Nyx
Wyrd Sister
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World Baby it's cold outside.Big Chill OOC
- Thread starter Nyx
- Start date
- Watchers 10
Currently reading:
World Baby it's cold outside.Big Chill OOC
Cheshire Cat
Queen of the Parliament of Cats
Hmm ... this is kind of the easy one for setup, but delegation is half the path to victory, soooo ... what do I actually need to do ...
Okay, this would help. When you're walking into a new setting, what kind of things do you want to know? What are the things people always forget to address? So far, I have general terrain info (which I'm stealing some of those pictures for, btw
), I have a little blurb about technology, and I have a few ideas for things that have been invented since the freeze. It's going to be 2030, so there won't really be any future tech ... Do you think I should have the setting be a real city, or a fictitious, generic city?
Okay, this would help. When you're walking into a new setting, what kind of things do you want to know? What are the things people always forget to address? So far, I have general terrain info (which I'm stealing some of those pictures for, btw
), I have a little blurb about technology, and I have a few ideas for things that have been invented since the freeze. It's going to be 2030, so there won't really be any future tech ... Do you think I should have the setting be a real city, or a fictitious, generic city?
TheWanderer
I roam around, around, around
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Fictitious place in a generic English speaking country. More creativity and freedom that way!
Cheshire Cat
Queen of the Parliament of Cats
Hokay, so here's what I have so far:
Setting: New Galiano (Fake Vancouver)
Landscape: The world was as you know it, basically, when the flash-freezing started. There were a few new years of cellphones, drones got cooler ... oh, they cured cancer. Tell that to the people still standing in Time Square, heh. As you can imagine, not much has changed since as far as the actual landscape. Bodies of water are frozen solid on the surface, even the oceans. Permafrost covers most of the open land, and with the ground frozen down to ten feet, there is no vegetation left, just the fossilized skeletons of trees and bushes that have managed to stand up to the winds, which tear constantly across the frozen planet. Cold and wind have eroded most standing structures, with some cities literally toppled, and innumerable smaller towns wiped from the map by the combination of elements. That which remains is jagged, skeletal, encased in ice and frost. The safest places are those built underground; mines, caves, subway stations, old silos, underground parking, anything built 10 feet or more underground is mostly safe from the cold and the wind, though air exchange will obviously mean heating is necessary.
Technology: Now, you probably guessed that most technology isn't built to function in sub-zero temperatures ... not for long. Lubricants and fuels freeze, metal shrinks and warps and becomes brittle, chemicals don't react as quickly as they should, if they do at all. Any vehicle not designed or modified for use in the cold will sputter out and fail just shortly after you're blown off the open road by the winds. Guns will work fine indoors, but after a few minutes in the cold they're likely to jam and fail unless they're kept warm. Anything with moving parts, open spaces for condensation to gather and freeze, anything not proofed against the cold has or will succumb to it.
HOWEVER! Jerry rigging, homebrewing, and making weird shit in your basement is still a thing, especially since everyone now lives in one kind of basement or another. Heating rigs for guns, cars, and people, pedal generators, methane-fuel generators and converters (ew ...), home-made flamethrowers and tazer gloves and sawblade-launchers ... if your twisted mind can conceive of it, and you have the skills, you can make or find it somewhere. Whether it works or not is another story, I'm sure, frozen in the ice, are a thousand and one people who thought they were buying a working jet-pack. Again, all moving parts, liquid systems, etc, are unlikely to work in the cold.
