Topic: Fallen Eden - A game of Ethics - Interest Check[Modern(ish)/Supernatural - MUL]

[Kaiten]

I've had an idea for this RP ever since I read a book called "The Satanic Verses" Granted, it's not so much the story as a whole that brought on this idea, but rather a part of the book.

So, I wrote it up a while ago, intending to make it a site, but realized it was a little too small to make a site out of. But now that I've joined E, I thought I'd explore it, see if I can get interest.


The idea of the game is that people all over the world won a free vacation. No one knows where, but it's all expenses paid and first class accommodations. Unfortunately, the plane crashes in mid flight and the survivors wash up on the shore of a desert island.

At first everything seems alright. They are disheartened to know they are lost and have to wait for rescue, but the tropical island is fertile with edible plants, and some of the food from the plane survived, so they know they can survive.

However, voices start talking to the survivors. Voices that only they can hear, voices that offer them a step towards escaping the island if they do deeds.

As a survivor, your job is to do a deed, or choose not to do it, while also interacting with other survivors. After each deed or lack of one, something about you changes as a consequence. These deeds can be small like theft, to large things like say rape, but I assure you, each one can cause significant change to your body, a change that may not be what you intended.

If that's hard to understand, let me give an example:
A man lays dying. He's contracted a disease and is not expected to live and keeps on demanding water as he slowly wastes away. You are told by the voice to replenish this man's thirst by giving him water. You do, and because of that, you are able to keep him alive 5 days longer than expected before he dies.
The next day when you wake up, your eyes are red and you have grown a pointed tail.
Though you thought it was a kind deed, you prolonged the man's suffering all those days instead of giving him peace, which earned you a devilish change.

The idea is that the game is mostly freeform on the island, but every so often, you are told in private to do a deed and you must do it or refuse to do it (Possibly in a thread independent from the main thread.) Once the deed is done or ignored, your body changes and you have to live with what happened in the main RP thread. I was also thinking about making a list of the people and what changes have happened. The deeds would of course take into account the person's O/Os

Any questions or ideas I'm all ears and up for PM or replies here

[Xearts]

I love this idea. Would it be a System game? My only question is, would powers come with the physical changes? Either way, I'd be glad to participate and even help out.

[Kaiten]

I'm not sure if it constitutes a system game. There's no stats or anything.

But sometimes, yes Xearts. Sometimes the changes will only be a "Power" or a "Curse", just depends on what you do.

[Xanatos]

This sounds interesting. Could you give more details as to how people will be affected? Maybe you can't, but I am a bit leery on my character suddenly being changed, yet the concept is intriguing.

[Kaiten]

Yeah, that's the real big kicker to this game, your character changes. But it depends on what they do. Basically, behind every deed you are given there's a meaning and a consequence.

The changes don't effect personality, they just change what they look like or how they live. Like something like, you need to eat more than most people, or, you can see in the dark now, but can't stand to look into the light.

[Xearts]

I see. So you would choose the changes, right? Or is it that the player chooses what to change, while you just tell them how much and which way to change? The second would probably help with the people who don't want to do it because they're afraid you'll do bad things to their characters.

[Xanatos]

-chuckles- I admit to being a bit protective of my characters. Unless I choose to place them in an unsafe environ. This campaign still holds much interest, but having choices would be very nice.

Perhaps you let us choose, or give us a list of things you want to happen so no matter what we choose, you still get an outcome you want.

[Kaiten]

That I'll have to debate, because it's a game. I wanted it to be taking a risk and all that sort of stuff. I didn't intend this to be cute and cuddly.

I'll think about it.

But really it kinda defeats the purpose. I mean when you make an ethical choice, you know there's gonna be consequences. If it's that bad, I'll just talk to the person about it. But really, I find a lot of fun in the unknown. Gambling plain and simple.

[Xanatos]

Well what you have proposed is not really a risk, so much as not having any choice at all. I am not attempting so much to debate your reasoning, but to point out you have made it clear bad will happen even if the deed is good. So really, its damned if you, damned if you don't. Thats not risk, nor is that much of a choice at all.

Sorry if that seems like I was attacking your idea, I am not, if it seems like it. No intent. I just wanted to make that clear at least in that is how I see it.

[Kaiten]

It depends if the deed really is good or not brother. And you also gotta remember that a change is a step towards escaping.

It's hard for me to throw this out there with out giving away a lot of my ideas.

Do you want to know the ending to a book before you read it?

[Chelemar]

I like the idea.  It makes one think.  But, it also could make one just say ah well whatever to get off the island. 

[Kaiten]

You could get off the island by just saying no.

The whole idea is to Adapt to your situation!

[CurvyKitten]

Oh nice you got the idea up, count me in when you get it started.

