First, for some Theme music!
The Great Air Race Begins!
The year is nineteen hundred ten. King Edward VII sits upon the throne of England (but for how much longer?) and all is well within the British Empire. Nevermind those ambitious Germans, meddlesome French, reckless Yankees, and chaotic Italians. Yes, indeed. Everything is jolly good (so long as you're a white British fellow from a reasonably well-to-do family, that is)!
There is one small problem, however: those tiresome new technologies so beloved of the Americans and continentals. Britannia may rule the waves, but she does not rule the skies - at least not yet. To this patriotic end (and also to increase the circulation of his newspaper and simply because he has money to burn), the English newspaper baron Lord Worthington has decided to bankroll a great air race from London to Paris and then back again to London. As encouragement, he has offered up the kingly sum of £15,000 to go to the victor, who he fully expects to be a loyal subject of the crown.
Already a dazzling assortment of aviators, mechanics, and dreamers has started to pour into the new purpose-built aerodrome taking shape in the northern suburbs of London. Whether by invitation, word of mouth, or by having read about the event in local newspapers, they have made their way to this mecca of nascent aviation with one goal in mind: win. Some are motivated by a lust for money. Some crave fame. Others have been swept up in a wave of patriotic fervour, and still others are here to prove a point, whether it be political, moral, or personal. One thing is for certain: the great air race is set to be a spectacle like nothing that has ever been witnessed before, and naturally, the presses and the public are all agog about those magnificent men in their flying machines.
Entry Guidelines for the Interested Aviator
So, this is a lighthearted competitive RPG set during the peculiar Indian Summer of the Late Edwardian Period, four years before the First World War broke out and when flying was still new, exciting, and oh-so-glamourous. It's based on the 1965 movie of the same name and borrows a lot of thematic inspiration from it. It also has a lot in common with and is something of an homage to Wacky Races. There will be shenanigans. I fully expect a wide range of ridiculous characters, exaggerated antics, absurd contraptions, genius bodgers, and dimwitted daredevils. This is the sort of RPG that revels in poking fun at national and period-appropriate stereotypes, is more than a bit tongue in cheek, and is not averse to cleverly breaking the fourth wall. That's not to say that it isn't competitive as well. There will be a winner. However, the focus is equally on worldbuilding and developing interesting storylines and truly zany and memorable contraptions. The following are some basic rules, expectations, and bits of information.
- I: Try to keep your characters and machines period appropriate and enter things that are at least somewhat mechanically viable. So, that means humans only and no magical powers, I'm afraid. In terms of machines, you can use any preexisting aircraft that would've been around as of 1910 and had been demonstrated to be airworthy. Google is your friend in that regard. You can also enter a non-canon aircraft based upon something that you've found online. It will need to have a visual, however. If you're decent at drawing either by hand or CAD, feel free to use an original piece of artwork as well. Get creative! There are also a few of us around who can CAD something simple for you if you describe it clearly enough. Even for canon aircraft, feel free to describe any custom colouration that you've added or modifications that you've made.
- II: The race will consist of three legs in each direction. The first will be 130 kilometers from London to Dover. Second will be the harrowing cross-channel dash of 45 kilometers from Dover to Calais, France. It's short, but time saving skills will have no effect, and any sort of landing during this leg will take you out of the race. The final leg is the longest and most daunting: an endurance-testing marathon of 230 kilometers across northern France from Calais to Paris, rounding the Eiffel tower within the final few kilometers.
- III: This is a competitive RP and will utilize a simple and clearly defined stat system based on probability (which will probably be measured using ten-sided dice). If you're just in it for fun, I commend you, but if you're in it to win it, then pay careful attention to the advantages and disadvantages that your stats will give you. If you so wish, you may enter more than one team. This is supposed to have a large field, and the less of them that are NPCs, the better.
- IV: The usual bit about the fact that the OP is God, not metagaming, powerplaying, and being a source of drama. You're all adults (except for those of you who aren't) and you don't need to hear (see?) this all again. This is also a strongly goal-driven RPG with a clearly defined endgame. It will conclude once the last of the competitors has finished the race.
Aircraft and Pilot Specifications
Aircraft Specifications
A total of thirty points will be available to be distributed across the following five categories:
- Speed: Each point put into this represents 10 km/h.
- Reliability: During each leg of the race, your aircraft will suffer one failure which will force it to land, costing it half an hour. Each point put into this decreases the chance of failure by 10%.
- Ease of Repair: Each point put into this stat will decrease repair time following failures and crashes by three minutes and increase the chance that you will be able to fix the problem in midair by 5%.
- Range: Each point put into this gives your aircraft thirty kilometers of range.
- Ease of Control: this allows terrain following flying and tight turns. Every point put into this shaves five minutes off of your time for each stage.
Pilot Specifications
A total of thirty points will be available to be distributed across the following five categories:
- Experience: During each stage, your pilot will make one mistake costing him or her twenty minutes. Every point invested into this stat will reduce the time lost by two minutes. It will also increase the chance of detecting foul play by 10%
- Daring: Each point invested into this stat will allow you to shave ten minutes off of your time, but will increase your risk of a crash by ten percent. A crash will cost you one hour of time.
- Repair Skill: Each point invested in this will shave six minutes from your repair time.
- Charisma: This makes it more likely that passerby will assist you in the event of a crash, failure, or running out of fuel, decreasing time lost by two minutes for each point invested. It also makes rivals 10% less likely to detect foul play on your part.
- Foul Play: Each point invested in this allows you to sabotage your rivals, increasing the likelihood that they will suffer a failure by 20%. In the event of a race-ending crash, each point invested gives you a 10% chance to smuggle a new aircraft in and continue. The chance of foul play being detected will start at 50%.
Miscellaneous Information
- I: If this garners enough interest, an OOC will be posted next Thursday, and it will include a map of the course, some helpful links, a complete and final CS, and a handy listing summarizing each entry. We'll have to get to at least five for me to consider running the RPG.
- II: Any questions, comments, and/or recommendations would be appreciated. If you think that we can run this without a stat or dice aspect, please sound off below and let me know!
- III: This RPG has been crossposted on the Drowning City Forums, which mainly focuses on robotic combat RPGs. I guess we'll see which forum shows more interest.
- IV: Finally, have a skeleton CS:
Good Luck!
...though I expect you to win without it!
