[h1]Thunderbolt Black:[/h1]

[center][u][b]Aerial Combat, Intrigue and Adventure in a post- World War 3 alternate world.[/b][/u]

[img]http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/Stephen_Doyle/Forum%20Roleplay%20Stuff/Logo_Big_zps23cfe4af.jpg[/img][/center]


In [b]Thunderbolt Black,[/b] the PC's assume the role of tactical combat aircraft pilots in a large mercenary company of the same name. They are part of a world, alternative to ours, that was ravaged by a decade-long Third World War beginning in the late 1990's and ending in 2008. 
The world has since begun to rebuild itself by the year 2015, but things have changed greatly, resulting in the rise of large mega-corporations, and private military contractors of great power and resources alongside conventional militaries and governments.

The pilots of Thunderbolt Black are engaged in a shadowy secret war against the largest of the corporations, [b]MultiCorp,[/b] which has designs and ideas on how the post-war world should be run. 
As part of the [b]101st Tactical Air Squadron,[/b] the [b]'Black Knights',[/b] the player characters engage in numerous operations as part of their mercenary contracts, in an attempt to halt and hinder MultiCorps' operations, and to gather more intelligence and information about their long-term goal, and how it will affect the world at large. 


This RP is a reboot of one originally run off-site on a Yahoo mailing list. That game lasted almost ten years, but sadly never reached its' fruition. I am hoping to run a new version on the Guild, and that it will be almost as successful. The key things in keeping the previous version of the game running were a close-knit group of characters with good interpersonal relationships, and backgrounds that were woven into the ongoing events of the game. I hope to re-create this here, and keep the interest of players alive for the long term. 


[hider=Background Info]

The background of the game was also key, and I have reproduced this in a handful of google docs, linked here:

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vydrj43T-ksTuWncmHO5jo43D6ucCmqptRDkkkuYS4w/edit?usp=sharing]The World of Thunderbolt Black[/url] - an overview of the world the game takes place in. Required reading if you wish to play.

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ynidKhgv9uwG-tY3JctRBvNaGO2rYGUseWte2Cu5j8g/edit?usp=sharing]Thunderbolt Black[/url]- Information about the Mercenary company itself.

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GCZ2wgczjGwyP-NE3uUfpYqoCqdT00xp7rTw3AKe-UI/edit?usp=sharing]The Third World War[/url] - a timeline of the war that shaped the world we are playing in. Optional, but good for increasing your characters' knowledge of the world. 

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ye7xKCCVvcAE4wIkwnnWLtaxr2iBNYaNgdT7aoW2xSA/edit?usp=sharing]Technology[/url] - an overview of the technologies encountered in the game world. Again, optional, but avoids any surprises, assumptions or faux-pas.

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If all of this is interesting enough to you, then perhaps you'd like to create a character. Rules for the game are below, along with the skeletons for character and aircraft sheets. 

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Cu4smH4mAd48m1qn3ikD3l3hu3ymgOOwJspVIZ9q5g/edit?usp=sharing]Game Rules[/url]

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g_1nG-Dq9TFFSwGBCY3wQxBKaDQSoOp96gOF7ND3n2c/edit?usp=sharing]Character & Aircraft Sheet[/url]- Post these in the [b]Characters tab[/b] when you're ready, and notify the OOC thread for approval or editing.


[hider=Regarding Aircraft]

Fictional aircraft are not available for use. This would include things such as the Ace Combat 'super planes', like the Morgan or XFA-44 and others, along with planes such as the Yukikaze, or the Firefox. Fictional aircraft of any other kind, such as those on DeviantArt or otherwise, are also not available.

Real-world aircraft are perfectly allowed, and preferred. Models of aircraft that did not make it into full production, such as the YF-23 Black Widow, F-20 Tigershark or the SU-47 would be allowed to be used, and can be assumed to have had at least limited production in the world of Thunderbolt Black. 
If you can find some statistics and info on the aircraft, then it will be considered for use in the game, unless it's incredibly obscure, or completely unbalancing or impractical for long-term playing alongside others (for example, the armed versions of the SR-71 Blackbird). Ask if you're not sure. 

World War 2 aircraft are also far too obsolete to be of any use. Most immediate post-war aircraft (i.e. 1940's and early '50's) are also unlikely to see a great deal of use. Anything else is fair game, however. 
And to reiterate what is stated on the character sheet: some variety in aircraft would be most welcome, but you are free to choose whatever you like. It is also absolutely more than acceptable to have more than one of any aircraft in the group. Your characters' nationality does not also have to be linked to your aircraft type.
Also remember it's not a competition about who has the 'best' aircraft. We all work together. Choose what you're interested in, not what 'fits' with the rest of the group.

[u][b]Good resources for aircraft info are the following:[/b][/u]

[url=http://www.combataircraft.com/en/Military-Aircraft/Fighter-Attack/]Combat Aircraft.com[/url]

[url=http://www.wikipedia.org]Wikipedia.org[/url] has many pages related to military aircraft, a simple search will give you many results.

FAS has pages on [url=http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/]US military aircraft[/url] and the [url=http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/]Rest of the World's[/url] military aircraft, though they are a little out of date.

[url=http://www.fighter-aircraft.com/]Fighter Aircraft.com[/url] is a well-organized directory of aircraft types.

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If you would like some more information about 'pilot lingo', then the following link is a good reference:

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiservice_tactical_brevity_code]Tactical Brevity Codes[/url] 
Don't feel like you need to refer to all of them though - they're just there for flavour.


The game is currently open for another player. Eight is the maximum I will allow, and three the minimum. I will be adapting a lot of elements and ideas from the previous plot I ran off-site, but there will be significant changes - so even if you're industrious enough to find the old group and wiki, you won't know exactly what to expect...


[hider=Current Players]
[List]
[*] Silverwind Blade - Scott Valentine/St. Helen Carter - Grumman ASF-14 Super Tomcat
[*] Urukhai - Marciano Codemi - Panavia Tornado ADV
[*] ShiningSector - Rodrigues Hefferman - General Dynamics F-16V Fighting Falcon
[*] The Mage - Austin Albert "Circle" Zimmerman - McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle
[*] Foster - Kie Feng - CAC Super-7 (Upgraded variant of Chengdu J-7)
[/List]
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[hider='retired' Players]
The following people are currently 'stood down' from actively playing in the RP, but not officially 'dropped out' for the moment, due to RL circumstances
[List]
[*] MachineSoul - Dmitry Novikoff - Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E
[*] Esailia - Kathryn "Kat" Montgomery - Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II
[/List]
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