Society: There are a few kinds of people left in the world. You've got your colonists; people who think the best bet is sticking together. They usually take over large spaces, tend to be run by the militant sort, if not the downright crazy sort. A few are just collections of fighters who have decided everyone else can fuck off, but otherwise these are your safest bets if you need help, or a warm place to spend the night ... just don't expect a warm welcome, outsiders are famous for trouble. You've got your scavs, those who spend more time outside than in. They know all the little secret places you can hide in to keep warm for a night, make their money pulling wires and working stuff out of the frost and selling it to ... well, everyone else. You've got your Loners ... like scavs, they stay away from colonies, but more because they hate people, and just want to live out their days in peaceful purgatory. Then you have your assholes. Assholes come in a variety of shapes and sizes; Some set up underground near colonies and leech off them, some convert vehicles for the cold and roam around in caravans looking for stragglers and scavvers. Some even operate whole colonies that operate on a 'do what you want and stab anyone who argues' type of structure ... not a great place to meet new people, but whatever.
... if you've noticed a drop in writing quality, it's because I've slowly become starving over the last hour, and need to stop and go eat something ^_^
INPUT, EDITS, I'LL BE BACK!
Setting: New Galiano (Fake Vancouver)
Landscape: The world was as you know it, basically, when the flash-freezing started. There were a few new years of cellphones, drones got cooler ... oh, they cured cancer. Tell that to the people still standing in Time Square, heh. As you can imagine, not much has changed since as far as the actual landscape. Bodies of water are frozen solid on the surface, even the oceans. Permafrost covers most of the open land, and with the ground frozen down to ten feet, there is no vegetation left, just the fossilized skeletons of trees and bushes that have managed to stand up to the winds, which tear constantly across the frozen planet. Cold and wind have eroded most standing structures, with some cities literally toppled, and innumerable smaller towns wiped from the map by the combination of elements. That which remains is jagged, skeletal, encased in ice and frost. The safest places are those built underground; mines, caves, subway stations, old silos, underground parking, anything built 10 feet or more underground is mostly safe from the cold and the wind, though air exchange will obviously mean heating is necessary.
Technology: Now, you probably guessed that most technology isn't built to function in sub-zero temperatures ... not for long. Lubricants and fuels freeze, metal shrinks and warps and becomes brittle, chemicals don't react as quickly as they should, if they do at all. Any vehicle not designed or modified for use in the cold will sputter out and fail just shortly after you're blown off the open road by the winds. Guns will work fine indoors, but after a few minutes in the cold they're likely to jam and fail unless they're kept warm. Anything with moving parts, open spaces for condensation to gather and freeze, anything not proofed against the cold has or will succumb to it.
HOWEVER! Jerry rigging, homebrewing, and making weird shit in your basement is still a thing, especially since everyone now lives in one kind of basement or another. Heating rigs for guns, cars, and people, pedal generators, methane-fuel generators and converters (ew ...), home-made flamethrowers and tazer gloves and sawblade-launchers ... if your twisted mind can conceive of it, and you have the skills, you can make or find it somewhere. Whether it works or not is another story, I'm sure, frozen in the ice, are a thousand and one people who thought they were buying a working jet-pack. Again, all moving parts, liquid systems, etc, are unlikely to work in the cold.
Society: There are a few kinds of people left in the world. You've got your colonists; people who think the best bet is sticking together. They usually take over large spaces, tend to be run by the militant sort, if not the downright crazy sort. A few are just collections of fighters who have decided everyone else can fuck off, but otherwise these are your safest bets if you need help, or a warm place to spend the night ... just don't expect a warm welcome, outsiders are famous for trouble. You've got your scavs, those who spend more time outside than in. They know all the little secret places you can hide in to keep warm for a night, make their money pulling wires and working stuff out of the frost and selling it to ... well, everyone else. You've got your Loners ... like scavs, they stay away from colonies, but more because they hate people, and just want to live out their days in peaceful purgatory. Then you have your assholes. Assholes come in a variety of shapes and sizes; Some set up underground near colonies and leech off them, some convert vehicles for the cold and roam around in caravans looking for stragglers and scavvers. Some even operate whole colonies that operate on a 'do what you want and stab anyone who argues' type of structure ... not a great place to meet new people, but whatever.
... if you've noticed a drop in writing quality, it's because I've slowly become starving over the last hour, and need to stop and go eat something ^_^
INPUT, EDITS, I'LL BE BACK!
