[Sentenced to Survive] - An M/M Fantasy Sci-Fi Survival Experience

[Xurtan]

SENTENCED TO SURVIVE

"A new era is about to dawn."
-Tom Zarek, Battlestar Galactica (2004)

PREFACE

Booted feet run through the corridors, stomping past cells and empty rooms. The comms crackle, a smooth voice being projected throughout the ship; a familiar voice. The computer. "This is an automated message to all prisoners of Apollo's Hope. As a courtesy reminder, all prisoners are to refrain from engaging in acts of resistance or insurrection. Noncompliance will result in immediate and severe consequences. Observe order and maintain calm for your own safety." A moment later, the lights of the ship go out. Red emergency lights click on with a harsh buzz of electricity, and in the distance an alarm klaxon sounds. "Observe order," the voice insists. "Observe order, observe--zzzst." The computer's voice cuts out with the a squeal of feedback. The klaxon blares on.

Those close enough to the bridge hear gunshots and screams, as well as the spatial distortions of an Esper using their powers and then the slam of bodies. Quiet falls, but silence is no less ominous. The peace only lasts for an instant before deafening explosions rip through the ship, causing the vessel to shudder and convulse. The ship's stabilization systems engage in a desperate struggle to maintain equilibrium, compensating for the chaotic forces assaulting its structure. Powerful thrusters fire sporadically, their bursts of propulsion attempting to counterbalance the jolts and restore stability. Automated bulkheads seal with resounding thuds, isolating breached sections and minimizing the spread of destruction. It won't be enough. The comms click on once again, this time the gravelly voice of a male. "This is former prisoner, now acting Captain, Malachai Tian. The bridge is secured. Unfortunately, in the course of the conflict critical damage was sustained, and we now find ourselves hurtling towards an imminent crash landing. Secure all loose objects, fasten safety harnesses, and assume bracing positions."

There's a pause, but no tell-tale click of the comm closing. "I would urge all guards and prisoners to consider very heavily how you want your future to unfold. The success of our survival lies in our ability to act swiftly and efficiently as a united front. Let our actions in this dire moment reflect the honor and duty with which we strive to live." Even as the man speaks--Malachai, you know that name. A terrorist, an activist, a politician--the ship is clearly failing. Anyone near a window can easily see pieces of the ship being torn off even as the hull heats from the rough entry. The anti-gravity regulator fails, and inertial dampeners are suddenly seeming more like a thing of science fiction rather than fact.

Just as you think the ship might shake itself apart before it even can crash, Malachai speaks once more. "All hands, brace for impact!"

And then you don't hear anything at all.

Welcome to Sentenced to Survive. Your first question is probably 'What on earth is this?!', and that's fair. The short and simple explanation is that everyone aboard a prisoner transport ship called Apollo's Hope has crash landed on an unknown planet. From there, it is your job what you make of it. This planet houses deadly secrets, and with the ship utterly wrecked you're all going to need to find a way to survive. There are no rules and no laws in this new land. Will you thrive on diplomacy or violence? Will you try to recreate society, or live in anarchy? Will you live at all? This game will be played out in the Extreme forums, as few things are off the table. While the game is not meant to have a sexual focus, there's no denying it will exist. Player's Ons & Offs will be respected, but this also isn't a game for the faint of heart.

Non-con situations as well as notes of horror may very well crop up. I want that to be understood from the get-go. I'm not going to be policing people's dynamics, and this is a good setting to let loose some of your darker urges. At the same time, the intent should be to survive. Players might be guards (ex-military, civilian, contract, or otherwise), might be prisoners (this was a medium to max transport ship, so while petty theft and some white collar criminals are unlikely, anything violent or larger scale drug and organizational are certainly fitting), might be someone simply working on the ship (hey, it needs engineers, navigators, chefs, and everything else that keeps a rig like this running), or maybe you're just someone whose organization or government pulled a few strings to desperately get you somewhere else and this was your only ride. Whatever and whoever you are, this is your new life for the foreseeable future. You survived the crash in some shape or other, and now you need to figure out what's next.



