RolePlayerGuilt

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel (RSotUW) is a realistic science fiction roleplay set in 2060 India, where players control major characters, NPCs and factions in a semi-sandbox environment. You will discover political plots, criminal confrontations, high-stake business, scientific innovations and the colorful lives of four million people living on the coast of an ever-encroaching Indian Ocean. Join us in exciting stories inspired by real life events and predictions!

This will be an advanced RP; you can find our main thread here.

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel

Seeing a lot of interesting ideas so far; keep them coming. You guys can have create as many characters as you want, but to avoid filling out a tons of sheets, I recommend making NPCs to bridge the gaps.

We will release the OOC and the character sheet once we reaching ten interests or the end of this week, whichever comes first. For now, keeping the sheet will ensure players coming in this weekend have the same time to work through as you guys.

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel

Might play as a Kashmiri refugee with an artificial shin. Would leftist/people's-whatever factions exist in Sopahn?

@BingTheWing

Sopahn is based on the coastal regions of Odisha, a state that is a part of the red corridor and experiences (gradually decreasing) Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. I imagine some leftovers or successors of the insurgency may exist in 2060, but going by current trends, they will be a miniscule force by then.

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel

Welcome, @Hank and @Atrophy.

<Snipped quote by Mercenary Lord>

I'd say cyberpunk, since the constantly changing and developing world, the growing gaps between parts of society, privacy and politics are playing a big part in it.

@Peik

There are certainly cyberpunk elements, but the world will be more hard sci fi compared to typical cyberpunk works like Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell.

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel

Welcome, @Virgil and @Kingfisher; glad to have your interests.

To answer your questions:

1. Dice rolls are only used for large and complex situations, often those that involve numerous players and characters. The dice allows for an impartial solution when multiple parties are involved, which means ease of coordination and less disagreement. For smaller encounters, players have total freedom to play out the scenes as they desire.

2. Around eight for the initial recruitment. Depending on the amount of interests, this number may go up or down. The application will be competitive; not first come first serve.

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel

Co-GM is @Peik.

Rotten Spokes of the Unlawful Wheel

OOC

---

◤A leader or a man of action in a crisis
almost always acts subconsciously
and then thinks of the reasons for his action.
― Jawaharlal Nehru


From the creator of The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention

A limitless new frontier, where anyone can be anything.
Built on the wastes of an ancient land, where forgotten wounds fester.
Wealth, fame, power, thrill, memes.

43 years into the future, the only constant we have is change. For far too long, humanity sacked the treasures of nature with no regards, all in the name of progress. We saw valuable fuel and food depleting, bountiful lands turned to waste. Extreme weather spiked in every region; the dry lands got drier and the flooded plains drowned deeper. In response, treaties and breakthrough technologies came one after another. The oil age neared its end, but many alternative energy poised to dethrone the black gold. We could travel faster than ever, at great convenience and little ecological footprint compared to decades ago. We could produce more efficiently than ever, realizing complex designs with the push of a 3D printer button, then breaking it back down and starting over with the help of recycling robots. But even as technology stimulated change, our society frequently lags behind. The internet of 2060 disseminates information at a blistering speed. xG networks, quantum computers and virtual reality seeped into mainstream markets, their introduction made accessing information easier than ever. However, not everyone relents on free rein. In the past, horrendous crimes have been aided with the latest tech. Petty criminals could find thousands of oblivious targets with the touch of a screen, and scheming extremists turn ambitious youths with vast arrays of internet propaganda. It only makes sense for law enforcement to counter with their own. Bio-metric records, call monitoring and surveillance drones are just few of the tools. Some governments went one step further, sealing off outside networks entirely. People were unimpressed with restrictions. See, the prime generation of 2060 grew up taking internet for granted. To them, being connected is not a privilege, it's a right. So what happens when the governments push? People push back. The world would see increasing amounts of hacking, protesting and rioting.

