Burden City

In a city whose population reaches almost one million souls, it is hard to control the amount of violent acts that happen daily. The reports of aggravated assault, kidnappings, robberies, and even rape are all too common for the far too small police force. Even the Heroes of Burden City can be corrupt; files go missing, as does evidence which allows those who are evil to walk free in the city. There are whispers of a Crime Lord amongst the population; someone who is controlling all of these criminals to perform these acts.

However there are a few true people in the Burden City Police Force that are honest with bringing about justice. But they are becoming less and less as the Crime Lord sinks their claws and teeth into them. There almost seems to be no hope in turning the city around and it very may well be lost. Now resting in the hands of just a few pure, good hearted people will it be cleansed? Or will they succumb to the Crime Lord's manipulations and caste Burden into a criminal wasteland forever?

Setting

A fictional city in the United States, tucked away in the northern state of Illinois set in our modern day. The last census report made there were 1, 115, 784 people living there. The number has been always a surprise as with as much crime as there is, it leaves wonder to why anyone would live there. Most, however, conclude that it is because of the failing economy and it is the cheapest place to live in America. People come here with promise of a easy and good life, but they only meet crime and passionate acts of violence.

Rules

There will be NC content in this game most likely. However, permission must be obtained from the player's victim character if it is not an NPC. This permission will have to be granted in public on the OOC thread, or a GM will ask that the posts be edited. This goes as well for any type of murder that may happen in the game. Please heed this rule and respect your fellow players. All of us here took great care in making our character and only the creator has the ultimate say in what happens to their character.

The GMs do not want any god moding whatsoever. If we see it, we will ask you politely to edit your post. What happens in a small convenience store shouldn't be known to a victim unless they were there. What happened in a big business meeting shouldn't be known to a criminal unless they were present and so on. The Crime Lord will have to gain all their information via contacts. They can be criminal players or NPC characters. Either way, they cannot "just know" that these things happened. Same goes for the Detective, he or she will not just know that something happened but will be reported to by an Investigator player or by reading a report, the newspaper, etcetera.

No Deus Ex Machina. For those that do not know what this means, it is a method used to get your character out of trouble in a difficult situation by creating something that is not plausible for the scenario. The GMs do not want some seventeen year old girl pulling out an AK-47 in order to not be kidnapped. It just is not real nor is it good etiquette in role playing.

Criminals, your character is not a tank. You cannot just walk around in plain daylight with a mortar strapped to your back unless you want to be a kamikaze killer. You do that an the police will capture you. Being a criminal is about tact and subtlety, about not getting caught. However, if you do get detained, if there is a willing corrupt Investigator to bail you out by stealing/hiding/presenting false evidence, then you may go free. But, you'll eventually have to deal with the Crime Lord who most likely won't be pleased at all that you got caught in the first place.

Crime Lord, you have a huge responsibility and burden in this game. You are the only one aside from the Head GM that is allowed to order a death without permission beforehand from the player. This is the sole reason that GMs need someone considerate of others' characters because we do not want someone that is just going to kill everyone. If we see too much killing on your end that is NOT JUSTIFIED, the GMs will have IC reasons to detain your character and the game will be over.

Please, above all else, have fun. This is supposed to be a game that makes you think and be creative. The GMs would love to see imaginations pushed to their furthest limits while in a restricted setting. We believe with the right group of players, this could be a very good and enjoyable game.

The Game Masters

Creator - Lady Reign, who manages the GMs.

Head Game Master - AngelsDemonsCode.

Game Master - Christa McGinn, who runs the Criminals.

Game Master - Aiden, who runs the Investigators.

Game Master - Amelia, who runs the Victims.

All of us here are dedicated to you, the players who create this wonderful story with us. Any questions, comments, suggestions, feedback, or general complaining or raving can be brought to us via forum or in a private PM.

Questions regarding Investigators should be directed to Aiden.

Questions on criminals should be directed to Christa McGinn.

And questions on victims should be directed to Amelia.

Questions on location additions, or general story line guidance can be inquired for any of the Game Masters. Character applications can be approved by any of the Game Masters as well. Ideas for the game will be discussed between the three Game Masters and voted upon before insertion into Burden City's story line plot if needed.

Character Roles

Crime Lord: There is only one Crime Lord, who will be either male or female. The person that chooses to play this character will have to be absolutely, positively, active and dedicated to this game. The is an important role because each of the criminals and/or corrupt investigators will be reporting to this character. This role is not first come first serve. At the beginning of Burden City, this role was awarded for submitting the best and most fit profile. This position can also be gained by overcoming the current Crime Lord and taking power.

Criminal: These characters answer solely to the Crime Lord, and work beneath him or her directly. Each specializes in a certain area of crime such as, but not limited to: rape, kidnapping, arson, burglary, etcetera.

Victim: The role of victim was made in order to bring more depth to the game and to flesh out the world of Burden City in a more realistic fashion. This took away the need for unneeded and one time use of Non-Playable Characters (NPC). These characters range from restaurant employees to prostitutes, or even, Mayor.

Investigator: What more is there to say other than a investigator is a Investigator. These people are either pure or corrupt. Some character are devious, deceptive, rude, crude, yet there are some that believe in true justice and follow the law and regulations of the police force. They can be a victims ally or their worst enemy.

The Detective: This character is at the opposite spectrum of the Crime Lord. He or she is responsible for all the actions of the Investigators, whether positive or negative. This individual can never be corrupt or aspire to gain the title of Crime Lord. This role also requires the player to be completely dedicated to the game, and willing to place it above all other role plays that he or she may have going on at the same time.