SETTING QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q: What is the technology level?
A: Have you seen Battlestar Galactica? No? Shame on you. Regardless, the technology level is for the most part, not far off from what we have available now. Guns are not laser firing, but rather utilize metal projectiles and look much like our own. We have ship computers, not artificial intelligence. We have FTL-travel, but it's meant for small bursts along explored paths. Spaceships are closer to more open flying submarines than say, Voyager or Enterprise. Cybernetics exist, but they're terribly expensive. You might have had enhanced eyesight, or hidden blades in your arms, or anything similar... but the truth of the matter is it doesn't matter; if you were a prisoner, it was ripped from you before you were processed. If you were a guard or civilian worker, company regulation prohibits outside technology that might be hacked and used to free a prisoner. Appearance wise, technology is often sort of grungy and almost 90s-esque. Cell phones do not exist, but security personnel almost undoubtedly had radios. Long range communication is primarily limited to radio waves.

Q: What is the weapon or technology availability like?
A: Good question. 'Limited' is probably the easiest answer. There are likely handguns about, probably in the hands of security personnel that survived, or corpses. An armory exists, but was sealed with the coup and might very well be buried under thousands of pounds of steel. Hand radios are reasonably plentiful. Beyond that, much of the technology the Apollo did have was destroyed in the crash. Finding and/or repairing some of the ship's technology could very well be a goal for some characters.

Q: What are our supplies currently like?
A: Adequate, for now. Largely due to the severe loss of life with the crashing of the ship, bottled water and ration packs are plentiful and should last a couple of weeks without major concern. Whether you enjoy the taste of metallic water and mystery cubes is another story, of course.

Q: Are there other species/races than human?
A: At this point, other space-faring species have not been discovered within the universe. As far as we can tell, we are alone when it comes to intelligent life. Despite that, we have definitely found plenty of planets that support life. Water worlds, tropical planets, all of it teeming with alien life.

Q: What was society like, up in the stars?
A: Much like it is now, society was ruled by capitalism and corporations. It was neither perfect nor awful, for the majority, but there was much room for improvement. Humans at this point have spread across several planets and set up outposts throughout several solar systems, and there's heavy trade, mining, and other such guilds that exist out within the cosmos.

Q: What is the area we landed in like?
A: Heavily wooded and several miles from a mountain range, the area has clear alien flora and fauna as well as enough greenery to suggest ample rain. Thankfully, the gravity and oxygen levels seem appropriate to support human life.



GAME QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q: Can I play a character that managed to sneak in or hide cybernetic augments?
A: No.

Q: So this game is M/M only?
A: Yes. Only male will characters will be accepted, and while they don't need to be homosexual they should have some interest (known or unknown) in other males.

Q: What will the post speed be like?
A: Event threads will be posted to once every five days, other than that go wild. Round Robin doesn't exist, there's no need to wait for other people to respond as long as you have more things to add (though obviously, don't doublepost). Minimum expectations are once or twice a week, ideally. If you can't post for a bit, please let me know.

Q: Will we be using Discord?
A: Yes.

Q: How many characters will be accepted?
A: No strict number. It will not be first come, first served, nor will necessarily every character be accepted.

Q: What sort of DM style should I expect?
A: This is a guided sandbox. Ultimately that means I am giving you a world and setting to play in, I will run NPCs, and will run events--but it's still up to you to forge connections and do side scenes with people, to reach out to your fellow writers, to plot, and to write, with minimal handholding. I'm happy to help with non-event scenes as needed.

Q: Is this a system game?
A: Not particularly. I might roll dice or make checks in the background, but as far as the players are concerned it will look and feel largely freeform. There are no special rules you need to know to play.

Q: Are we using art or live action claims for characters?
A: We are using live action faceclaims.



