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OPEN WATERS is a character driven, free-form sandbox role-play designed with the players in mind. Based around the simple premise of eight passengers on a boat together, OPEN WATERS hopes to create a sense of isolation, development, and adventure. Please see the below information on plot, story, game mechanics, availability of characters, and more.

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The world of OPEN WATERS is set in the “alternate-modern” reality. With no set year, OPEN WATERS is set in a modern time, but with heightened elements of exploration, world-building, and fantasy. It is up to the players to decide just how large and expansive the world is, but the end-goal is to create a universe that isn’t hard to learn about, but simple to add on to.



The MSY Crescenzo (Kreh-Shen-Zoe) is a 150-foot sailing vessel created nearly 30 years ago. Recently renovated, the Crescenzo is a luxury ship that’s passed through many hands and sailed around the world countless times, before coming into inheritance by the enigmatic Chris Maddox; son of the lucrative businessman Jackson Maddox, who fell from grace after multiple charges landed him in prison some 25 years ago.

Captain Maddox has sailed the ship ever since those days, with his two crewman serving as his only company. That is, however, until recently.

Chris Maddox, for reasons unknown, eventually decided to open up the eight unoccupied guest rooms up for sale. The price is enormous, the conditions are numerous, and purchase unrefundable. Purchase of a room comes at more than the cost of just money; these rooms must always be occupied for the remainder of the purchase by the buyer. That is, if you own a room on the Cresenzo, you must live in it.

Some people figured it was madness setting in, and others an opportunity for murder, but the first six travelers lasted several years with Maddox, with each returning safely once they had sold their stake on the ship.

Years passed since then, and the fame of Maddox and the Crescenzo have fallen into obscurity. His notoriety is only spoken of in quiet rooms and hushed voices around the world.

No one has claimed the rooms in over a decade, with each previous owner having sold their room back to its owner. That is, until today.

All eight tickets to the Cresenzo sold within a month, suddenly, and without warning. A truly impressive feat, given the disconnection Maddox has with the world; the only way to purchase a ticket is to send the full price, cash only, to an address that’s never been written down. How six people found the right sources to attain the address at the same time, Maddox doesn’t know—or care.

All he knows, it that it’s time to set sail yet again.

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THE BEGINNING:

Each character will begin their story by showing up at the dock, meeting Maddox and waiting in the living room for Maddox’s first-and-only briefing. This is the only section of the role-play were I’m simply expecting you to follow my lead. After this briefing, the captain and his crew (and myself, as the GM) will be as hands-off as possible, only intervening when characters interact with them, and when the story dictates it.

RULES:

This role-play is 18+. That is, it is going to be played as straight forward as possible. That isn’t to say there are no rules, but rather that many things within reason are allowed. That includes language, sexual content, and violence. I won’t intervene as long as things are kept tasteful and realistic. Your character, however, can be played however you’d like. Just remember; it’s a small ship. And not very soundproof, either.

Standard game mechanics apply as well, such as no God-Modding. You each will control one character, and I will control four. For those keeping count, that’s seven versus four. If you’d like to stage a mutiny, be my guest!

More detail and issues can be discussed in the OOC.



Without structure, role-plays tend to fall flat when characters and players feel board. Therefore, Open Waters is played in a user-agreed real-time, so that the story may progress as needed. The game will be split into two following modes: day and night.

DAY:

Each day begins with an interlude, from the perspective of Captain Maddox, John, and Doe. It details the ships heading, direction, and the story direction.

From here, the players take control, moving about the ship or present location, having their own discussions and conversations, and facing the challenges (if any) of the day.

A majority vote in the group will agree in the OOC when the day alters to night.

NIGHT:

Night begins with another interlude from the three staff onboard, and lasts until each character has either fallen asleep of stayed stationary for very long. Night ends either when all characters have slept, or a fair majority agrees it is time to move to the next DAY cycle.

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The Crescenzo is the sole location at the start of the game. It is described in full below and is for your reference to the layout of the ship. It is detailed, but not the end-all-be-all. In the kitchen, for reference, it is ok to find a pot if I haven’t mentioned it. Any discrepancies can be talked about in the OOC, and if you’d like to discuss it with me, or add a secret room, or anything of this sort. I’m always open to it.