Couple questions:
I'm assuming we're normal humans, no mutants or supernaturals, is this correct?
If the world is froze over, where does food come from, assuming we're not cannibals?
I'm assuming we're normal humans, no mutants or supernaturals, is this correct?
If the world is froze over, where does food come from, assuming we're not cannibals?
Cheshire Cat
Queen of the Parliament of Cats
Sorry for my absence! A few stressful days at work, plus a few extra snowy days, plus a persistent headache, but I'm back and at-it!
Correct, no super-mutants or cyborgs or aliens or shadow demons or half wolves or ice-ninjas ... well, actually ... uh, you get the idea.
Food is the only thing we don't really need to worry about. The planet was essentially flash frozen, and at the same time the planet's population dropped steeply. Any food that wasn't in a location described as 'safe' would have been flash frozen too, preserving it against everything but freezer burn. We're going to ignore science for a second and say canned goods are still around, but we can safely say things like noodle-packets, already-frozen-goods and whatnot are all still in place.
Because part of the initial crisis was people being stranded by the snow, there is a lot of un-looted territory. I'm going to add a bit about people only now having to strike further out to find supplies and food. The looting only began once people started to realize winter wasn't ending. Not to mention we've lost like, 80-90% of the global population, so the number of people who could loot versus the number of places to loot and things to loot therein is super disproportionate.
... again, sorry for taking so long ... PS, the thread is up!
ANNOUNCEMENT!
https://writerssanctum.com/threads/post-apoc-the-big-chill-always-accepting.8043/#post-166859
Correct, no super-mutants or cyborgs or aliens or shadow demons or half wolves or ice-ninjas ... well, actually ... uh, you get the idea.
Food is the only thing we don't really need to worry about. The planet was essentially flash frozen, and at the same time the planet's population dropped steeply. Any food that wasn't in a location described as 'safe' would have been flash frozen too, preserving it against everything but freezer burn. We're going to ignore science for a second and say canned goods are still around, but we can safely say things like noodle-packets, already-frozen-goods and whatnot are all still in place.
Because part of the initial crisis was people being stranded by the snow, there is a lot of un-looted territory. I'm going to add a bit about people only now having to strike further out to find supplies and food. The looting only began once people started to realize winter wasn't ending. Not to mention we've lost like, 80-90% of the global population, so the number of people who could loot versus the number of places to loot and things to loot therein is super disproportionate.
... again, sorry for taking so long ... PS, the thread is up!
ANNOUNCEMENT!
https://writerssanctum.com/threads/post-apoc-the-big-chill-always-accepting.8043/#post-166859
TheWanderer
I roam around, around, around
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So where are our characters living right now? I'm assuming we've come together as a small group somehow, or are in the same general vicinity?
Nyx
Wyrd Sister
I think that is up to us, I am guessing since she has given us options of classes, that our choice also can be reflected in where we choose to start. I guess. I could be wrong.
Cheshire Cat
Queen of the Parliament of Cats
You do you boo. People can be in groups, loners, colonies, whatever you like.
Contrast
Serf
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Sounds like an interesting concept. Count me in, but I'm not one for producing character sketches (I draw from a pool of characters I know well and adjust them for different roles). I like to reveal everything in story or I'll enhance things with a few graphics. It's more fun that way and more realistic. If there's something I really need to know from a writing perceptive I just ask. Hope that works. Gimme a heads up when ya want to start.