[Shihong]

Colour me interested!

[Enmuro]

I like this idea as well. It has some of the 'choose your own adventure' feel where you pick your actions and then deal with the sometimes unintended consequences thought up by the author. I'm kind of having the same thought as that other guy too, itd be nice to have more ability to let our characters express the intentions behind their deeds in some way. Or just add in something else to make things feel like we have control of the consequences in some form.  Also, morally speaking the intended consequence of an action means more than an unintended result (eg: murder vs manslaughter) so maybe that water thing is a bad example unless person was fully aware man would suffer and still die -depending on yer views of course
.

[Haibane]

This is really intriguing, I like it and I think from what you are saying is that the players will get a hint of what changes them from the task allotted. What I mean is, by your example, if the player considered the facts "the man is dying" then giving him water might not them seem the obvious sensible choice, so they may choose not to give water (because he's dying anyway). So if the player carefully considers the given options they can, with some thought, choose the "correct" path. That is, its not a total lottery, but has logic to it.

Am I warm?

Also, please forgive the brusque suggestion, a plane crash is a bit blasé and overused these days (LOST). How about a cruise ship that sinks? Much more survivability and washed ashore seafarers are more romantic.

[Kaiten]

I'm kind of having the same thought as that other guy too, itd be nice to have more ability to let our characters express the intentions behind their deeds in some way. Or just add in something else to make things feel like we have control of the consequences in some form.  Also, morally speaking the intended consequence of an action means more than an unintended result (eg: murder vs manslaughter) so maybe that water thing is a bad example unless person was fully aware man would suffer and still die -depending on yer views of course
.

It still messes with me because you are never supposed to be fully aware of your consequences unless you really take the time. However, since there are seemingly a lot of doubts, I most likely will talk with the person about the deed they are going to do. And either way, even if you do a deed, there's a bunch of different ways you could approach it. It's your imagination and such.

I will try to allow some control, but I am trying to convey a feeling of helplessness.

This is really intriguing, I like it and I think from what you are saying is that the players will get a hint of what changes them from the task allotted. What I mean is, by your example, if the player considered the facts "the man is dying" then giving him water might not them seem the obvious sensible choice, so they may choose not to give water (because he's dying anyway). So if the player carefully considers the given options they can, with some thought, choose the "correct" path. That is, its not a total lottery, but has logic to it.

Am I warm?

That's correct. It's not just either you do it or you don't. It's what exactly you do and how you do it, how you decide to go about it, or what you do when you decide not to. Ethics are never black or white, too many video games make it that way

Also, please forgive the brusque suggestion, a plane crash is a bit blasé and overused these days (LOST). How about a cruise ship that sinks? Much more survivability and washed ashore seafarers are more romantic.

I debated using a ship, but the thing with ships, is that survivability is really 50/50. Either the ship is marginally ok and you have plenty of supplies and such, even in some cases the ability to live on the ship. OR The entire thing sinks, and everything just is gone gone. It's usually one or the other, and I kinda wanted corpses around for various reasons along with survivability.

However, since this question came up about the whole plane crash thing, I may try and think of another way.

[Insight]

I wouldn't mind being a part of it too. Sounds like a place where I can have fun.

[Kaiten]

Looks like I got a good amount of intrest, I'll make a board soon for OOC and Characters, as well as a better breakdown of the story and such. Still up for more suggestions VIA pm.

[Haibane]

I debated using a ship, but the thing with ships, is that survivability is really 50/50. Either the ship is marginally ok and you have plenty of supplies and such, even in some cases the ability to live on the ship. OR The entire thing sinks, and everything just is gone gone. It's usually one or the other, and I kinda wanted corpses around for various reasons along with survivability.

However, since this question came up about the whole plane crash thing, I may try and think of another way.

There isn't really any way to quantify the survivability chances on a ship, or how much resources are left because ship sinkings or on-board fires with hasty abandonment processes can be so very varied. I'd certainly suggest it's true that in general a person's survivability chances are higher from a stricken ship than a stricken aircraft - most plane crashes result in 100% fatalities for those aboard - and on average you would end up with more usable supplies from a shipwreck; say the emergency supply box in a lifeboat at the very least. If all the game characters are assumed to be the occupants of one lifeboat that drifts in a different direction to the other boats we are presented with an intact group at the start with some basic supplies.

I think a lot more useful wreckage can be washed ashore from a ship too, whereas from a plane is just mangled ruins with very little salvageable. Again, speaking generally.

I won't make a deal over it though, its your game, I just wanted to put across the thought that survivors from plane crashes on remote islands is hackneyed by over-use in recent fiction in my view. Do please make it your choice.

[thewhitedusk]

ooh now this looks like fun, count me in