[HEADING=2]The Ashlanders[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]A Post-Apocalyptic Space Western![/HEADING]
Welcome to "The Ashlanders", an RP about bandit raids, train robberies and good old fashioned wasteland warfare! This RP's best served with some funky beats to set the mood and a quirky imagination. But be warned, not everyone's sanity will survive this disaster!
Centuries, perhaps even millennia after the first humans reached out into the gulf of space they had achieved the unthinkable and expanded across all corners of the cosmos. Their empire was vast and absolute. Then something happened. No one on "The Rock"--as the local folks call it--know what really happened to their ancestors, they just know they're all alone now and have been so for the last 200 years. They sure did leave quite a legacy behind, however.
You see, The Rock is a big ol' dirtball of a planet with a CO2-rich atmosphere. It's an extremely dry and volatile place, with violent tectonic activity and enough ash-spewing volcanoes to cover the surface of the planet ten times over. So why in the nine hells would someone want to colonize such a place? Well, it's a simple answer really. It had a valuable resource, of course! Apparently, deep beneath the planet's crust lies an enormous reserve of hyper-dense carbon so, humans being humans, we naturally wanted to drop a few people off to mine the ever-loving snot out of it! Well, they had robots doing the mining, but we'll get to that!
Fast-forward 200 years after the end of the human empire and you've got a population of a few million stranded on a planet humans were never supposed to inhabit in the first place! Our ancestors, in their infinite wisdom, decided it was a waste of time and resources to terraform the planet. In retrospect, well, that's kind of the reason everything's gone to hell in a handbag (what does that even mean?). Turns out a CO2-rich atmosphere ain't so great for humans, in fact, were you to go outside without a breathing mask you'd suffocate faster than duck reads a newspaper (I don't even know where I get these). People 'round here spend most of their lives living within the several cities and settlements dotting the landscape where they are protected from the planet's nasty environment. Big ol' bio-domes, they call them. And water's a rare sight as well. Plenty of folks have shriveled up like raisins lookn' for a single drop of the stuff!
So kids, what happens when you leave a bunch of people stranded with each other and there's only a few valuable resources lying around? That's right; the powerful take it and subjugate the weak! It didn't take long for an oligarchy of self-proclaimed "nobles" to take form. These nobles live up in their "Ivory Towers" (subtle, right?), enormous structures that watch over the bio-domes below, where they do all their no-good noble things. Though, these days the nobility doesn't get along all too well. You see, the domes need the energy of the hyper-dense carbon to keep going. You run out of carbon and you run out of power. You run out of power and... well, long story short, everyone's going to die. So, naturally, the nobles fight tooth-and-nail over these over sized bricks!
Our forefathers did do one good thing it turns out. "Supernova", the enormous superstructure that sits atop a long-dead volcano of all places, is where all the carbon comes from. It is a fully automated facility that follows protocols centuries old and is run by a literal army of automatons. Their prime directive is to mine and refine the carbon, and then supply it to the humans on the planet. That's it! Anyone who tries to breach that protocol meets with a grim end, so don't try to be a wise-ass!
Now, the nobility doesn't like to actively screw each other over. They marry each other's children together and all that political garbage, so they have reputations to uphold. Instead of sending their private armies to pillage villages and cities for carbon they contract bandits to do their dirty work for them. The market dictates that where there's a demand a supply will soon follow. It didn't take long for "Bandit Families" to appear, organized groups of thieves, mercenaries, cutthroats and pirates who stalked the planet's supply lines. It was their job to hit nobles below the belt at the behest of their rivals. It was all very nasty business. That was until a certain group appeared and began doing things their own way.
Enter the crew of the "Iron Maiden", an anti-gravity ship that wanders the vast landscape of the Rock, looking for convoys, trains and other ships to plunder. This group of misfits has no loyalties and works for no one. They take what they want and give what they don't need to the commoners they come across. It's a tough life, full of danger and explosions, but it's a colorful one to say the least.
And so that's the way things are today. The nobles rule their cities with an iron-fist while contracting bandit families to rip each other off. All the while you've got Robin Hood and Little John going Rambo across the whole gosh darn planet! Things are more unpredictable and dangerous than they've ever been around here.