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MY FOUR CHARACTERS

I will be playing as Captain Maddox, John, Doe, and a passenger (Dustin), along with the other seven. This is simply to give realistic credence to the mechanics of the game, as well as help me keep things interesting. Out of my four, the three who run the ship will be in it the least, so don’t worry too much; I’m really going for a loose, free role-play in terms of structure.



NOTES ON CHARACTERS:

There are no hand-and-fast rules for character development, how many paragraphs I need, or anything of the sort. Characters will be accepted by their merit, originality, and usefulness to the present crew of the Crescenzo.

Characters submitted after slots are filled or players expressing interest to join will be added to the WAITING LIST. Players will be contacted in the order received.

When creating characters, leave enough information to give us a good feeling of the character, but please; do not put every secret they have. Things are more interesting when there’s an air of mystery surrounding them. Written or not, try to come up with a character that has goals, and an overall arc to follow.

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CHRIS MADDOX: 52 | December 2nd | 5’-10” | 165lbs


JOHN: 34 | January 27th | 5’-9” | 175lbs


DOE: 42 | October 10th | 6’-6” | 260lbs

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(The staterooms are laid out on two separate floors, with the odd-numbered rooms on the left side and the even-numbered on the right. 101 is across from 102, and 103 from 104, for example.)

101: Dustin Fischer @HangYourSecrets
102: Rathe Catanzano @februari
103: Emma Westerhof @OnlyThePie
104: Gabanre Charis @twannyman

201: Tiffany Vtlanko @MissCapnCrunch
202: VACANT
203: Richard Haddock @Simple Unicycle
204: Elvira Kostur @Redstring

WAITING LIST

1. Avaliable
2. Available
3. Available
4. Available
5. Available

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Appearance: Tall and almost bulky, Dustin looks almost like he belongs on a ship; even though he’s rarely been on them. Now facing the slow end of his youthful years, Dustin’s expressions and physique are beginning to show the wear and tear of his life. He’s consistently dressed in earth tones and blacks, and tends to keep his wardrobe as muted as he can be. Stark, angular tattoos can be seen peering out from underneath a t-shirt, which—if removed—would reveal that much of him is covered in ink. He keeps a beard on the fringe of unmaintained, and is otherwise rather cleanly indeed.

Personality: Dustin used to be absolutely normal. Middle class, nuclear family, office job; you name it. Perfectly unoriginal and absolutely content.

That was a long time ago.

Nowadays, Dustin battles with his own demons. On the days you’ll find him without a cigarette, that hand is usually holding hard liquor instead. Discussions of his past are usually met with gruff silence or vague replies. Ever since, he’s rarely stayed in one place for long.

His ticket to the Crescenzo has actually done him more good than harm. He feels much better now. Whether or not the open waters will provide him with solace or a tomb, those who know him do not know. One thing’s for sure, somewhere in his eyes, he’s felt just a little bit happier now that things are all behind him, on the distant shoreline.

Before “Open Waters” (Background): Dustin used to work as an executive manager at a local call-center. He had come a long way since his telemarketing career.

After an unspoken event, however, Dustin moved back near his parent’s house; although he didn’t say long. Long trips were spent up north, near the Canadian border, then farther west to the Rocky Mountains. Finally, Dustin spent a brief stint in the suburbs of Seattle, before finally saving enough and finding the right people to purchase passage aboard the Crescenzo.

Strengths: Dustin is strong physically, with age only taking little of his old youthful energy and body. Dustin is good with his hands, as well as good with fixing mechanical issues and barriers in his way. His telemarketing days left him with a vast social skill-set, and because of this, he’s got a strong ability to alter his speech and tone to give off whatever vibe he chooses.

Weaknesses: Emotions aren’t Dustin’s strong suit. When within a normal mindset, his abilities to manipulate and convey feelings are great. When worked up, however, this ability is all but gone. Dustin has a tendency to be volatile, and moody, often walking away from situations as they unfold, so as to not show weakness. The nicotine addiction and the alcoholism don’t help, either.

Gabanre Charis

Photograph:


21|29th of May|1.94 meters|87Kg
Appearance: Blank skinny tall men, He has blonde hair and has a beard.

