[Interest Check] Surviving Mars (Freeform Sci-fi, Survival Sandbox)

[Ciosa]

The Church of the New Ark was founded by Herbert Rothstein, in 2021, and has seen enormous growth in the last seven years.   The world slumps towards dystopia, if not outright extinction.  In a world where the increasing scarcity of resources and increasingly fervent political and religious dogma sparks conflict around the globe, the Church's message of a hopeful future provides a much needed lifeline for many galled by the daily tension of the world's conflicts. 

Hope lies in spreading to other planets - and the trials that come with such a new birth.  Scientific advances critical to survival on Mars - water conservation, automation, transportation via hydrogen based fuels - could be the keys to turning around the destruction of the environment on Earth.  The lessons of a community struggling to survive could inspire change and remind people of their shared humanity at home.  It is not the way of the Church of the New Ark to browbeat, to cajole or argue - they simply set an example, and pray for others to follow.  Millions have joined already; their donations of time, research, and money have made the Ark possible. 

In 2026, the Benevolence touched down on Mars.  A cadre of robotic drones were unloaded, along with the necessary supplies to construct a functioning, habitable colony.  Underground reservoirs of ice were tapped, and in late 2027, Herbert Rothstein announced that the colony had working power, water, and oxygen for ninety consecutive days.  The real tests were still ahead - the production of food, the breakdown of equipment in the harsh Martian environment.  Benevolence took off from the surface of Mars in November of 2027 - and returned to a safe landing in Auckland, New Zealand just nine months later.

It was time - the team selected for the initial Founding had been assembled, trained, and readied.  It was time to launch the Ark in earnest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Game:  As yet to be named Mars Survival game, based very loosely on Surviving Mars

• Section the Game will be placed in and whether it is a system game or not.

Most likely, BDSM.  I anticipate based on the concept that any rape would be an incredibly impactful event, socially, and I generally think BDSM will be a better reflection of that.  This is a non-system game, though I may have players elect a few traits which distinguish them and have some sort of mechanical benefit.   

• Who is the RP open to?   

Anyone!  Any player can play.  Characters will need to be fertile, and viably capable of helping to populate Mars.

• Short Summary of Player Roles and General Story/Plot.   

Players will be playing the Founders of the Church of the New Ark's initial colony - largely constructed in advance by robotic drones.  They will be dealing with the rigors of both living 54.6 million kilometers, as well as unknown mysteries of Mars. 

• Setting.   

The near future, circa 2028.  The future isn't so different than the one we live in - the environment is a little more screwed, politics are more divisive, and the anxiety that the world could go to hell in a handbasket at any moment is a bit more intense.

• Plot Outline.       

The player characters will be Founders of a colonization mission to mars - charged with not only making it functional, but beginning to act as Adams and Eves of a new epoch in human history.  What society will they create, and will the

• Character creation info/guidelines if any.   

In a word, what I want to see in characters is density.  I want complex characters, people invested in both the Ark project and the Church’s mission of a new evolution of humanity.  Make these real, complex people – with their own foibles and strengths.

I’ll be adding a specific character creation code set at the end. 

• Required Resources (If any) (If a system game - What books(ver.) or links to information needed such as an online guide or wiki?)     

There are no books, and the Surviving Mars wiki is largely meant for people playing the game.  Required resources are, largely, that I suggest a working knowledge (enough to fake it) of any discipline your character is expected to perform on Mars – geology, engineering, medicine, etc.  I am not expecting you to write as if you had a PhD in the subject – but I do expect at least a basic understanding of the science.  Someone playing a medic should have a good idea what triage means, an understanding of the Hippocratic Oath, and knowledge of anatomy. 

• Game Pacing.     
• How much sexual activity is likely to occur or expected, if any?   

This will be player driven.  Players will have obligations to the community to fulfill – but many of these will actually be largely automated.  Geologists, for example, will not be out in a space suit smacking the ground with a pick – they’ll be overseeing geological deposit information, directing robotic drones to promising areas to conduct analysis, and overseeing the output of automated extractors.  Botanists will have farms to tend – though those will be largely automated as well.

• Whether tagging will be used or not.   

I intend to put this to player vote.

• How NPC's will be handled. (If any)     

You are welcome to write NPCs your character is in communication with.  If you have a request for an NPC to be played, I will consider it.
[/list]
Game Master Info / GM(s) Participation Level (If/where applicable)

• Will there be a Co-GM?