"How would that all affect me?" You ask. To start, you are living on the forefront of change. Sopahn is an Indian city on the edge of the Bay of Bengal, it was the fastest growing city last decade in India, if not the world. When much of the world turns increasingly inwards in fear of radical change, Sopahn welcomes the new with open arms. Forty years ago, this place was just one of hundreds of medium-sized cities in south-east Asia, barely worth a pixel on Google Maps. In those dry, bland places, all that would take to ignite a revolutionary fire is a tiny inspirational spark. Soon, the original sparks faded in a vast ocean of flames. In Sopahn, what started its growth mattered to nobody. Some time during the third decade of the 21st century, pieces simply fell in place. First came the money, the capital serving as foundation blocks. Then the brave entrepreneurs, the blooming enterprises and cutting-edge innovations. Finally, millions would flock in in search of a better life. Poor rural dwellers transformed to skilled workers, sweatshops and call centers gave way to efficient manufacturing and R&D, local fisher markets bulldozed to seat skyscrapers and their multi-billion dollar international companies.

In a rush of fortune, the downtrodden were swept under; forgotten but not gone. Just because downtown streets displayed glimmering holograms of the perfect future, it doesn't mean every single person lived in paradise. Sure, one can say the overall standard of living improved. That is, if you're in the right place at the right time. For many, circumstance dealt a cruel hand. Every successful "Indian Dream" spawned another dozen "Indian Nightmares". Unemployment fluctuates on the market's whim, one week someone sipped expensive European wine, the next week they would be choking on the poisonous slum creeks. Getting out of poverty is tough, and let's face it, taking shortcuts is just way too tempting. Many turned to crime, to the darkest activities festering in Sopahn's underbelly. Gangs, syndicates and cartels run the poorer neighborhoods. The city tried to put an end to crime, but the officials handling such matters always value their bank accounts over their citizens. A little gratitude in exchange for a blind eye seems innocent enough, that is, until truly sinister plots unraveled. Some doomsday cult calling itself Hamza predicted the end of humanity on September, 2060. A flood would wash over the unfaithful, and those embracing the divine purge will find shelter in heaven, their leader said. Now, less than three months away from judgment, Hamza cultists escalate preaching to murder.

Welcome to Sopahn, 2060; your dreaded playground.

• Starting time is June 15, 2060. The place is Sopahn and the surrounding Taray district; both are fictional.
• The megalopolis is approximately 200 km², while the metro is 2000 km². Four and a half million live there.
• Official languages are English, Hindi and Odia.
• Technology, manufacturing, service and real estate development are the main industries within city limits. The Taray district outside mines thorium and bauxite, in addition to cutting timber and growing jute. Fishers compete with shipping firms for sea access.
• Monsoon season is imminent, pressure build up in the Himalayas and southeast Asia suggest high storm frequency.
• Common Development Asia is the largest private corporation, it is the second largest employer in Sopahn, behind the government.
• Coal mining had been phased out for at least a decade, due to a combination of legislation, depleting reserves and eco-terrorist sabotage.
• Maglev trains run within the city, and outside to other parts of India.
• Several waterways have been polluted to the point of toxicity.
• The Kashmir Agreement was signed in 2056. India gained territory over Pakistan. Many Kashmiris have been forcibly resettled in cities such as Sopahn, where they often clash with the locals.
• The government suffered multiple hacking attacks, prompting stricter cyber security law.
• Mayor Vivek Yudhvankavi resigned because of personal and corruption scandals. Deputy Mayor Alma Laxmi and Counselor Soth Sila are running the city until an election in August.
• Due to rising water levels, older beaches are completely submerged. A barrier protects harbor side properties. Doomsday cults were responsible for destroying parts of this barrier.
• More and more tech companies and think tanks have been settling down, several conferences and exhibitions are scheduled this year.
• Corporate regulations remain loose to attract investors.
• Corruption, police brutality and bureaucratic incompetence are widespread. Trust in the city council is at a all-time low. Protests, riots and occasional looting frequent the streets.
• Crime rates spiking, gang clashes on the rise. Drug trade, arms trafficking and prostitution run rampant.
• Wealth gap greatly widened. Sopahn hosts record amounts of millionaires and homeless simultaneously.
• India is the most populous country with 1.7 billion people; surpassing China since the 2030s.

Lore Policy

Absolutely zero "alternate history". Anything 2017 or prior must follow established world events to the letter. The period between 2017 and 2020 should be left unmentioned, so that the blanks could be filled as they act out in real life. From 2020 onward, you may create custom events.

Technology must be validated in real life in order for incorporation. In addition to scientific plausibility, practicality and cost of deployment should be considered as well. Success in a lab does not translate to success in stores, and certain technologies are restricted by demographics.

If you have a world-changing event or advanced tech in mind, send me a PM to confirm first.