CHARACTER CREATION

This section is going to be fairly minimal, beyond the character sheet. There's only a couple of things to cover. First of all, no character is perfect. You are not the Winter Soldier, you are not capable of wiping out everyone within a three block radius by yourself. Your characters should possess normal human capabilities. You might be on the upper end of human capability, but keep in mind that humans are very rarely masters of multiple skills or traits. If you want to be a Jack of All Trades, you're a Master of None. Similarly if you wish to be particularly good at something, other aspects of your character probably suffered. This really isn't meant to be limiting so much as to avoid dealing with Gary Stu characters.

If you are a non-Esper Guard, Prisoner, Worker, or Other(TM), you have two things you are an Expert in, two things you are Skilled at, and three things you are Above Average at. You also have three skills you are Below Average in. For EVERY ADDITIONAL Below Average skill you add above those three, you may rank one of your Above Average abilities as Skilled. Finally, you will have three Character Weaknesses. These are things that impact you as a person rather than skills you are simply bad at, such as phobias.

If you would like to have taken part in the coup (on either side), feel free. If you would like to start the game with a simple piece of scavenged technology or a weapon, feel free. Keep these reasonable.

Beyond that? Go wild. You're human, you're male, and you're realistically probably above twenty years old but I'm willing to make exceptions. There's plenty of reason for someone from more or less any walk of life to end up working--or imprisoned--within the Apollo.

ESPERS

An Esper is, at base, a psionic. Someone with mental abilities that might seem like magic. They are born, or made, and generally discriminated against (or feared). Every Esper has one ability, which they will pick from the below list. Espers are also fitted with dampening collars to keep you from using your abilities; this might have broken in the crash, or perhaps you still have yours. Feel free to choose whichever is more interesting to you.

Telepathy: The ability to read the minds of others.
Projection: The ability to travel the physical plane without actually being there yourself.
Divination: The ability to obtain direct knowledge about an object, person, place or event.
Pyrokinesis: The ability to create and control fire.
Telekinesis: The ability to move objects and self (though for the 'self' it is more a slow levitation than any form of flight).
Transmutation: The ability to move from one location to another.
Transference: The ability to transfer life force to heal or sicken another.

Utilizing your ability activates receptors in the brain that we're not really equipped to handle. Doing so will drain you physically and mentally, likely cause headaches and nose bleeds, and if you push far enough you can severely damage yourself. These are not abilities that are meant to be used at the drop of a hat, especially in large ways. You can probably get away with casual use for small things, such as levitating a bottle of water or reading surface level thoughts, creating a small flame, etc. If you wish to push further, it will be obvious. You're forced to concentrate and are likely unable to move throughout the process. In general, the longer you have to concentrate the more you're able to accomplish.

NOTE: If you are playing an Esper, your bonuses differ from non-Espers. Espers only possess one Expert trait, and that trait is your Ability from the list above. It is incredibly unlikely an Esper would have ended up on the Apollo's Hope without being enough of a threat to warrant it, which means you've had training. Espers are also sensitive to the energy of places and large spikes of emotions from multiple people at a time; the crash rendered you unconscious, keeping you from having time to scavenge for a weapon or technology beyond getting your collar off. Consequently you start with nothing extra, but you still have two 'Skilled' skills, three 'Above Average', and the Below Average/Weaknesses as normal.



SHEET:

Please PM all character sheets to me directly. Thank you.

Example Sheet

DANIEL MITCHELL

Also Known By: O Dănuț le Mičosko la Gežako anda le Papinešti vica (Full formal), Dănuț (Family/Close ties), Dan (General), Danny (Friends), The Gypsy (Or other racist variants, primarily from enemies or those being disrespectful/insulting), Mekhaniko (A title he's actually quite fond of), The Skygate Bomber
Faceclaim: Dean Miroshnikov

Height: 5’10
Age: 26
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Tattoos, Piercings, Scars, and Distinguishing Marks: Dan has a bullet scar right above his heart on his chest, as well as the remnants of cuts and burns on his hands and arms from various tools.