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Cheshire Cat
Queen of the Parliament of Cats
@Contrast
That's cool, I'm not requiring that people hand-draw their characters! If I did say that somewhere, it was certainly by mistake. I'm not entirely sure what you mean though. If you're asking whether or not you can be exempt from the profile and header requirements, that's gonna be a pretty firm no. I have to expect the same from everyone, it's just the democratic way ^_^
That's cool, I'm not requiring that people hand-draw their characters! If I did say that somewhere, it was certainly by mistake. I'm not entirely sure what you mean though. If you're asking whether or not you can be exempt from the profile and header requirements, that's gonna be a pretty firm no. I have to expect the same from everyone, it's just the democratic way ^_^
Nyx
Wyrd Sister
Sounds like an interesting concept. Count me in, but I'm not one for producing character sketches (I draw from a pool of characters I know well and adjust them for different roles). I like to reveal everything in story or I'll enhance things with a few graphics. It's more fun that way and more realistic. If there's something I really need to know from a writing perceptive I just ask. Hope that works. Gimme a heads up when ya want to start.
The post headers aren't really character sheets they are simply a note that tells the reader who's perspective this is. It doesn't have to tell us,any more than what we would know by simply looking at your character. It's so people joining later on don't have to dredge through previous posts to know who is who upon meeting. And keeps,everyone knowing who's who at a glance.
Cheshire Cat
Queen of the Parliament of Cats
Oh, of course, extra is always welcome, and it gives us a grizzled face to imagine interacting with
Contrast
Serf
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I've always liked putting a face to a character. Sometimes it's not possible of course, but when it is it can add to the depth of the character, or even inspire. I'm definitely not trying to set a precedent, just one of those writer/roleplayers that's used to using face-claims.
TheWanderer
I roam around, around, around
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Character face claims are usually a requirement in group games. I'm personally more of a fan of creating unique characters for unique settings instead of reshaping pre-existing characters to fit. I might use the same names over and over, but for group games they're very independent characters compared to my solo stories. I'm working up a profile this week.
Contrast
Serf
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If I have to whip up a profile, then I'm out. I wasn't planning on creating one for this story off the hop. Was going to develop it as I went along. I've done some research already, got it all up in my head, but yeah, don't have time to put it all down. Thanks.
Cheshire Cat
Queen of the Parliament of Cats
No worries, if you have more time later on, we'll be open until either the site dies or I do ... or the RP does
TheWanderer
I roam around, around, around
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Name: Konrad Roht
Age: 34
Description: Konrad Roht was fortunate that his career choice lead to his survival. As a Mountaineer in the Summer, and Ski Patrol member in the Winter, Konrad was well suited to the Big Freeze. Of course, no one really believed it was going to happen, but when the temperature started to drop he already had the gear to survive it. As society started to collapse, he also knew the better places to find cold weather gear - gear more suited for Mount Everest in the Old World then a daily wear of the New World.
Konrad was an endurance athlete, doing long winter treks and long summer treks at altitude in the mountains. He has had to adjust to this new world, missing the fresh fruit and vegetables that used to be so easy to access. Growing things underground and eating canned food is just not the same, but the high calories certainly help with the deadly cold. He has been able to put both his mountaineering and ski patrol skills to use, living on the fringe of a small colony.
He is tasked with surface security - keeping the guidelines along the surface to places of interest or importance function as best as possible, leading small groups out to scavenge, along with mostly maintaining the gear he uses for such things. Lots of carbiners, steel wire and pegs, crampons and AT gear and the like.
[WIP - can edit and add more later - also assuming this is where you want it posted?]
@Cheshire Cat
Age: 34
Description: Konrad Roht was fortunate that his career choice lead to his survival. As a Mountaineer in the Summer, and Ski Patrol member in the Winter, Konrad was well suited to the Big Freeze. Of course, no one really believed it was going to happen, but when the temperature started to drop he already had the gear to survive it. As society started to collapse, he also knew the better places to find cold weather gear - gear more suited for Mount Everest in the Old World then a daily wear of the New World.
Konrad was an endurance athlete, doing long winter treks and long summer treks at altitude in the mountains. He has had to adjust to this new world, missing the fresh fruit and vegetables that used to be so easy to access. Growing things underground and eating canned food is just not the same, but the high calories certainly help with the deadly cold. He has been able to put both his mountaineering and ski patrol skills to use, living on the fringe of a small colony.
