The Rogue Planet Incident
When the Odyssey left Earth's orbit, everything felt surreal. The crew of the ship stood on the observation deck, watching as their blue pearl shrunk in size. They knew the world was watching them, cheering them on, praying for a safe journey and a safe return. It was the day when humanity would test its first interstellar jump drive, the Fold Wave Manipulator. Everything started off smoothly. Humanity would finally leave the familiar territory of the Solar System. Their eyes were set on Alpha Centauri, to explore alien worlds and lead humanity into a new era.
The Fold Wave Manipulator worked. The local space around the Odyssey began to twist, turn, and finally engulf the ship. In only a matter of hours, the ship would be 4.7 light years away from the Sun. When the ship emerged from Fold Space, they weren't graced by the light of a new star. Not entirely at least. The Fold Wave Manipulator had detected a gravitational anomaly while navigating Fold Space, and performed an emergency exit. The crew was glad that their untested drive kept them alive, but they weren't entirely aware of the danger they had emerged next to. The Fold Wave Manipulator had exited Fold Space two light years too early. Alpha Centauri was still just another dot in the black void. While the crew tried to prepare the ship for another jump, the ship's computer warned them of a gravitational influence that made the Fold Wave Manipulator unable to function. That was when the crew turned their eyes to their scanners, then to the windows and observation ports. They had entered into a unstable orbit over a starless planet that had been drifting for millions of years. A rogue planet.
The ship only had enough fuel to set itself into a stable orbit around one of Alpha Centauri's planets, and escape again on the return trip to Earth. The rogue planet's gravitational influence was so strong that escaping would mean the Odyssey would have no fuel to return to Earth. They were trapped and cut off from communications with Earth. It'd only be a matter of days until the Odyssey would crash land on the surface of the rogue planet. It was up to the crew of the Odyssey to survive, and find a way home. Luckily, the Odyssey was crewed by Earth's best and brightest. Scientists and engineers of many different fields, pilots and soldiers from every corner of the Earth, and leaders handpicked to adapt to any scenario. The crew of the Odyssey will not be beaten.
The Premise
So! First off, thank you for reading this interest check! This has been an idea floating around in my head for a while. I'm aiming for this to be a sort of survival horror on a planet with no sun. Beyond the lights of Odyssey, things on the surface are pitch black and frozen over. There is an atmosphere capable of sustaining human life. And if it can sustain humans, than it is likely that it can sustain something else as well! While this is first and foremost a survival horror story, there will be equal parts action and exploration. At least, that is the intent. The Odyssey had a crew of two hundred, with people ranging from a variety of skills and professions. The tech level is futuristic, we're talking magnetic weapons and even some energy weapons as well. There will be power armored suits, and if people want, even combat mechs a la Armored Core, Full Metal Panic, or Front Mission.
The GM
Here's the catch... I have a bit of a track record of hosting RPs that never really get off the ground, or lose steam quite early on. So that said, I'm looking for somebody else to GM this RP instead. I would much rather be the Co-GM, and help build a world for the RP to take place in. I could advise the GM on plot points in the story that might be important, and help guide the party through a long and successful adventure! So that's the hope!
The Players
While there are many people aboard the Odyssey currently, that population will be quick to fall. I intend to kick off the RP with the Odyssey crashing into the surface of the rogue planet. So many of the crew will die. The players are obviously the survivors. I don't intend on killing off all the crew but the players, so there will be NPCs that need to be auto'd. I will allow for players to freely come up with side characters to help along with interactions, development, and also to generally be red shirts for when chaos ensues. That said, I want to keep a count on how many of the crew are left standing in total. So don't go crazy with killing everybody off for dramatic effect. :P
Myself and the volunteer GM included, I will allow a maximum party size of 10, but would preferably want 6 or 7. The characters should have a good spread of skills to tackle a variety of situations. Keep in mind though, that myself and the GM will constructively criticize the application CS's. If something doesn't make the cut initially, don't fret. Edit the character, and consult with me or the GM in private until the character is up to snuff. THIS IS NOT FIRST COME FIRST SERVE! If two characters fill the exact same role, one will end up being chosen over the other. If you aren't picked, feel free to make a CS for a different role.
Now! With that out of the way, do we have any takers? And is there anybody willing to GM this RP?