Oh well, at least I can say I'm never really bored!
You see, The Rock is a big ol' dirtball of a planet with a CO2-rich atmosphere. It's an extremely dry and volatile place, with violent tectonic activity and enough ash-spewing volcanoes to cover the surface of the planet ten times over. So why in the nine hells would someone want to colonize such a place? Well, it's a simple answer really. It had a valuable resource, of course! Apparently, deep beneath the planet's crust lies an enormous reserve of hyper-dense carbon so, humans being humans, we naturally wanted to drop a few people off to mine the ever-loving snot out of it! Well, they had robots doing the mining, but we'll get to that!
Fast-forward 200 years after the end of the human empire and you've got a population of a few million stranded on a planet humans were never supposed to inhabit in the first place! Our ancestors, in their infinite wisdom, decided it was a waste of time and resources to terraform the planet. In retrospect, well, that's kind of the reason everything's gone to hell in a handbag (what does that even mean?). Turns out a CO2-rich atmosphere ain't so great for humans, in fact, were you to go outside without a breathing mask you'd suffocate faster than duck reads a newspaper (I don't even know where I get these). People 'round here spend most of their lives living within the several cities and settlements dotting the landscape where they are protected from the planet's nasty environment. Big ol' bio-domes, they call them. And water's a rare sight as well. Plenty of folks have shriveled up like raisins lookn' for a single drop of the stuff!
So kids, what happens when you leave a bunch of people stranded with each other and there's only a few valuable resources lying around? That's right; the powerful take it and subjugate the weak! It didn't take long for an oligarchy of self-proclaimed "nobles" to take form. These nobles live up in their "Ivory Towers" (subtle, right?), enormous structures that watch over the bio-domes below, where they do all their no-good noble things. Though, these days the nobility doesn't get along all too well. You see, the domes need the energy of the hyper-dense carbon to keep going. You run out of carbon and you run out of power. You run out of power and... well, long story short, everyone's going to die. So, naturally, the nobles fight tooth-and-nail over these over sized bricks!
Our forefathers did do one good thing it turns out. "Supernova", the enormous superstructure that sits atop a long-dead volcano of all places, is where all the carbon comes from. It is a fully automated facility that follows protocols centuries old and is run by a literal army of automatons. Their prime directive is to mine and refine the carbon, and then supply it to the humans on the planet. That's it! Anyone who tries to breach that protocol meets with a grim end, so don't try to be a wise-ass!
Now, the nobility doesn't like to actively screw each other over. They marry each other's children together and all that political garbage, so they have reputations to uphold. Instead of sending their private armies to pillage villages and cities for carbon they contract bandits to do their dirty work for them. The market dictates that where there's a demand a supply will soon follow. It didn't take long for "Bandit Families" to appear, organized groups of thieves, mercenaries, cutthroats and pirates who stalked the planet's supply lines. It was their job to hit nobles below the belt at the behest of their rivals. It was all very nasty business. That was until a certain group appeared and began doing things their own way.
Enter the crew of the "Iron Maiden", an anti-gravity ship that wanders the vast landscape of the Rock, looking for convoys, trains and other ships to plunder. This group of misfits has no loyalties and works for no one. They take what they want and give what they don't need to the commoners they come across. It's a tough life, full of danger and explosions, but it's a colorful one to say the least.
And so that's the way things are today. The nobles rule their cities with an iron-fist while contracting bandit families to rip each other off. All the while you've got Robin Hood and Little John going Rambo across the whole gosh darn planet! Things are more unpredictable and dangerous than they've ever been around here.
Oh well, at least I can say I'm never really bored!
You ready for some more info dumping? Is that a yes? Please be a yes D:
The Landscape: The colonized continent is roughly the size of modern-day Russia, but offers little to no climate or geographical variety. The surface of the planet is covered in a vast wasteland of ash, sand and clay. While mostly flat, there are a few mountain ranges in the northern-half of the continent. The air is dry and bitter, the nights are below freezing and anyone walking out in direct sunlight for more than a few hours without protection would be lucky not to die of exposure. It's not a very human-friendly environment. There are a few small rivers and lakes, but the majority of the continent's drinkable water exists in an enormous water table underground. Besides the occasional ash-storm, "weather" is damn near nonexistent and you'd be lucky to see rain more than once a month.
