Mad World (Modern Sci-Fi/Horror) [CLOSED]

[Totoro]

Mad World

Overview

Mad World will be a free-form group game aiming to blend a large dose of sci fi horror with a little superheroics. As a reference point for tone and theme think Stranger Things but grown up and with more powers, although the universes are unrelated. All PC's will gain some degree of supernatural ability relatively early on, however they will be more superhumans than superheroes. Some may be primarily good but this isn't a game based around traditional heroes. Characters will be expected to be flawed, believable people and similarly all powers will come with flaws and drawbacks. The power level will be very low and at times the powers may be closer to a curse than a gift. The players will be caught up in a mystery, surrounded by shady and untrustworthy people and eventually the supernatural. Right now I'm looking to gauge interest and will add more information and a character sheet to this post if there are enough players interested. Feel free to state interest or ask questions here or directly via PM.

Warning: This game is going to feature content of a dark and disturbing nature that will, at various points, be absolutely unavoidable. It will avoid dark sexual topics but heavily feature topics including death, mutilation and torture. At some point all characters will likely experience harm physically and/or psychologically, there will be little chance to make it through everything unharmed and sane. If you're worried or heavily personally effected by specific aspects of these topics but want to play please PM me to discuss it, however in general it will be difficult to censor a game of this nature.

Setting

The game will take place in the fictional unassuming rural American town, Whitebridge, in Washington. The year will be 2017 and the game will start just before the town's annual harvest festival on the 21st of October. The town has been altogether uneventful for the past century and much of its history is predictable and uninteresting. Despite this it's still diligently recorded by the resident historian, and was recorded by his father and grandfather before him. It's very much a town of inherited jobs ranging from manual labour to, nowadays, basic IT-related work. There's rarely room for innovation or growth and most aiming for riches or fame are quick to move on. Despite this the people are generally happy away from the bustle and hassle of city life.

For generations locals have been born here, educated here, worked here and retired here. It's only been with the advent of the internet age that much of the youth have developed an interest in leaving their hometown. But enough are raised with traditional home-town values that they want to live out their lives with their parents, families and friends here. The town holds regular events such as Harvest Festivals, Halloween haunted houses and adventures, Easter hunts and other small-town parties. It's the kind of place most people know each other on some level, with a population of under ten thousand. Crime rates are low and most people are expected to be neighborly to one another.

The Story

Just over a year ago something happened in Whitebridge that nobody expected. On the outskirts of the sleepy town strange men arrived. They came in black SUV's wearing suits and shades, telling locals to mind their business. They'd bought an abandoned steel-mill that was just a little out of town and seemed to have shipped in construction crews to refit the entire building. Before long it was fenced in, with armed guards at the entrance. Nobody knew where they came from or who they were.  Searches online returned no information on the building and it was entirely unmarked. Asking law enforcement or even local Government prompted uncertainty often paired with a suggestion that looking the other way would be best.

No locals have been hired to work at this facility, which runs at all hours of the day and night light up by an ominous red glow. Rumours have been abound ever since the building was constructed but nothing concrete has ever been discovered. Most believe the most likely answer is Government related and probably something to do with research and development or testing of things that are highly secret. It'd at least explain the choice of a location in such a small, unassuming town. Perhaps it should make the people glad that the people at the facility are with their Government. But that shadowy exterior and red lighting cut an ominous image across the skyline, rarely bringing comfort to any. Over the last year since the building was constructed it's gradually faded to the elephant in the room. Obvious and unexplained but rarely the topic of conversation. Most people had managed to get their thoughts out months ago and so little information could be gained that there was never anything more than speculation to add.

The story will begin when two large trucks have a simultaneous accident on opposite sides of town. Both will start with a blast inside the trailer, followed by a thick cloud of acrid purple smoke spilling into the street. Bystanders will be hit with a wave of nausea. The player characters will be the unfortunate civilians hit with the strange chemical.

The Characters

Players will have one character each to start with which may increase. Characters can be locals or out of towners passing through for reasons of their own, it's up to the players. I'll be looking primarily for fairly ordinary people although trying to make them interesting/unique would be great. As the start-date will be just before a local Harvest Festival its possible holiday makers from elsewhere in America could've decided to visit Whitebridge as the town's relatively known for putting a lot of effort into events. Locals can include law enforcement, small-town Government and regular citizens. All characters will be at least 18, and can be attendees of the small local college if players like. All PC's can be entirely unrelated as the introduction scenes will serve to introduce them, though some may know each other already.  No characters will have any supernatural or superhuman abilities at the start, that aspect will develop as time goes on, however the character sheet will include a segment so that players can reserve their powers to avoid doubling up. Characters of any gender or sexuality are absolutely welcome.

[Szandor]

Layin' down some interest. May I reserve a particular stereotype of character?

[Totoro]

Layin' down some interest. May I reserve a particular stereotype of character?

Yeah I'm up for stereotyping reservations. Not actually sure how big I want the game I think I'm happy running it with anywhere from 4-8 people so avoiding stereotype overlap should be pretty doable.

What kind of thing were you thinking?

[Szandor]

Well, it doesn't happen very often, but the synopsis you wrote gave me instant inspiration for a character. Got the basics, no real detail at the moment. I envisioned a guy in a wheelchair, a local definitely. I'm thinking he was well liked by most people in the town, but when he came out of the closet a couple of the more conservative guys thought it'd be funny to play a prank, maybe push him into a local river or something to teach him his place, and he's been wheelchair-bound ever since. That gives him cause to become darker if he has the opportunity to get revenge, or even the ability to walk again.

Sorry if I rambled. What do you think? Sort of going for the gruff, rude character with a tragic backstory trope.

[Totoro]

Well, it doesn't happen very often, but the synopsis you wrote gave me instant inspiration for a character. Got the basics, no real detail at the moment. I envisioned a guy in a wheelchair, a local definitely. I'm thinking he was well liked by most people in the town, but when he came out of the closet a couple of the more conservative guys thought it'd be funny to play a prank, maybe push him into a local river or something to teach him his place, and he's been wheelchair-bound ever since. That gives him cause to become darker if he has the opportunity to get revenge, or even the ability to walk again.

Sorry if I rambled. What do you think? Sort of going for the gruff, rude character with a tragic backstory trope.

Sounds interesting and different definitely happy with that.

Without wishing to get political at all the game'll be set in modern America but with a fictional President and a fairly balanced political climate as opposed to one quite so extreme on both sides. But it's a small town and while the younger generation are probably getting more liberal there'll be a fair share of judgemental people who I could see having done something like that.

[Szandor]

Amazing! DO you want me to PM you a Character Sheet or anything? I can start on it now.

[Totoro]

Amazing! DO you want me to PM you a Character Sheet or anything? I can start on it now.

I need to work out a template first, you can PM me some more fleshed out ideas if you'd like though.

[Orange Marmalade]

Sounds like an interesting premise, staking a little interest in here!

[Totoro]

Sounds like an interesting premise, staking a little interest in here!

Nice. Let me know if you've got any questions.