This roleplay is a hybrid of nations game and traditional character-focused RP. Playing a character is mandatory, but creating and leading an organization is optional. In terms of plot, it will be relatively free-form. There are several storylines to pursue, which do not have predetermined outcomes. Players may cooperate or compete against each other in IC, however, competition should be agreed upon by all involved parties. Remember, no one "wins" in this RP, but if winning is your goal, you will definitely lose.

The in-character world is a speculative science fiction one. The plot is inspired by real events or plausible future scenarios. Some research may be helpful in the topics you wish to cover, but with that said, we're looking for reasonable creativity over strictly scientific analysis. The genre spans thriller, drama, slice of life, satire and more. Combat is present but will not be the only activity. Please ensure your character has potential outside of action.

There is no limit on playable characters, as long as they are approved. To keep things manageable, I recommend starting with no more than three major characters. You may introduce new characters at any time; all major characters are subject to GM approval. As an advanced RP, your application is the proof of your writing skills. Bring your A-game on grammar, spelling and creative writing, and you'll have no problem being accepted. If certain parts of your character require editing, please do so appropriately or provide valid reasons otherwise.

Character sheet will be available in the full release.

Character Guidelines

Many characters will fall into one of six categories below. However, these aren't limitations and you may create something entirely different.

• Rogues: Shady members of the society; includes criminals and shunned people.
• Public Servants: Folks working for the goal of order. You can be a elected official corruptly lining your own wallet, or a fired cop hunting down thieves on your own terms, or anything in between.
• Corporate: You are an important member of a big company, and being the team player you are, you will everything and anything to make the company better.
• Entrepreneurs: Personal business interest is your interest. Instead of working for existing companies, you are starting your own.
• Citizens: The average Singh doesn't carry too many ulterior motives. With that said, you may as well take advantage of these changing times.
• Outsiders*: You came recently from other parts of India, or maybe, even from another country. Sopahn is an international city; expect no shortage of foreigners.

^{*The number of foreigner will be limited; maximum one per user.}

▪ Please avoid cliché and tried stories and personalities and go for something a bit more diverse. This is a major reason we will be doing background checks. If you basically make the same story over and over, you’re not getting a pass. Do something interesting and don’t go with some tragedy staple for cheap drama in an attempt to make your character look deeper than they are. This doesn’t mean you can’t go for the dead parent/orphaned/mentor figure/home burned down/badass loner/insert something you’ve seen in every RP thread ever, this one not being an exception. It just means we want to see a solid backstory where something like that isn’t used as a weak justification for your character setting out for exploring and never mentioned again or pulled up whenever you feel like your character needs to have an angsty/sad moment. If you actually feel it serves a purpose and makes sense for your character’s development and history, than by all means. Just make sure it’s understandable and a relatively believable subplot.

▪ If you are trying to omit something in your character sheet saying that it will be revealed later in the RP, we expect to be private messaged about it for approval, but chances are something like that will set off a red flag unless there’s a good reason for it. Since nobody’s meta gaming, we expect everything in the background section of the character sheet to be revealed there. Most of the time, this comes across as lazy and that you can’t be bothered to write something half-decent

▪ Keep in mind the age or your character in relation to their physical ability and skill as well as personal experience. Older characters may not be as strong or have the vitality of younger characters, but they have experienced much and had much longer to master skills, as well as they will generally be much more mature and rational, but will take longer to recover from physically demanding situations, wounds, and may be very set in their ways. Younger characters have the raw strength and vitality that comes with being at the peak of your physical prime, and chances are, they are rash and less disciplined, as well as being susceptible to new ideas and will be generally inexperienced with the world. We do not want to see an entire roster of teenage master hackers, hardcore parkorists and billionaires. If your character is excellent at something at a young age, there must be a good reason for it.

▪ You can only carry so much on your person at a time. Are you going to be carrying a rocket launcher, a kilometer of steel pipe, a dining table, a full-sized statue of Gandhi, 4000 coins, a 72 inch TV, just as many beer cans and weed, and every assembly manual out of IKEA? Keep it reasonable, keep it realistic. Collecting loot should never be your goal. You should also specify how your character is carrying around most of their inventory.

▪ Requisitioning takes time to happen. Even with advanced 3D printing, express shipping and digital catalogs, stuff won't teleport into your character's hands.