Not unless the game gets enormous.

• How guided will the play be(sandbox, directed etc)?

Elements of both sandbox and direction.  I intend to provide fairly detailed descriptions of what is and is not available – and expect players to adhere to it, but in general they’re going to have some leeway in making things up and making the world vibrant and real.  Directed storylines will be something I solicit, but not mandate – it may be in the form of my posting a notice – i.e, ‘A meteor has crashed in sector A7, and sensor towers indicate it has remained remarkably intact despite colliding with the planet.  Sensor equipped rovers are en route.’  Follow up from players can lead to longer term storylines, mysteries, and the like.  If they’re all busily engaged in their own stories, I’ll leave it be. 

• How active will the GM be?   

This is very dependent on the players.  Some people much prefer a hands-off GM who doesn’t run their own NPC.  I also don’t mind playing one or two characters among the Founders, as well as GMing.  I generally respond to my posts within 24 hours, unless I’m flooded.

• Will there be an OOC thread? (expectations of thread usage)

Yes.

• How to contact/approach GM with questions? (use OOC thread, direct PM, etc...)

OOC thread, Direct message, just don’t show up at my house.

• How will decisions be resolved?   

I’ll either arbitrate or put major decisions to a vote.

• Will PvP be allowed (if applicable)? 

It’s completely inappropriate.  If it happens, and isn’t agreed upon before hand, I’ll arbitrate.
[/list]

Additional:

• Player Oath "Oath of the Drake" or some other reminder of player responsibilities in a group game.   

I love the Oath of the Drake, but it is not required!

• A note to Respect Other players (Offs etc..)   

This goes without saying.  As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t respect other players off, you’re a sexual predator who’s looking to actively hurt other players, not characters, and I’ll boot you from the game so fast your head will spin.

• Player Participation Expectations. (Posts/week expected. Methods for reporting a possible absence/The method used to remove drop-outs from the game.)   

My general expectation is that if you believe it will take you more than 48 hours to respond to a post, please notify the person you’re posting with.

• Discuss how new players will be brought into the game (if the game is already running.)   

If there are new players, they’d be arriving on a secondary rocket.  They would be brought in as a second batch.

• What Writing style/POV. (Third person, first person, past, present, omniscient, etc...)     

Third person, past tense.  I try not to be absolutely OCD about grammar and spelling, because I make mistakes myself.  I’ll have a header block that I intend to see posted at the beginning of every post.  It’ll be up later.[/list]

Character Creation Rules

Name: 
Player Name: 
Sex: 
Height: 
Weight: 
Hair: 

Eyes: 

Age: 

Sexual Orientation: 
Ons:
Offs:   Character’s, and a link to your own.  The character’s will be suggestions, but player offs are rules.
Place of Birth: 

Current Nationality: 

Specialty:   Engineering, Geology, Science, Botany, Security, Medical, or No Specialty.  The ‘lottery winners’ are a small group of the initial departing group who will likely be working jobs which don’t require specific scientific skills.  Anyone who donated money to the Church – one dollar, or one million – was entered into the lottery, and if selected and passed the rigorous training process, permitted to join the Ark.  Only a small portion of the seats were reserved for lottery winners, after the minimum number of other roles was identified.

Hobbies:

Appearance:
Faceclaim:
Personality: 
These are samples – certain traits marked with an asterisk should be exceedingly rare, and require having at least two flaws as compensation.  I’m perfectly happy to see other traits, other flaws.  You needn’t take quirks for ‘amazing engineer,’ or anything related to a specialty of some kind – they are assumed to be extremely talented in their field.  I expect at least one trait, and one flaw.

Traits:   Celebrity*, Composed, Empath*, Enthusiastic, Fit, Gamer, Genius*, Hippie, Nerd, Party Animal, Saint*, Sexy, Survivor, Religious, Rugged, Workaholic
Flaws:   Alcoholic, Chronic Condition, Coward, Idiot, Gambler, Glutton, Hypochondriac, Lazy, Loner, Melancholic, Whiner
Quirks:   Guru, Vegan, Dreamer*

Video Interview:  (Answer the following questions in character.)
What prompted you to join the Church of the New Ark?
What will be the hardest thing for you to leave behind on Earth?
What is the greatest asset you bring to a team?
What do you see as the most difficult challenge in colonizing Mars?

