Pellegrino
Serf
- Local time
- Today 4:07 PM
- Messages
- 4
- Age
- 33
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Our great city burns.
While others walk blindly by
we dare to ask why.
Quick hitsWhile others walk blindly by
we dare to ask why.
Premise
Enter a neo-noir city on the verge of change. It's a powder keg of a place with millions of people packed in like sardines, all vying for a chance to move up a level (in life and in housing). Inequity is blatant. Corruption is a luxury. Power is a harsh and overwhelming thing. Like everyone else, our characters are preparing for the election just one day away. Everyone is touched by a candidate one way or another and one thing is for certain — Mecklenburg will never be the same.
Our characters will be from the Lower Levels of Mecklenburg. From there, how the election plays into each life is entirely up to the player. Some may be directly involved with the election, while others might be more focused on making ends meet. We will play through the events of the election, the aftermath, and take part in riding out the rollercoaster that Mecklenburg.
PostingOnce a week with a piece that meaningfully adds to the plot. Our stories may start off independent and close in, so flesh out your corner of the city and give others space to connect with you. I want to avoid unwieldy walls of texts, so consider capping your post at 800 words.
ChoiceI do have a plot line sketched out for this game. However, what characters are submitted will affect the story, as will the elections (which players will help decide). There will also be additional shifts based on the choices folks make as they move their stories. I'm a big fan of offering a main storyline and allowing others to chase their own threads.
Group sizeI am hoping to get at least 4 people involved in the game to start off. We will be able to add people as the game progresses, though I may place freezes on when folks can introduce additional main characters (side characters are great with a scaled down character sheet).
ToneThink Blade Runner meets Judge Dredd with a heavier emphasis on grimy city life. If you're into deep cuts, I will be taking inspiration from experiences in TSRP.
Our city, Mecklenburg
Concrete, glass, and electricity. Winding lines of pavement filled by impatient cars that move too slowly when you're in them and too quickly when you try to walk by them. Newcomers describe this place as bustling and bright. Rife with opportunity. The place where the future is born. Minds intoxicated by wonder tend to sober fast. You start to hear words like "crowded" and "grim". Opportunity comes at a cost, and most of the time only if you're the type who doesn't need to ask the price. Most agree on one thing — the future is born here. It's how that plays out that folks disagree on. That's just how it is. Home to 23 million souls. How else could it be? Everyone has dreams. And when those dreams fail to manifest, everyone has a finger to point. More importantly, everyone has a story.
The tinder
Climate, inequity, and politics. Busy streets became unbearably overcrowded when refugees fled inland from the coast. Years of heatwaves and droughts did little to invigorate progress toward a solution. Cyclones proved more convincing. The first storms came in hard and fast, sweeping away at the edges of the country. Afterward it became a slow siege as the ocean crept further and further onto land. Salty towns along the water were washed away. Others evacuated, finding refuge on the other side of the mountains, or escaping to cities like ours. Places with money to throw at the problem. And so we did.
Twenty odd years in and this is the "solution". Reinforced walls contain the city. During high water seasons the streets flood, but you're expected to just keep moving. Despite everything we are still growing. It's not just refugees — people are still giving birth. We started building up, hoisting everything from shopping malls to sprawling parks into the sky. It's marvelous sight if you can afford it. The reality is living high is the only guarantee of safety, so it comes at a high cost. Mostly corporate types, government operatives, politicians, and celebrities live in the Upper Levels. The rest of us — the poor bastards left doing the work — live in the Lower Levels. There are middling floors between living high and living low, but the difference is distinct. Still. It's all better than weathering the pools of water, bitter cold, and constant risk of drowning on the streets.
As a result of everything, the face of politics has changed, too. We discarded the two-party system for some kabuki meant to hide the real corporate sponsors pulling the strings. There are elections. We have candidates. But it all comes down this: Power is the easiest way to get money and money is the only way to live high. The folks in the Upper Levels are a particular bunch. Those who get elected tend to be expected.
The climate
Generally, bad. Specifically, about 39 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy on the lower levels and a balmy 82 degrees in the uppers. Below, rain is constant in the daytime and turns to snow after nightfall. Above, it's sunshine all the time. Those rules are true until you leave the city walls. Or so the rumors say. Travel costs a pretty penny and smugglers don't come cheap, either. If you do manage to get beyond the walls somehow, just make sure you're prepared. Our city keeps the wilder elements at bay. Without thick walls or towers that rise up forever, there really is no shield from nature. It's chaos out there.
The fire
Hungry, spreading, and overwhelming. Street preachers refer to it as pestilence and war on every corner. They might be right. There is a disease spreading through the city. It's bigger than the poverty in the lower levels. Bigger still than the power accumulated scraped together by organized crime. Our problems are more complicated than the fact that only the wealthy can find proper shelter. The real issues tend to be more discreet. All we know is things have been bad a while now. The upcoming election won't change that.
The election
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[SLIDE_HEADER]Johnathon Ponce Kind[/SLIDE_HEADER]
[SLIDE]59 years old, known as JP. Endorsed and funded by the Board of Directors. Represents the conglomerates of the Upper Levels who view the world in terms of economics, production, and profits. JP sits on the C-suite of the city's biggest communications company. While most people in the Lower Levels wouldn't recognize his name, they almost certainly own a device made by KindTek.[/SLIDE]
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[SLIDE_HEADER]Colonel Liv Eiriksson[/SLIDE_HEADER]
[SLIDE]37 years old, known as The Colonel and funded by the Department of Code Enforcement. Represents the interests of law enforcement in the Lower Levels with strict views on crime and punishment. The Colonel grew up in the Lower Levels and joined Code Enforcement following in the paths of her parents. She is well-known to those in her age group, though her social circle has shifted over the years. Her platform would grow CE Operations as a means of getting the Lower Levels in line. [/SLIDE]
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[SLIDE_HEADER]Michael Luciano[/SLIDE_HEADER]
[SLIDE]62 years old, known as Boss Luciano and funded the Committee. Represents the major gang families making up the Committee with a social policies best described as "you work, you eat". Boss Luciano was raised just below the Upper Levels as the Luciano family was just beginning to rise. He is known a tough but fair leader largely borrowing from his father's old school views on family, loyalty, and what it means to build a strong community.[/SLIDE]
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[SLIDE_HEADER]Michael Luciano Junior[/SLIDE_HEADER]
[SLIDE]31 years old, known as Little Luci and funded by the Uncommitted. Represents a radical gang that splintered off from the Committee last year. Little Luci is considered an extremist and anarchist for his gang's use of sudden, extreme violence performed in the name of "political change". He is also a pariah among the gang families closest to his father. Little Luci is running against his father with a message of empowerment and liberation by any means. While he has always been a visible presence in the Lower Levels, since his split with the Committee, Little Luci has lived low.[/SLIDE]
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[SLIDE_HEADER]Annalise Harrison[/SLIDE_HEADER]
[SLIDE]27 years old, known as Nurse Anna and funded by a grassroots campaign. Representation is not immediately clear. Nurse Anna is an unexpected candidate best known for her work establishing underground clinics throughout the Lower Levels. She is well-liked in the Lower Levels, particularly poor neighborhoods. When she is not patching folks up or healing the sick, Nurse Anna can be found advocating against the inequity of the level system.[/SLIDE]
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