▪ Cyborg characters are a potential possibility, but this is similar to the weapon rules where it’s going to be based more around role playing than stats. People aren’t going to react well to seeing their buddy turning into terminator, and many of the traditional, paranoid, or sensible types will likely try to end them for it on the spot. If you do decide to go this route, your application will face higher levels of scrutiny than others because we need to make sure that you can actually properly role play somebody who is primarily synthetic.

▪ Medicine takes time to work in most cases, so you're not going to get flattened by a truck and then look brand new by chugging Nano Booster Juiceter™. A med kit can help your body mesh the wounds and heal you, properly made drugs eliminate poisons and disease, and prosthetics can replace your lost limbs, but nothing can help you recover when you are too dead to do so.

▪ Damage is realistic(ish), if you're hit by something heavy or sharp; you're going to need some serious medical attention if it hits something vital. But since this is the future, and health care work in ways that a platypus would say, "that's fucked up", most people also aren’t going to die of a paper cut infection. Your character is mortal and will be taking wounds in combat. Also, weapon and armor will be worn from use, repair is required to keep them going.

▪ Weapons have to reasonable for your character type, and its operational state should be tracked. Things like knives, batons, small arms and homemade bombs are fair game. Vehicle weapons (improvised or purpose built) can be integrated as long as they are within reason. However, this doesn't mean free rein to put ridiculous things like laser blasters or tanks into the game. Keep your kit in line with what someone could have in a real life city.

Skills and Weaknesses

Please be precise when listing skills. Proficiency in a broad skill (such as "business") may be interpreted as superficial and ineffective in any of its sub-skills. On the other extreme, skills that are too specific (like "thumb bending") will likely to disregarded as insignificant. Try to strike a balance (example; "hotel management" or "gymnastics").

Explanation of skill proficiency is required; you need more than a simple list.

Skills are locked in once your sheet is added to the roster. There may be chances to increase them, but leveling up in not the focus here.

Weaknesses are also mandatory, everyone need to have at least one distinct problem with their character. The end goal is not a medical simulator, so we can take some liberties without absolute realism. With that said, weaknesses have to be significant and not easily overcame; cheap excuses like "hates dogs" or "too attractive for his/her own good" are not acceptable.

Sample flaws and weaknesses

• Loss of certain body part(s) that are not fully replaced
• Dull senses
• Chronic illness
• Low stamina
• Clumsy
• Sensitive to elements
• Addiction
• Allergy
• Mentally Challenged
• Illiterate
• Phobias
• Social Awkwardness
• Weak-willed
• Anxious
• Gullible
• Debt

Skills and weaknesses will come into play when resolving conflicts and determining the outcomes of important actions. Dice rolls may be used for complex scenarios, and simpler situations are up to player discretion. For example, high chemistry skill will let you cook up some dank weed. Having hydrophobia might be problematic when your character's backed up against a body of water. Being indebted with no finance skill means no deal for life.

Organizations

Since this roleplay is not a nations game, controlling organizations will be secondary to playing individual characters. You may submit relevant organizations to augment the story of your character(s), as long as they are not universally powerfully or able to act over other organizations. Major organizations, such as the municipal government, will be GM-controlled. Your character may work for a GM-controlled factions and even create independent sub-factions within.

Creating an organization requires a similar application process to a character. However, you do not need to follow a strictly defined sheet. However, make sure you describe important elements such as the organization's type, its founding, its resources, its activities, its personnel, its structure, its association and relationship with other organizations.

Some ideas are listed below.

▪ Legal

• Security contractor
• Biotechnology
• Construction and land development
• Crisis management
• Charity
• Media
• Retailer
• Transportation
• Think tank
• Agriculture
• Minority group
• Youth and senior groups
• Foreign-based company

▪ Semi-legal

• Government watchdog
• Protest/lobbying group
• Gambling
• Racing
• Sponsored by rogue states
• Popular movement
• Alternative religion
• Information trafficking

▪ Illegal

• Gang
• Arms trade
• Drug trade
• Human trafficking/abduction
• Money laundering
• Poaching
• Hacking
• Ethic-less innovations
• Ethnocentric
• Revolutionaries/dissidents
• Terrorism
• Cult

What Are You Listening To?

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

But isn't that all we do here?

@Hank

Yes, but only to a reasonable degree.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

@Scout, try off topic subforum and stop shitposting here. This is your only warning.