Some notes:  I do not want a bio.  You are welcome to write one for yourself – and if you think something biographical might require my approval, then you’re welcome to ask me in PM.  But everything posted will be publicly known to every other character – they’ll have seen each others videos, not to mention had a rigorous training period before a seven month journey to Mars with the other players.  Your bio is something I’d rather see worked into conversation with other characters, and become part of the grain of the story over existing in isolation. 

[Ciosa]

A few things about me, and in general my storytelling style here on E.  I am happy to introduce plot elements, play NPCs, etc, but for the most part I enjoy making a sandbox and letting people run around in it.  I have some definitive ideas for every thing I put forward, but in general the nature of my life is that I’d rather run a game which continues to operate if I have to disappear for a few days.

This is not a story purely for smut’s sake; I view the quantity and quality of smut as a player responsibility, and the quantity and quality of story as my responsibility.  That is in no way meant to discourage smut.  I’m a big fan of it.

All realistic concepts are welcome here.  The Church of the New Ark does not discriminate on the basis of race, culture, or sexuality.  Those selected for travel to Mars will by necessity need to be fertile, in the sense they are biologically capable of participating in reproduction.  For those reasons, there will be a strong preference towards Founders who are between their twenties and mid thirties.  Men can skew slightly older, and women slightly younger.

[more to come]

[Amarlo]

While I really like this idea and where you're going with it, I can't help but worry it wouldn't quite be appropriate for a sandbox sort of setting - at least not one that isn't heavily guided. Do you plan to provide things like missions, emergency situations, etc? Or will this primarily be treated as a sort of Slice of life: Mar Survival Edition?

[Ciosa]

My intent will be to provide sort of a framework of challenges, which are meant to serve as narrative plot points and goals for the community to work towards.  There will also be plenty of free time, but I’ll largely assess - if the players have dozens upon dozens of their own narrative driving the story, I’ll be more hands off.  If there’s a lack of energy, I’ll be more active in generating challenges.  I’m also intending there to be unexpected revelations about Mars which can shape the narrative.

tl,dr:  it depends on the player base.   If people want to play Mars Suburbia, great.  What I won’t be doing is a scripted adventure tale with players leaving their space bar to conquer the aliens.  It won’t be D&D in space, by any stretch.  But there can be shuttle crashes that require daring rescues, or the second colony ship supply critical supplies and colonies can disintegrate on landing, etc.  I may or may not play an NPC among the colonists - but I most certainly won’t play a commander or mission leader.  (Rothstein, the head of Church of the New Ark, will be staying on Earth.)

[Envious]

This sounds very fun. I am planting a flag of interest; I'm not sure what type of character I'd like to play yet, but I'm sure it'll come to me as I see more.

[Ciosa]

Great to hear!  I'm going to put up some more detailed information about the game, and if you have any questions let me know.

[Norsegod1839]

I will as well plant my flag of interest. I play Surviving Mars a lot and really enjoy the look of the game as well as the design. I would be more than happy to help you with this game Ciosa and generally speaking answer questions as I am semi knowledgeable on the subject matter.

[Josietta]

CIOSA LOVE!! I'd be more than happy to play in it! It looks intriguingly interesting! I may need you to give me a call and explain more on it. Besides I miss talking to you and hearing you! ❤️

[Ciosa]

Hi, Norse, Hi Josi! 

I did some fixing up of the original introduction, and I'm going to get some character creation stuff up there, as well. 

[Norsegod1839]

Pleasure to see you Coisa! And my old pal Josi!

[Crash]

Ciosa!!!!!

[Ciosa]

Hi Crash!  Coming to play in a bubble?  :D

[Crash]

Hi Crash!  Coming to play in a bubble?  :D

Honestly, strapped for time and sci-fi isn’t really my thing.  More of a Cyberpunk, Deadlands kinda guy.  Just glad to see you around.

[Ciosa]

Honestly, strapped for time and sci-fi isn’t really my thing.  More of a Cyberpunk, Deadlands kinda guy.  Just glad to see you around.

Well happy to see you too, man.  And if you change your mind, happy to save a jumpsuit for you. 

[Norsegod1839]

Ciosa will there be competing colonies? Will any of the other companies and corporation be around and causing issues?