Personality: very shady, quite easily tempered. You need to get to know him, before he accepts you as a friend

Before “Open Waters” (Background): Gabanre was an normal man, before he joined the army on an age of 16. He was one of the best recruits all time making him fly throughout the ranking system, He was a LTC(Luitenant Colonel). He was one of the sniper troopers of the army and could easily adopt to his environment, making him even more stealthy as he already was. His dad, one of the richests mans of the world, bought him a ticket to Crescenzo. His dad gave him all of his stuff he took on board. The reason he left the world behind is yet unknown, the only thing that is known is that it was family issues.(Not with his dad)

Strengths: Is well trained so he is Strong and stealthy. He took a Sniper-Rifle with him on the ship as well as a handgun. He got himself some luxury food, He also took a knife and some rope. as well as the skill to easily adopt to his environment.

Weaknesses: Gabanre was trained as a one of the army, making it hard for him to feel emphaty and think how others feel. He has a normal mindset, only his main goal is survival, which is why he went through the ranking system fast. He always takes thing literly, and thus has no feel for sarcastic speach.

redacted atm.

@HangYourSecrets
Are you willing to give tips?

27 | June 17 | 5' 7" | 125 lbs

Appearance: A slender, attractive young Woman, Emma has long dark hair, which is almost always loose and hanging down. Emma is fit, but is not bulky or muscular by any standard. Despite her attractiveness, Emma gives little attention to the appearance of her clothes, preferring more practical clothing than attractive. Her startlingly blue eyes often throw people off, and yet are the only part of her face that Emma actively prefers to the rest of herself.

Personality: Emma is a friendly and outgoing woman, and is willing to talk to almost anyone, as long as they are willing to talk to her. She makes a big deal out of not dominating the conversation, and will often spend the majority of it asking the other person about them. She does this with so much enthusiasm and force, she is often surprised when the conversation is turned back around to herself, though she is perfectly willing to talk about herself.

Emma is also quite intelligent, though this is largely a factor of her career and history, and not something intrinsically given to her. This intelligence does lead her to overthink things, and often this ends up with her being apologetic or disheartened when things go wrong. She wont give up immediately, but it will throw her off a great deal.

Before “Open Waters” (Background): Emma just finished her PHD in Marine Biology at UCB, and was about to go to work for a research facility in San Diego. But, without giving any reason to her friends or family, she decided not to, and instead, she came by a ticket aboard the Crescenzo. How she came by this she will not reveal, though it was apparently during a trip to Poland, a country Emma visited often (once every year or two). Given her field, Emma already has a deal of experience with boats and the sea, and her father was a Naval officer (albeit mostly landbound).

Strengths: Friendly; Intelligent; Knows a great deal about the sea, especially its life; Modest; Fluent in Polish & English

Weaknesses: Over-thinker, Apologetic, Easily off-put, Naive

- Appearance:


- Personality:



- Before “Open Waters” (Background):


- Strengths:


- Weaknesses:

Hey all! Loving the relatively quick showing of characters! A couple of things:

In the interest check, I noted that for interest of fairness, I wouldn't be accepting characters within a 24 hour grace period to give time for me to add players on merit, not speed. I'll be extending that a further 12-14 hours simply due to home issues and just to get more time for a few players that I know are working on characters to get them in.

@twannyman I'd rather not be specific to your character or anyone else's, but if everyone would like a little more detail on what I'd like, here are a few pointers. If you've already submitted a character, you have another half-day before I review them officially, so edit them if you like:

• Be sure to completely fill out the form, even if you'd like to keep your character secretive. Be sure to put something, even if it's just a sentence. Once the grace period ends, I'll begin accepting completed characters.
• A big part of this game (or at least what I'd like to see) are secrets. That may sound counterintuitive, but to explain: try to give small hints that your character has some real struggles, or issues. Maybe something's happened to them, or that they've got a person of interest in their lives. Why would they leave the world behind? Why the Crescenzo? Don't give me all the answers, but try to just give a little snippet so there's an intrigue to it all.
• Don't feel limited in who to play. See that we're lacking "X" in the current roster? Make a character unlike the others. Don't be afraid to be different, but DON'T feel like you have to change a character significantly because of this post. Be true to what you want to play as.