Culture/Settlements: Over the course of the last 200-years the colonists have had plenty of time to diversify their population. There are several different regions spread out across the continent, all with their own unique cultures and customs. One of the only consistencies among them is that powerful noble families rule over every major city on the planet. As the commoners live among their own kind in the domes, a singular culture developed among the members of the nobility... and it's kind of a weird one. Very Renaissance in nature.
Technology/Infrastructure: Only the members of the nobility have access to advanced technologies left behind by their ancestors, though most of them fail to understand how it works. This technology includes things like: superheated plasma lasers, anti-gravity fields, advanced imaging and audio technology. The commoners (and the bandits/bounty hunters) primarily have access to more crude technology that's equitable to the technology found in the late-20th century. This includes: firearms, motor vehicles, trains, plumbing, radios, cooking & refrigeration, etc. However, even these things are considered delicacies to the commoners.
Most of the cities are rundown, though they have advanced facilities that power the bio-domes and large gardens that supply the oxygen they breathe within. High-speed railways connect major cities and other trade-hubs, making them prime targets for bandit raids.
The nobility only cares about crime when it impacts them, so it's generally left up to the commoners to govern and protect themselves. Sheriffs are valued members of such settlements.
Economy: Solid carbon rocks and water are the two most valuable resources available. Instead of cash commoners and nobles alike deal in carbon stones and vendors always have a scale lying around to way your fortune during a trade.
Nobility: A specific noble family has a crest and a court. The crest signifies who they are and their court includes the people who have been elevated above commoner status to help run the settlements. The families themselves function much in the same way that the noble families of medieval Europe did.
Bandit Families: Bandit Families are far more varied than those of the nobility and often times sport the colors and quirks of the region they hail from. Most regions have a dominant family that pretty much runs the show. When out of the domes and on the job, the bandits wear scarves over their breathing masks that sport their family?s insignia. Bandit scarves are a symbol of pride among the families.
The Iron Maiden: The Iron Maiden is a ragtag crew of people from all over the planet united under a single purpose: to fuck the nobility as hard as they can! The mysterious "Bandit Queen", Meredith ?Pixie? Monroe is the captain of the ship and has traveled the world recruiting men and women of all colors and creeds. She's got the biggest bounty in The Rock's short history and her crew would die for her... well, most of them would anyway. The members of the Iron Maiden dress and operate like your typical bandit family, but instead of sporting a special scarf they wear whatever suites them. They are their own people, after all.
Culture/Settlements: Over the course of the last 200-years the colonists have had plenty of time to diversify their population. There are several different regions spread out across the continent, all with their own unique cultures and customs. One of the only consistencies among them is that powerful noble families rule over every major city on the planet. As the commoners live among their own kind in the domes, a singular culture developed among the members of the nobility... and it's kind of a weird one. Very Renaissance in nature.
Technology/Infrastructure: Only the members of the nobility have access to advanced technologies left behind by their ancestors, though most of them fail to understand how it works. This technology includes things like: superheated plasma lasers, anti-gravity fields, advanced imaging and audio technology. The commoners (and the bandits/bounty hunters) primarily have access to more crude technology that's equitable to the technology found in the late-20th century. This includes: firearms, motor vehicles, trains, plumbing, radios, cooking & refrigeration, etc. However, even these things are considered delicacies to the commoners.
Most of the cities are rundown, though they have advanced facilities that power the bio-domes and large gardens that supply the oxygen they breathe within. High-speed railways connect major cities and other trade-hubs, making them prime targets for bandit raids.
The nobility only cares about crime when it impacts them, so it's generally left up to the commoners to govern and protect themselves. Sheriffs are valued members of such settlements.
Economy: Solid carbon rocks and water are the two most valuable resources available. Instead of cash commoners and nobles alike deal in carbon stones and vendors always have a scale lying around to way your fortune during a trade.
