[@Brink]

Great questions.

1. Essentially, yes. We'll be working with a "living CS" that will be updated as the story progresses. Thus the necessity of a small group to keep the bookkeeping managable.

2. Random perhaps only from the perspective of your characters. As I said, feel free to express to me what sort of character you would like to develop, and we'll work together on getting them there.

3. More or less. Basically the trials that your characters and settlement will endure are predetermined, and the choices you make will affect the outcome of these events.