Ship Role: Prisoner
Known For: When the various poorly maintained technological systems of the ship inevitably broke, Daniel was the go-to in order to fix anything particularly stubborn or complex. Though the ship had an engineer, Dan found them to be hopelessly–and easily–outclassed. It let him slip a few ‘modifications’ in unnoticed.
Prison Affiliations: Daniel was largely considered neutral, as he found much of the politicking beneath himself. In those rare cases otherwise, the racism of other prisoners or vastly differing political views saw a rapid death to any potential alliance. Nonetheless, Danny was easily ‘hired’ if something needed fixed. His prices tended to be books, cigarettes, or sweets.

The one exception to the above neutrality is Malachai, with whom Dan shares a decent rapport. It was through Daniel’s work on the ship that the coup members were able to escape their cells, shorting out the locks at a pre-set time.

Traits

Expert: Mechanics, Marksmanship
Skilled: Foreign Languages, Efficient Salvaging, Computer Programming*, Problem Solving*, Science (Physics)*
Above Average:
Below Average: Animals, Lying, Melee Combat, Leadership, Flora Identification, Navigation

Character Weaknesses

• Arrogant
• Overzealous
• Nyctophobia

Inventory

• Guard Pistol

Character Questions

Describe the life your character was born into. Who (if anyone) was their family? What were the conditions where they lived? Daniel’s family was his clan. He grew up in poverty, but while they lacked luxuries most people took for granted he never starved. His ancestors had been nomadic, forced from their homes and required to flee. They’d taken to the stars and made homes for themselves; homes that would ultimately be taken away from them.

Describe the circumstances that brought your character aboard the ship. If they are a prisoner, this should detail the crime they were convicted of. If your character is not a criminal, this should explain what drove them to leave their life behind to work on the ship. Never let it be said that Dan doesn’t take his owed pound of flesh. The ancestors of his clan, the Papinešti, had fled their oppressors and taken to space. Despite that, none of them had forgotten that it could happen again–and ultimately, it did. Capitalism reigned, and forced his people from their homes in order to build resorts for the rich and successful, turning the land of his people into a gated beachfront community. Oh, it was supposedly all done ‘legally’, but there’s no denying what the options were. Daniel took exception to that.

The reason for the takeover had to do with the land itself, which allowed for sprawling vistas of the ocean and a great deal of privacy. There was only one bridge able to access the area, a massive, billion-dollar project called the Skygate. It would prove to be the downfall of the project when Dan set off enough explosives under the bridge to level an island, destroying the bridge and killing several dozen. Most of which belonged to the 1%, or worked for them. The latter he manages some guilt over, knowing they were people just doing their jobs, but he pushes it away; what are a few gadže to him? All he had done was restore balance.

The only reason he’d been thrown in prison for life instead of executed was the optics, protestors and journalists lending a heavy eye to how his clan had lost their homes and why.

Describe your character's life on the ship. This should include any factions they were a part of, such as gangs, work groups, or specialist positions. Be sure to specify anything you want your character to have been widely known for, as well as anything that they worked their best to keep secret. Beyond being a prisoner, Dan was mostly known for staying neutral and being willing to work within his fields of interest–for a price. He was emphatically against doing so outside of those fields, and the last time someone asked him to give up information on another prisoner he broke their nose.

Malachai is rumored to have a partner (neither would call the other a ‘boyfriend’, per se) among the prison population; that person is Dan, though few outside of Malachai’s inner circle are aware of that fact.

Everyone answers to somebody. List one person, past or present, that your character deferred to. List one person, past or present, that deferred to your character. This could be a family member, a crew member, a boss, or underling. Dan defers to Malachai, in matters of importance if not in bed. He’s the one person Daniel has found he trusts enough to listen to. As far as someone that deferred to Dan, his younger brother used to follow him around like a lost duckling. For all that it was annoying at times, he still did his best for the kid.

Describe your character's reaction to the coup. Did they support or oppose it? Are they fearful or inspired? Dan supported the coup, though isn’t necessarily sure he’d call himself inspired. It was what needed to happen, and he had no interest in being locked up for the rest of his life. Perhaps he was inspired by Malachai in some ways, but that’s separate from the coup itself.