[Ciosa]

Ciosa will there be competing colonies? Will any of the other companies and corporation be around and causing issues?

Not at the start.  At the start, the Church's landing will be the first on Mars, but may inspire a Mars-race.

[Ciosa]

Character creation rules added to the first post.

[Ciosa]

A Sample Character

Name:  Jackson ‘Grimey’ Grimes
Player Name:  Ciosa
Sex:  Male
Height:  6’2”
Weight:  183 lbs
Hair:  Black
Eyes:  Blue
Age:  36
Sexual Orientation:  Hetero
Ons:  Here
Offs:  And here
Place of Birth:  Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Current Nationality:  USA
Specialty:   Engineering
Hobbies:   Restoring classic cars, camping, DIY projects of every stripe.   
Appearance: A dark haired, solidly built high school athlete who hasn't let himself get out of shape - even if he no longer is in the shape he was as a teenager.  Soulful eyes, a face that smiles easily but rarely genuinely.  A gravelly baritone, and seems to be incapable of going longer than five minutes without a five o'clock shadow.  Three days unshaved and he has an impressive beard.    The rest of him is rather hirsute, as well. 
Faceclaim: Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Personality: 
These are samples – certain traits marked with an asterisk should be exceedingly rare, and require having at least two flaws as compensation.  I’m perfectly happy to see other traits, other flaws.  You needn’t take quirks for ‘amazing engineer,’ or anything related to a specialty of some kind – they are assumed to be extremely talented in their field.  I expect at least one trait, and one flaw.

Traits:  
Rugged – A life spent enjoying the great outdoors has left Grimey used to sleeping in sleeping bags, eating food scorched by campfires and barbecues, and he rarely takes issue when the finer things in life are unavailable.  A lack of amenities never troubles him, and he usually sees it as an opportunity. 
Fit – While not as robust as he was in his twenties, Grimey still spends a few hours a day in the gym.  He’s never particularly concerned about his looks – but he’s strong as an ox and he never lacks for energy. 
Flaws:   
Loner – It’s not that Grimey dislikes people – it’s that he dislikes people in big groups.  Never one for public gatherings, he’s happiest in small gatherings of three or four, and any larger numbers tends to have him looking for the exits and somewhere with a few less faces. 
Melancholic – Grimey doesn’t much talk about the wife and son that he lost sometime before joining the Church.  But it doesn’t take a psychologist to see that the loss weighs on him.  Grimey’s not moody, and he’s usually aware when he’s in a dark place – and usually he just does his best to avoid others until is passes or he finds a new project to throw himself into.
Quirks:   None

Video Interview: 

What prompted you to join the Church of the New Ark?
Grimes’s face was blurry at first, as he adjusted the camera, and brought it into focus.  He set it on an offscreen tripod, making a few more adjustments as the focus on himself tightened and five o’clock stubble and messy black hair come into focus.  Behind him was a sofa which looks handmade; the polished wood and leather upholstery a little worn.  His eyes were thoughtful, as he watched himself on the screen, and then he glanced off, away from the eye of the camera.  “So … first question, ‘what prompted you to join the Church of the New Ark?’  I … uh, I wanna say something flip about shnazzy brochures or a really, obnoxiously insistent sister.” 

He paused, and cleared his throat.  “Robert Lewis Dear, Jr.  You can look him up.  He shot up a Planned Parenthood about … hell, it’s been thirteen years ago, now.  My wife – she was a volunteer there.  Seven months along.  She was a nurse – and I guess Dear just saw a pregnant woman in a Planned Parenthood when he opened fire.”  He scratched at his jaw.  “I was a mess for a … good while.  Didn’t get out of bed.  Enter obnoxious sister.”  He gave a rough laugh, a half-smile.  It touched his eyes, even if there’s still a sadness lingering in him.  “I was working at a civil engineering firm.  Building up I-25, mostly.  That’s the … main highway through the middle of Colorado.  Add more lanes, more traffic.  I … I mean, technically I quit, but it was because it was shitty to put them in the position of firing the man who’d been widowed.  I was barely functioning at work.  I’d go out camping in the woods, and mean to go for a weekend, and find out three weeks had passed when I got back.  I did construction jobs, I … you know, I was twenty when we got married, and we decided to have a baby when we graduated, and our whole lives were ahead of us, and it all just sort of … blew up.  And I wasn’t interested in putting the pieces back together.  People were telling me I needed to start dating, and I was just going … ‘look, oatmeal or cereal is about the hardest decision I’m up for right now.’ “  He shook his head.  “So, sister.  Drags me to this … tiny little auditorium up in Boulder, and they introduce this tweed-wearing, horn-rim glasses – spectacled super nerd.  Herbie Rothstein.  One of his first speaking engagements while his book was burning up the bestseller list.  I didn’t read his book, I didn’t know who the hell he was – and I’m looking at my sister like ‘I put on my pants and drove two and a half hours for this?’” 