Nobility: A specific noble family has a crest and a court. The crest signifies who they are and their court includes the people who have been elevated above commoner status to help run the settlements. The families themselves function much in the same way that the noble families of medieval Europe did.
Bandit Families: Bandit Families are far more varied than those of the nobility and often times sport the colors and quirks of the region they hail from. Most regions have a dominant family that pretty much runs the show. When out of the domes and on the job, the bandits wear scarves over their breathing masks that sport their family?s insignia. Bandit scarves are a symbol of pride among the families.
The Iron Maiden: The Iron Maiden is a ragtag crew of people from all over the planet united under a single purpose: to fuck the nobility as hard as they can! The mysterious "Bandit Queen", Meredith ?Pixie? Monroe is the captain of the ship and has traveled the world recruiting men and women of all colors and creeds. She's got the biggest bounty in The Rock's short history and her crew would die for her... well, most of them would anyway. The members of the Iron Maiden dress and operate like your typical bandit family, but instead of sporting a special scarf they wear whatever suites them. They are their own people, after all.
Almost... there...
If you've read this far you must actually be interested in this RP! Awesome! If you couldn't tell it's basically some kind of wacky post-apocalypse-space-western. Who doesn't love those?
You can submit as many character sheets as you want, but only the strongest sheets will be chosen. I am looking for about six or seven players (not including myself and my co-GM Binnsyboy) and am basing my selection criteria on a combination of the quality of the characters submitted and player availability. If you don't think you can post at least once or twice a week this RP is not for you.
If selected, I will announce which characters have been accepted into the RP once recruitment has closed. While I want plenty of people to make characters for the main cast (the crew of the Iron Maiden), I want as much variety in the submissions as possible. I want nobles, rival bandits, bounty hunters, sheriffs, commoners, etc. Be as creative as you want! Make up cities, settlements and regions to flesh out your character's back story. Also, you can make a quirky character (I expect a lot of those), but try not to go full-blown-anime-wacky!
You can submit as many character sheets as you want, but only the strongest sheets will be chosen. I am looking for about six or seven players (not including myself and my co-GM Binnsyboy) and am basing my selection criteria on a combination of the quality of the characters submitted and player availability. If you don't think you can post at least once or twice a week this RP is not for you.
If selected, I will announce which characters have been accepted into the RP once recruitment has closed. While I want plenty of people to make characters for the main cast (the crew of the Iron Maiden), I want as much variety in the submissions as possible. I want nobles, rival bandits, bounty hunters, sheriffs, commoners, etc. Be as creative as you want! Make up cities, settlements and regions to flesh out your character's back story. Also, you can make a quirky character (I expect a lot of those), but try not to go full-blown-anime-wacky!
Name:
Age:
Sex:
Profession: This is more of a category than anything else. (Iron Maiden) Bandit, (Family) Bandit, Noble, Bounty Hunter, Sheriff, Commoner, etc.
Appearance: This doesn't just include skin color, hair and clothing choices. You may want to describe how the character presents themselves whether it be sloppy or professional. Do they slouch a lot or like to sport stupid grins?
Personality: Try to be detailed here! A well thought-out personality is the most important and distinguishing aspect to a character!
Biography: What your life as been like up until your character's introduction. A good biography establishes and supports your character's motivations.
Notes: Any extra details you may want to add.
Age:
Sex:
Profession: This is more of a category than anything else. (Iron Maiden) Bandit, (Family) Bandit, Noble, Bounty Hunter, Sheriff, Commoner, etc.
Appearance: This doesn't just include skin color, hair and clothing choices. You may want to describe how the character presents themselves whether it be sloppy or professional. Do they slouch a lot or like to sport stupid grins?
Personality: Try to be detailed here! A well thought-out personality is the most important and distinguishing aspect to a character!
Biography: What your life as been like up until your character's introduction. A good biography establishes and supports your character's motivations.
Notes: Any extra details you may want to add.
Just to cover my bases... all pretty basic stuff... (Thanks Counter!)
1) All participants should abide by the rules of the Escapist forums, wherever possible.
2) I would like to see a variety of characters in terms of ethnicity, sex, appearance and personality. Too many Caucasian males with similar mind-sets results in a rather dull role-play.