Describe your character's reactions to being stranded on an unknown planet. Do they wish to explore or return home? Did they lose friends or faction members in the crash? Is there someone 'back home' that they are concerned about or wondering if they ever will see again? Dan is naturally concerned about his family, but by and large had already resigned himself to never seeing them again. For now he’s more worried about himself. Less focused on exploration, his biggest concern is survival.

Connections

Malachai - Malachai is Daniel’s partner, though they have something of an open relationship. Malachai is married to his work, while Daniel isn’t sure he could seriously date a non-Romani. Add to this fact they didn’t exactly get a lot of time together, just the two of them. Most of their moments were stolen, a mix of rushed sex and talk of strategy.

Code Select Expand

[center][img height=250]https://i.imgur.com/EsGtkp6.png[/img] [img height=250]https://i.imgur.com/RYpVL7M.png[/img][/center]

[center][size=40pt][font=impact][b][u]CHARACTER NAME[/u][/b][/size][/center]

[hr]

[b]Also Known By:[/b] [i]Provide any alternative names or nick names for your character here.[/i]
[b]Faceclaim:[/b] [i]Name of faceclaim, or put 'unknown' if not known.[/i]

[b]Height:[/b] [i]Height in feet and inches.[/i]
[b]Age:[/b] [i]Age of your character in years.[/i]
[b]Eye Color:[/b] [i]Character's eye color, specify if they have contacts.[/i]
[b]Hair Color:[/b] [i]Character's hair color, specify if dyed or bald.[/i]
[b]Tattoos, Piercings, Scars, and Distinguishing Marks:[/b] [i]If applicable, briefly describe any specific tattoos, piercings, scars, and other distinguishing marks on your character. A couple sentences should suffice.[/i]

[b]Ship Role:[/b] [i]What was your character's basic role on the ship? For most characters the answer should be either prisoner, guard, or crew member.[/i]
[b]Known For:[/b] [i]List one (and only one) thing your character was widely known for on the ship. Maybe they hustled goods, ran the chapel, fed the rats, or were a dedicated weight-lifter.[/i]
[b]Prison Affiliations:[/b] [i]List and describe any gangs or official groups your character was widely known to be in. If they were known to be part of the coup, either as an instigator or defender, please specify that here.[/i]

[hr]
[center][size=32pt][font=impact][b]Traits[/b][/size][/center]
[hr]

[b]Expert:[/b] [i]If your character is an Esper, list their Esper trait here (please see recruitment thread for options. If they are not an Esper, list two traits your character is an Expert at) Examples: running, cooking, speaking foreign languages.[/i]
[b]Skilled:[/b] [i]List two traits that your character is considered skilled at.[/i]
[b]Above Average:[/b] [i]List three traits that your character is considered above average at.[/i]
[b]Below Average:[/b] [i]List three skills you are below average in. If you add additional skills, you may raise one above average trait to 'Skilled' for each 'Below Average', to a maximum of three extras. These should be actual skills that are liable to come up in a survival game. Think more akin to marksmanship, technology, leadership, intimidation, melee, medicine, flora/fauna investigation, etc. Things that create drama and RP opportunities.

[hr]
[center][size=32pt][font=impact][b]Character Weaknesses[/b][/size][/center]
[hr]

[i]List three character weaknesses, then delete this instruction. Character weaknesses should be things you can lean into for RP opportunities, not simply 'you're overconfident' or 'bad at math'. If you would like more than three, you may do so.[/i]

[list]
[li]First Weakness[/li]
[li]First Weakness[/li]
[li]First Weakness[/li]
[/list]

[hr]
[center][size=32pt][font=impact][b]Inventory[/b][/size][/center]
[hr]

[i]Non-esper characters may list a single basic weapon or piece of technology that they were able to scavenge after the crash. Please list it here, if applicable, and delete these instructions after doing so.[i]