He blew out a breath, and put his chin on his palm for a moment.  “And then Herbie started to talk – about the destruction of the environment, about economic inequality, about racism and … political division, and about how it’s all tied together, one thing connected to another, to another.  And he pointed out how there are all these groups trying to convince all these other groups – and all it does is create more conflict.  And all I could think about was this … asshole who’d walked into Planned Parenthood and shot my wife because he was … so far down some fucking rabbithole.  I left … mad.  Mad at my sister, mad at this pretentious twit who thought my wife got shot because of deforestation in the Amazon, and … swore I’d never go back.  And then my sister – sends me the damn book.  I mean, here I am, mustering up some genuine anger for the first time in three years, and after I told her off she sends me the damn book.  And I, like an idiot, read it.”

He gave a low chuckle, his voice a gravelly thing.  His smile is genuine now, his eyes bright.  “And obviously, I just get more mad.  The book is beautiful.  Talking about how …on a molecular level, we’re all connected.  How the very stars from the Big Bang are part of who we are now, how every … biological organism, every ecosystem, every economic system – we’re all interconnected now.  When one part of it is in pain, we’re all in pain.  But I was angry – and I wanted to be angry – so I drive nine hours, across two states, to the next speaking engagement, and I storm in and I just … fume for five hours while he talks.  I hadn’t slept in two days – and when he gets to his question and answers at the end, I don’t – I’m not one of his bubbly little sycophant college kids, I’m mad..  I mean, I expected to get thrown out, but I wanted to give him a peace of my mind.  And as I’m unloading, and telling him he’s just a crackpot cult leader, he comes down off the stage, and he’s standing in front of me – and I’m a solid six inches taller than him, and his eyes are – he looks like he’s ready to cry.  And he asks me … if I’m in pain.  And I lost it.  I mean – I think I started crying into a microphone in front of a thousand people.  And this little tweed wearing twerp – he hugs me.  He just … hugs me, and lets me snot on his jacket and – afterward, when the place has emptied out a bit, he asks me what I do, and he asks how long it had been since I worked.  And before I know it, I’m in the U.K. with a team of engineers and chemists and robotics engineers working on how to make an automated machine that can be assembled fifty kajillion miles away and extract concrete from regolith on Mars.  It was nuts, but for the first time in four years – I didn’t hurt.  So … I was in.  One of the faithful.”  He chuckled, wry and self-deprecating.  “And now I find out I’m on the short list of people they actually want to send to Mars.  If you’d asked me ten years ago where I thought I’d be in 2027 – the honest answer probably would have been ‘a casket.’”

What will be the hardest thing for you to leave behind on Earth?
He pauses, and looks over at the cue cards again.  “Uhhh… jesus.  Cigarettes.  My sister.  The woods.”  He sucked on his lip for a moment, and then gestured off screen from the camera.  “Actually I’m quit six months on the cigarettes.  Still not easy.  And my sister – she’s got a whole family of her own to take care of.  I know she’ll be proud of me for doing this.  But the woods … going camping – being around nothing but nature – that’ll be the hardest.  I mean, they’re getting smaller and smaller.  My favorite places to camp can all see suburbs, now.  And maybe one day we’ll have a green Mars.  But … I told the planning committee that the first … dome or bubble or whatever they’re building that there had better be a tree or two.  Otherwise I’ll go nuts.  Oh – and gravity.  It’s what – 38% of Earth gravity?  I mean, being able to do a thousand pull ups will be fun, but it’s probably going to be the weirdest thing to get used to.” 

What is the greatest asset you bring to a team?