2a) Appearance and Personality should be more than just lists of appropriate traits. Expand them into paragraphs, with more detail than just the basics.
3) Anyone who submits a character must be willing to give their full commitment to the role-play. If you have to drop out, at the very least let everyone else know, so I can properly write you out of the story. No-one likes it when ten people are accepted into a role-play and only five are still actively posting a week later.
4) I expect all participants to have a high level of competency in regards to spelling, grammar and post length.
4a) Godmodders and/or god-moders will be removed from the RP upon repeated instances of the offence.
5) To ensure clarity among writers, I request that all participants follow these formatting guidelines when writing posts:
- Italics ([ /i]) for inner thoughts, or for emphasis;
- Bold ([ /b]) if you want to copy over something that someone else said, or for emphasis;
- Please use plain black text for your posts. If people constantly use coloured text for their speech it quite often becomes a jumbled mess, in my experience;
- All posts and character sheets should be written in third person, past tense, where applicable.
- If out-of-character comments must be made in the thread, please keep them within spoiler tags so as not to break the flow.
6) Get Skype! It's a great way to communicate with your fellow RPers. Once players have been accepted they will be invited to the RP's Skype group chat.
7) Romance is allowed between characters - I fully encourage romantic subplots - but if things do end up going too far, I think that it is best if mature content was taken to private messaging, should the involved parties wish to pursue it. The Escapist tries to remain PG-13 at all times, if I remember correctly. Yes, even in the role-playing forum.
8) In the event that player-versus-player (PvP) combat takes place, I expect all participants involved in PvP to discuss the situation at hand and work together to determine the outcome of the combat, rather than attempt to win at all cost, independent of the plans of the others. Previous experience has shown me that a lack of negotiation and compromise has led to PvP fighting degenerating into each side trying to one-up the other, or forcing the opposite side into taking an action against their will, and eventually both participants end up distrusting each other out-of-character.
2) I would like to see a variety of characters in terms of ethnicity, sex, appearance and personality. Too many Caucasian males with similar mind-sets results in a rather dull role-play.
2a) Appearance and Personality should be more than just lists of appropriate traits. Expand them into paragraphs, with more detail than just the basics.
3) Anyone who submits a character must be willing to give their full commitment to the role-play. If you have to drop out, at the very least let everyone else know, so I can properly write you out of the story. No-one likes it when ten people are accepted into a role-play and only five are still actively posting a week later.
4) I expect all participants to have a high level of competency in regards to spelling, grammar and post length.
4a) Godmodders and/or god-moders will be removed from the RP upon repeated instances of the offence.
5) To ensure clarity among writers, I request that all participants follow these formatting guidelines when writing posts:
- Italics ([ /i]) for inner thoughts, or for emphasis;
- Bold ([ /b]) if you want to copy over something that someone else said, or for emphasis;
- Please use plain black text for your posts. If people constantly use coloured text for their speech it quite often becomes a jumbled mess, in my experience;
- All posts and character sheets should be written in third person, past tense, where applicable.
- If out-of-character comments must be made in the thread, please keep them within spoiler tags so as not to break the flow.
6) Get Skype! It's a great way to communicate with your fellow RPers. Once players have been accepted they will be invited to the RP's Skype group chat.
7) Romance is allowed between characters - I fully encourage romantic subplots - but if things do end up going too far, I think that it is best if mature content was taken to private messaging, should the involved parties wish to pursue it. The Escapist tries to remain PG-13 at all times, if I remember correctly. Yes, even in the role-playing forum.
8) In the event that player-versus-player (PvP) combat takes place, I expect all participants involved in PvP to discuss the situation at hand and work together to determine the outcome of the combat, rather than attempt to win at all cost, independent of the plans of the others. Previous experience has shown me that a lack of negotiation and compromise has led to PvP fighting degenerating into each side trying to one-up the other, or forcing the opposite side into taking an action against their will, and eventually both participants end up distrusting each other out-of-character.
If you have any questions you can ask them here or PM me or Binnsyboy [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/Binnsyboy].
Thanks again, and good luck with your submission(s)!
[HEADING=1]Submissions are currently closed![/HEADING]