I hope that helped some of you, if you needed it. I'll try to be around to answer any more questions.

-HYS

Rathe (/rayTH/) Catanzano



27|March 30|5'6"|115 lbs.

Appearance:
Description
Rathe is a lightly built young woman, though not frail in appearance, with dark eyes and espresso-brown hair that falls well past her shoulders in long ropes, though she invariably dyes some of the locks red, black, both, or something else entirely. Her features are soft and vaguely Italian in origin, though her multi-hued hair tends to make the connection less obvious. When she speaks, she's prone to voice her opinion without filters in the thick flourishes of an Italian accent, complete with an array of regional colloquialisms that betray her worldliness. Her choice of language fluctuates, and can do so mid-sentence, from Dutch or English to her native Italian. While she tries to catch and correct herself, others are often left to their own devices in figuring out the various pieces of her fractured sentences. Her dress is eclectic and tends to portray her moods, ranging from a more comfort-oriented base state upwards, but is always fashionable if not also a tad revealing. Any bared portions of her skin tend to be adorned with tattoos of various sorts, some with rich, vibrant colors and others of a more monochromatic tribal sort. She's fond of drink and can often be found perched atop a bar stool wreathed in a cloud of cigar smoke and smelling of booze. The latter penchants frequently gain her entry into the conversations of men, who find in her an attractive and engaging drinking buddy.

Personality
Generally speaking, her demeanor is warm and vivacious - she laughs easily and is frequently flirtatious, though seldom genuinely interested in pursuing things further. However, little provocation, either real or perceived, is required to bring out a more flippant persona that eschews authority and can be outright confrontational. In light conversation, she's downright chatty and easily able to carry on for hours; however, when pressed about herself becomes evasive and is quick to change the topic. It takes little time to discern that the young woman is an idealist, though the principles that drive her may be less certain and she's seldom forthcoming about them. The handful that can call her friend find her a loyal and resourceful ally, in whom they can place their complete confidence. Others will find in her a pragmatist that's more than capable of thriving in virtually any environment and willing to beg, borrow, or steal her way to any end. While not prone to quick provocation, her fuse has been decidedly shortened of late though she attributes it less to general edginess than lack of sleep.

Before “Open Waters” (Background)
He must've dozed off, as a chime at the door caught Jørgen quite by surprise. Rathe was no longer lying beside him, which caused a momentary panic until his ears caught the sound of the shower running. Quickly, he threw a sheet around his waist and answered the door, leading the room service attendant quietly to begin making arrangements on the balcony overlooking Amsterdam. No sooner had the attendant been tipped and shooed off, than Rathe emerged with a towel wrapped snugly around her. "Buongiorno dormiglione." With one hand holding the towel in place, she wrapped the other around his neck and pulled him closer, the pair sharing a long kiss that might've led to more had his resolve not been steeled by the lateness of the hour. Soon, she'd be gone. Breaking away, he motioned for her to sit, pouring her a mimosa and taking the seat across from her. He waited impatiently, nerves wreaking havoc with his insides, for her to lift the silvery cover from her plate. No sooner had she done so, then she replaced it and rose from the table.

He sat there for several moments, his mind empty from the shock of having been so thoroughly rejected, until she returned fully dressed and bent down to kiss his lips gently. Her voice was soft and barely more than a whisper, "Yes, but that's your grandmother's ring. There's no way I'm gonna risk losing it." His confused mind turned over what she'd said, which his gut told him was yes ... she said yes! Didn't she? Finally, he found his voice as the door swished open to allow her into the hall, "Hey, did you just say yes?!?"

"Sì" Rathe blew him a kiss, and then she was gone.

In her imaginings, she'd wanted so much more than a night of passion punctuated with a bittersweet note, but knew nothing remained for her there. The job had been simple, like a dozen before - a specific place, a specific task, and the tools to accomplish it. They paid well and the arrangement, albeit unusual, had been so fluid as to become routine ... until now. However, fortune smiled in the form of an anonymous payment and the name, Crescenzo.