Grimes wrinkled his nose at the next question.  “Ugh, I knew this one was coming.  But I still hate selling myself.  I’m a trained civil engineer, and for the last … nearly a decade I’ve been working with the Church’s research group building and designing.  I know the drones, I know the Moxie generators, I know the specs on the shuttles and plumbing, electrical – I helped design the homes, and I’ve helped in the design of … uh, just about everything.  Wind generators, solar generators.  Oh, and I can barbecue a pretty mean asparagus, since I – oh!  Oh, I change my answer to the question before.  I’m going to miss meat.  Honey glazed barbecue, sitting on the grill.  I get it – we’re all going to be vegetarians, and the meat industry is killing our planet – but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss it.”  He grimaces, as he looks back to the cards.  “Right.  Greatest asset.  Look, if it’s broke, I can fix it.  Or I’m on a first name basis with whatever genius invented it, and I can call him up and ask him how to fix it.  I’m an engineer – and I think in redundancies and safeguards, and you can’t be too redundant when it comes to living in a bubble on a planet with an average temperature of negative eighty one degrees.” 
What do you see as the most difficult challenge in colonizing Mars?

He ran a hand through the unkempt hair, and scratched at his five o’clock shadow again.  “You don’t want me to answer that,” he mused.  “Rocket misfire. Miscalculation of our trajectory.  Miscalibrated atmospheric mixing makes the air toxic while we sleep.  Contaminant in the water supply kills all our attempts to farm.”  He sighed.  “The thing is, there’s a million things which could go wrong.  But I actually don’t know as that’ll be the hard part.  I think the hard part is … we’re going to be a dozen people locked into a box.  And depending on each other to do our shit and do it right.  And there’s not going to be time to look over everyone else’s shoulder.  To make sure we all are doing our jobs.  We’re going  to depend on each other, and for me – me personally, it’s always been hard to depend on other people.”  He leaned back in the couch, and linked his fingers behind his head.  “What else – anticipating everything which could go wrong?  It’s eighteen months, round trip, for a shuttle to take off and come back with supplies.  No running out to the store to get some more bandaids.   Then there’s the whole … colonizing part.  I mean… it’s just a little weird, thinking that after everything with my wife, my baby … I haven’t even been with someone since then.  Been too busy working for tindr.  Or however people … meet each other these days.  I mean – how is that even going to work?  Are we going to have a spacebar we can make cheeseball one liners at the other dozen people in a bubble?  ‘Hey, come here often?’ “  He grunted and shook his head, then leaned forward, towards the camera.  “Self sustaining colony – that’s the goal.  That means [i[kids[/i] who’ll get taught to do what we do, before we’re too old to do it any more.  Going to be awkward.  I haven’t exactly met a lot of sexy brainy scientists who are eager to pop out babies, you know?”  He took the camera off the tripod, and pursed his lips when he considered it one more time.  “Then again – we might have a lot more free time than we think, and not a lot of entertainment.”

[matusmanis]

I was about to make his own "plants an interest flag" but then notices plenty of other flags so i ll just declare interest without planting any more flags.
(is this still going forward since there hasnt been any new post for almost a week now?)

[Ciosa]

Right now, sadly, I'm leaning towards not.  There's some interest, but not a lot - and I was looking for a larger group to want to sink the time into all of the world building necessary for it.  I'm sure I'll be back to the boards with some new game idea soon enough.  :D  I'll leave the topic open, and am liable to change my mind if there's a large outpouring of interest.

[Norsegod1839]

Sad to hear that! I was looking forward to this one.

[Elahdon]

I would be interested!

[Dashenka]

Oh oh!! I never played as the Church (Only as Europe) but a roleplay based on my favourite game of the moment... I'm definitely in :D

[CyrodilicBrandy]

I might be interested! I've got some time on my hands at the moment so I'll have a hand at character creation just in case you decide to go ahead with it!

[Ciosa]

So apparently the way to generate a flood of interest is to think that no one's interested.  XD 

Alright, everyone who's still in - please do the character creation process in the first post, if you're still interested.  No bios!  Answer the questions in character and give us some teasers about your character's background, but don't give it all away.  Lots of time in game to get to know each other.

Note that the ratio of positive traits you take to negative will have an effect, but I'm not going to disclose what it is.  We'll call it a 'Karma' score, and if your character has no hindrances and plenty of positives, they'll have a negative karma - and if they're chock full of problems with little in the way of blessings, they'll have a net positive Karma.