I'm thinking I might attempt a new version of a play-by e-mail game I ran off-site. That incarnation of this game ran for almost ten years, and a key point of that was players who were dedicated, alongside a strong plot and background that all of the characters and players were involved in. I would love to try and re-create that on RP Guild, and hopefully get a game that runs as long. Thunderbolt Black is essentially a story told in an alternate version of our world, post a World War Three in the 1990's, after the cold war persisted for longer, and eventually went hot. A lot changed, and - to cut a long story short - mercenary companies and mega-corporations become commonplace and powerful (all of this will be explained in a much more detailed background if I get enough interest). The players will be part of a tactical fighter squadron (though it would include multi-role and attack aircraft) that is part of the most well-known and well-respected PMC, Thunderbolt Black. They are fighting a secretive war against the mega-corporation MultiCorp, which has plans of its' own for re-building the still fragile world. My hope is to involve the characters' backgrounds and personal storylines with the larger story, and weave things into a somewhat epic adventure. I didn't get to run the full plot I had planned for the original version of the game in the end (it only came into being as I realized the game was actually getting somewhere), and I'd like to use elements of it in this version. In terms of the 'mood' and 'feel' of the game, it's a blend of sci-fi elements with military thrillers. So, there will be things like killer satellites, genetic engineering and minor cybernetics, etc. The kind of thing that would be theoretically possible, if money was no object, or one or two breakthroughs in the right area had been made, or would appear in a big-budget Hollywood movie or James Bond film. _Cool Stuff,_ basically, that adds to the anime-thriller-movie like feel of it. There will be primarily real-world aircraft, i.e. no Ace Combat super-planes, or fictional aircraft like the Yukikaze, Firefox or Airwolf or whatever. The plane will also not have 80+ missiles and be backflipping everywhere. Realism is good, but dramatic licence is preferred, as is imagination and creativity. So, a good knowledge of aircraft and their systems would help, but isn't essential. Willingness to learn, to be corrected, and to do your own research is kind of essential though. A sense of humour and the desire to actually make a goddamn post and not drop out of the game two posts in is absoultely 100% vital to joining in. I will provide full info for everyone. In terms of what you **can** have for a plane (since I know people will ask), prototypes, such as the SU-47 or YF-23, as well as other more obscure things would be welcome, alongside things like the normal aircraft, F-16's, Harriers and so on. A good mix of aircraft would definitely be preferred. I'm not going to be too stringent on restrictions - after all, your enemies will have a lot more backing and support than you, and will have aircraft and other weaponry equal to or in excess of Thunderbolt Blacks' own forces, and a lot of the challenge will come from places other than combat. I'm looking for about 2 - 6 additional players, as I have two already. The game will be fairly in-depth in terms of storyline, as I've stated previously, but will have a great sense of adventure, fun and excitement, hopefully. The old one certainly did, and when it went well, it went really well. And if any of you have played in a game I've run before, you'll know I go for fun over realism.

*Pops in from the original thread and plops down, feline tail twitching*

_rolls a ball of yarn towards the kitty_ Good to have you along! Thought I'd better make sure you weren't missing out from the other thread. I thought we may get a bit more interest from here, as Casual seems to get a bit more traffic. Plus, I/we had decided on Casual as the best fit for the game too, so it seems sensible to put it here. I'm sure Machine will be along in a bit as well. I might get the OOC up tomorrow, and keep this open for any other potential players in the meantime, so at least we can get started, and there'll be more info available too.

_A derpy wolf walks in, nearly stumbling over his own feet and almost losing his glasses on the floor_ Hai

O HAI! Glad you could join us! As mentioned above, I am currently thinking of getting the OOC up soon. As such, I am writing/re-writing the background and some supporting docs right now with that idea in mind :)

This.... This looks good, really good.

Thank you, I appreciate that! You're very welcome to join the game, if you'd like. With yourself onboard, that'd make up the minimum of 4 players (myself included) that I was aiming for. I have most of the OOC info ready to go up, and I'll get it up by the end of the day. If we get more people, then that's a bonus.

Hmm... I'd be fairly interested in this. I've always been fascinated by fighter jets and aerial combat scenario, and the mention of megacorporations and possibly controlling the world definitely tweaked a few of my old Shadowrun heartstrings. I'll stick around, seems like a fun ride.

Well, you're just in time then, since I've just finished creating the OOC. Give it a look and see what you think: http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/75590/posts/ic I'll get my own character up later today. Hope you're all onboard!