Strengths
Rathe is an exceptional artist, much of her talent being attributed to keen perception and attentiveness to detail. It's common for her to notice things that others overlook, though the most subtle of these may be captured as a general impression that's hard to articulate. Given time, however, Rathe can usually render them visually through her art. That, and her vagabond lifestyle, have developed a sort of situational savvy - she can handle herself and is confident in her ability to do so. She's fluent in Italian, English, Dutch, and German.

Weaknesses
Rathe tends to be irresponsible, at best, though reckless is more the norm when it comes to herself. To say that she spends a significant portion of her waking hours under the influence of one thing or another wouldn't be an exaggeration, especially of late. More recently, she's also begun to suffer from insomnia, which has greatly exacerbated her substance issues.

@HangYourSecrets so right now there's a period of about 36 hours when new character sheets cannot be submitted, right?

@februari
Wow she can speak dutch?

@twannyman
That doesn't mean I do ;-) She's been living in Amsterdam for quite a while so, yeah, but I wouldn't call it her best language by any stretch.

@Redstring Oh dear, I keep phrasing that terribly. :/

What I meant to say as that I won't be adding characters to the role-play, to give people time to create them and not rush themselves. You're more than welcome to submit them now, if you'd like. I begin adding people in a few hours.

Good evening/morning/day.

I would be interested to join, if possible.



Any tips and corrections welcome

Hey all!

So I just updated the manifest (spoiler alert: everyone's in!) and I'm really excited to have you all on board, literally and figuratively! We're still in need of one more female.

As @Temperance added a character, and then redacted it, I'm giving him/her "first dibs" so to speak for the seat, but if anyone else would like it, I'll be taking the first completely filled application.

Looking forward to starting soon!

@HangYourSecretsDo you want us to move our characters to that tab?

Appearance: Elvira is a tanned, tall woman. Her short, maroon hair frames an oval face with defined cheekbones. There's a beauty mark placed above Elvira's thin, assymetrical lips and another one on her right temple, quite close to chesnut eyes.
She used to be very athletic, but has gained some weight recently - however, her physical strength hasn't dropped significantly, Elvira is definitely stronger than she appears to be.
A fan of everything related to the sky and the sea, she has quite a big tatoo on her right shoulder - a sun with a paisley pattern around it.
Elvira rarely wears formal clothing, preferring tank tops and jeans over dresses. However, she sometimes sports trouser suits.

Personality: Elvira in a comfortable environment is a literal ray of sunshine. Always smiling, happy to help anyone in need, trying to lift up others' mood... She is quite charismatic at such times.
However, she quickly loses her cool when in a bad mood or during unpleasant times - fortunately or not, life experience has given her a skill of making decisions quickly and thoughtfully, so usually the "unpleasant times" don't last long or don't stay the same way for long.
Elvira is very unwilling to talk about herself - she prefers to listen or tell a joke or a story heard from a friend. She is a great listener, however, and is willing to give advice.

Before “Open Waters” (Background):
"So what brought you here?"
Oh, Elvira has heard question a million times. When applying for a new job, when meeting colleagues, when a new acquaintance wanted to know more about her... Yeah, definitely, why would she come from a small mining town in Ukraine to the capital of one of the more developed countries of Europe?
Moscow was beautiful. Lively. Enormous. But very unaccepting. The only thing indicating her origin was her name, and yet she still got refused a few jobs because of it.
Sighing quietly, she answered the newbie's question and looked at the watch. Thankfully, it was time to get home.
"Getting a degree in a discipline I ain't even sure I like and being stuck in this hellhole is something I wouldn't wish to my worst enemy", - Elvira muttered, trying to find the key for the mailbox in her bag. - "God, please let me go somewhere where I'll be free from this. For example, the sea..."

Strengths: She's a great listener and is ready to give advice. Elvira has a keen eye for details and is good at analyzing big amounts of information in a rather short time. She is also quick at decision-making. Elvira is also quite adept at learning languages - she is fluent in Russian and English and is currently learning Italian. Ironically, she barely speaks any Ukranian.

Weaknesses: She's very quick at decision-making and rarely thinks about the long run. Elvira can also be incredibly moody, curses quite a lot and drinks quite a lot of alcohol. Thankfully, there are no signs of a physiological addiction.

@MissCapnCrunch, if my character is accepted, we'll have two slavic ladies, albeit from different countries. Woops :D