He is tasked with surface security - keeping the guidelines along the surface to places of interest or importance function as best as possible, leading small groups out to scavenge, along with mostly maintaining the gear he uses for such things. Lots of carbiners, steel wire and pegs, crampons and AT gear and the like.
[WIP - can edit and add more later - also assuming this is where you want it posted?]
@Cheshire Cat
Character Profile
Name: Gracie; aka Mouse
Age: 20
Description: Gracie, or Mouse as she usually goes by is 5'6" and weighs about 110lbs with a slim build. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes.
Mouse is a rather quiet girl who's been alone most of her life since her father was taken away a couple years ago. Since then she's wandered the city, trying to stay alive. She longs to be a part of something more, like being the member of a group rather than being a slave to one. She's slow to accept others in her life but when she does, she can be very protective and loyal. Mouse suffers with a mild case of bipolar disorder.
Mouse was raised by her father, who worked as an electrical/mechanical engineer. Her mother died of concer when she was just 2 so she has very little memory of the woman, and she was raised by her father alone. He was a bit of a wiz with electronics and mechanical devices of all types, so it was no surprised to him when Gracie seemed to have the same aptitude… Of course he'd been wrong, she was better. She was something of a child prodigy he believed. By the time she was twelve she was able to repair and create just as well as he could.
When the shit hit the fan five years ago, her father continued to work in the same line of business for the Colonists, trying to keep as many of the underground systems operational as he could. With no school to send his daughter to he dragged her along, adding to her skills with some actual practical experience. Of course it wasn't long before a man of his talents would be valued by people other than the colonists.
When she just turned eighteen a gang of raiders came looking for her father; they didn't want to hire him, they wanted to enslave him as their full time repairman, but he was unwilling. The man made his daughter hide before the final confrontation where a crazed gang member killed him for refusing to work. How she managed to remain hidden quietly while she sobbed she still has no idea. Once her father's body had been looted and the gang had left she finally came out and cried by her father's side.
Now at age twenty Gracie continues to travel the city, hiring herself out for repair work where she can get it. Her one hope is that someday she can find the right community to settle down in.
@Cheshire Cat
Name: Gracie; aka Mouse
Age: 20
Description: Gracie, or Mouse as she usually goes by is 5'6" and weighs about 110lbs with a slim build. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes.
Mouse is a rather quiet girl who's been alone most of her life since her father was taken away a couple years ago. Since then she's wandered the city, trying to stay alive. She longs to be a part of something more, like being the member of a group rather than being a slave to one. She's slow to accept others in her life but when she does, she can be very protective and loyal. Mouse suffers with a mild case of bipolar disorder.
Mouse was raised by her father, who worked as an electrical/mechanical engineer. Her mother died of concer when she was just 2 so she has very little memory of the woman, and she was raised by her father alone. He was a bit of a wiz with electronics and mechanical devices of all types, so it was no surprised to him when Gracie seemed to have the same aptitude… Of course he'd been wrong, she was better. She was something of a child prodigy he believed. By the time she was twelve she was able to repair and create just as well as he could.
When the shit hit the fan five years ago, her father continued to work in the same line of business for the Colonists, trying to keep as many of the underground systems operational as he could. With no school to send his daughter to he dragged her along, adding to her skills with some actual practical experience. Of course it wasn't long before a man of his talents would be valued by people other than the colonists.
When she just turned eighteen a gang of raiders came looking for her father; they didn't want to hire him, they wanted to enslave him as their full time repairman, but he was unwilling. The man made his daughter hide before the final confrontation where a crazed gang member killed him for refusing to work. How she managed to remain hidden quietly while she sobbed she still has no idea. Once her father's body had been looted and the gang had left she finally came out and cried by her father's side.
Now at age twenty Gracie continues to travel the city, hiring herself out for repair work where she can get it. Her one hope is that someday she can find the right community to settle down in.
@Cheshire Cat
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