[list]
[li](Name of Weapon or Technology Here)[/li]
[/list]

[hr]
[center][size=32pt][font=impact][b]Character Questions[/b][/size][/center]
[hr]

[i]Please answer the following questions inn 1-5 sentences and delete this instruction after doing so.[/i]

[b]Describe the life your character was born into. Who (if anyone) was their family? What were the conditions where they lived?[/b] [i]Answer here.[/i]

[b]Describe the circumstances that brought your character aboard the ship. If they are a prisoner, this should detail the crime they were convicted of. If your character is not a criminal, this should explain what drove them to leave their life behind to work on the ship.[/b] [i]Answer here.[/i]

[b]Describe your character's life on the ship. This should include any factions they were a part of, such as gangs, work groups, or specialist positions. Be sure to specify anything you want your character to have been widely known for, as well as anything that they worked their best to keep secret.[/b] [i]Answer here.[/i]

[b]Everyone answers to somebody. List one person, past or present, that your character deferred to. List one person, past or present, that deferred to your character. This could be a family member, a crew member, a boss, or underling.[/b] [i]Answer here.[/i]

[b]Describe your character's reaction to the coup. Did they support or oppose it? Are they fearful or inspired?[/b] [i]Answer here.[/i]

[b]Describe your character's reactions to being stranded on an unknown planet. Do they wish to explore or return home? Did they lose friends or faction members in the crash? Is there someone 'back home' that they are concerned about or wondering if they ever will see again?[/b] [i]Answer here.[/i]

[hr]
[center][size=32pt][font=impact][b]Connections[/b][/size][/center]
[hr]

[b]Name[/b] - [i]Please use this space to write about any connections with PCs or NPCs you wish.[/i]

[Xurtan]

RESERVED

[Lyron]

Interested!

[Intimate Ink]

Iiiiinteresting indeed.

[Xurtan]

Hey, good to see y'all! If you (or anyone) have any questions, feel free to ask. Happy to spitball or talk shop. Right now this is definitely part interest check to see if there are enough M/M writers to even do a game *snicker* Excited for it, regardless! Have lots of ideas ;) 

[Lockepick]

Interested!

[Xurtan]

Interested!

Hey there Locke! Haven't seen you around in eons. Let me know if you have any questions, happy to answer em!

[Chaosfox]

Keeping my eye on this but I am interested.

[Xurtan]

Keeping my eye on this but I am interested.

Welcome! Let me know if you have any questions, glad to have your interest.

[Phoenut]

Color me interested!

[Xurtan]

Color me interested!

Hey there, and welcome <3 If you have any questions, hit me up or post them here!

[Lyron]

I like your avi, Phoenut!

[Phoenut]

A man of culture I see lol thank you!

[Xurtan]

To those of you that have gotten sheets in, I'll see about getting a place to post them up and get back to you with any needed corrections within the next couple of days! Looking forward to seeing what ideas everyone comes up with.

[Ryven]

Possibly.  I will see how much time I have.

[Envious]

What a fun idea! My interest flag is planted.

[Levi]

Sounds good. I'll look at making a character later in the week as I'm away right now.

[Xurtan]

Looking forward to seeing what you two come up with! So far we have a Pyrokinetic and Divination Esper sheet submitted, for what it's worth. I'll be playing a Non-Esper Prisoner, myself.

[Envious]

I've posted my character! I look forward to plotting shenanigans =]

[Phoenut]

Your character looks great!

[Xurtan]

As an aside, for anyone on the fence I know sometimes it helps to have an idea of the characters already submitted. If you'd like to look at the approved sheet thread, it lies here

[Phoenut]

Hope to see more people join up!

[Xurtan]

Hello all!

I'd like to thank everyone for their interest and amazing sheets as well as the work you all put into them. Unfortunately at this time I don't feel that we have enough characters to actually go through with the game. Consequently, at least for now I'll be shelving the idea (and possibly working on something with a smaller focus). Regardless, I really do appreciate everyone's comments, and I hope to write with you in the future!

Best,
X