment of players. Because players are free to shift between highly interactive and short-story style writing too, it should be easy to maintain your own interest in slow times. Hope that clarifies.I'll be posting up the OOC today. Should be similar to what's above, but with a Character Sheet, starting location, etc.

Thanks - yes, that clears things up. I like the additional option of a short-story mode. I can see it come in handy in some situations.

Lo Pellegrino said
I have a little rule that I will not accept lawyers unless they really, really like cocaine. I may be joking, I may not be, you decide. So we have a criminal and a lawyer so far.

I wasn't sold until this, but I will check it out. Whether I join or not, good interest check!

Aye, I'm definitely interested in giving this a shot.

Join us then mate!

Recruiting is still open! The Roleplay is young and highly conducive to new blood joining us.