[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/eNnn18o.png[/img][/center] [color=6495ED][b]"Sienna, what is the current date and time?"[/b] "Hello, Cam! The date is July 19, 2412. It is 3:26 PM in our current location." [b]"Sienna, what [i]is[/i] my current location?"[/b] "That's a good question. You are currently on the McAdam Campus of Invercargill University, in New London, Belgravia. If you'd like to know more about attractions, shopping, and places to eat, don't be afraid -" [b]"Sienna, where is the planet Humber located?"[/b] "...I'm not sure that I heard you correctly. Did you say [b]'planet Humber'[/b]?" [b]"Yes, planet Humber."[/b] "I'm sorry, Cam. I can't seem to find a planet with that name. Is it a location from an intellectual property that I don't have access to?" [b]"...Nevermind, Sienna. Thank you."[/b] "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance, Cam. If there's anything else I can help you with, just let me know!"[/color] [hr][hr] [sub][i][color=FFDEAD]Three hundred years ago, our species nearly went extinct. The collapse of Earth's biosphere, brought on by human action including climate change, resulted in mass extinctions and cataclysmic natural disasters that drove us from our mother world. Yet, it is when our collective back is against the wall that humanity is often at its best. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all. With the eleventh hour development of cryosleep technology and the ICE (Ionic Corkscrew Electromagnetic) drive, near-lightspeed travel became possible and billions of people were able to leave their dying planet in a Great Escape. Entering cryosleep for the journey, they bypassed the bleak, marginal colony on Mars in colossal interstellar arks and woke up on brave new worlds. Since then, the human race has blossomed, living among the stars. Dozens of new solar systems have been colonized and thriving civilizations built. With further innovation, we have shattered the cosmic 'speed limit' of lightspeed and, from the precipice of extinction, our population has recently broken the trillion mark. And yet... this bold interstellar adventure that had once seemed like a science fiction dream is perhaps not so incredible as we'd imagined. Extraterrestrial life turned out to be rarer than expected, and of sentient life we haven't caught so much as a whiff. There are no Jedi, no space pirates, no phasers to be set to stun, and certainly no aliens. People go to work and school. They purchase property. They start families. They do it all under the watchful eye of governments and corporations. If the future is now, it is disappointingly mundane. Perhaps it is little surprise, then, that escapism flourishes in this context. Enter the Golden World. Utilizing the hypernet and cognitive immersion techniques pioneered for the entertainment of ark crew members during the Great Escape, this vast near-utopian metaverse is indistinguishable from reality in its physics and sensory realism. Yet here, people can live and work free of disease, disability, hunger, and peril. Here, for a nominal price, people can be whatever they want to be and go wherever they want to go. A fireball-flinging wizard, cyberpunk vigilante, or mermaid songstress? A vacation in the world of Star Wars or Harry Potter? A trip through time and space? There is always a company that can make your dreams a reality. Indeed, the early twenty-fifth century is a period of thriving competition. With humanity's expansion into the stars, new corporations have formed and been given space to grow, while old ones have become titans, purchasing entire worlds (both real and simulated) free from the tyranny of government. Yet, for reasons of fairness, the great simulation of the Golden World falls under the jurisdiction of an independent UN-sanctioned organization known as ICON (Interstellar Council of Neutrals). Not only does this body of programmers, engineers, psychologists, artists, and other experts administer the physical servers on the bleak backwater of Mars, they maintain and manage all in-simulation operations as well. With them in charge, life is pretty good. That is, except in the case of one young man. Hours ago, graduate student Cam Vickers, hoping to save some money by traveling unlisted (under the table) on a chartered freighter, was on his way to the world of Humber for an in-person symposium. He had friends there who he was looking forward to seeing. That was... until the world disappeared as if it had never even existed. Indeed, when he asked some of the crew members, all that they could do was look at him strangely. "Humber?" they asked. "Never heard of it, but you'd better strap in, kid. We're about to leave hyperspace at Belgravia. That's you. That's where your big university thing is, right?"[/color][/i][/sub] [hr][hr][color=6495ED][h2][u]T H E R O L E P L A Y[/u]____ __ _ _ _ _ _ _[/h2] [sub][b]"Sienna, where and when is this set?"[/b] Good question, player! This RPG is a twin of [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/188078-father-sky-sci-fi-political-thriller/ooc]Father Sky[/url] and will take place simultaneously and in direct continuity. Characters may not initially move between the two RPGs. However, this will change and be allowed as the RPG progresses. [b]"Sienna, what will we be doing, exactly?"[/b] I'm glad you asked! The Golden World is a semi-hard sci-fi roleplay with two settings: a sandbox metaverse and a vaguely cyberpunk-esque real world with a slightly less dystopian flavour. Think a bit of Ready Player One with shades of The Matrix. Players will have the ability to opt into a driving central mystery that will unfold and be revealed through the actions of player characters in both RPGs. In general, I am looking for a group of four in each of the two games. Depending on interest, you may or may not be able to run characters in both. [b]"Sienna, what is expected of me?"[/b] Yes, that's an important one. In terms of commitment, consider this high casual. A minimum of three paragraphs will be expected along with at least one post per week. I understand that English is not everybody's first language, but please try to use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Should you be inactive without notice in the game thread and on discord for more than two weeks, your participation will be considered to have ended. I know that life happens. No worries and no guilt. I understand completely. Please communicate, though. [b]"Sienna, since this is a metaverse, can I do pretty much whatever I want?"[/b] Well, yes, more or less, but please remember to observe all of the usual rules about metagaming, powerplaying, and conducting yourself with decency. Of course, I wouldn't expect any problems from you, but I have to offer that disclaimer. The main rule here is just to be a good faith actor. If you're not, you will be warned. If it persists, you will be kicked. Inactive player characters may be taken over by myself, by other players, or may be killed off. [b]"Sienna, how do I actually join?"[/b] Righto, player! That's the most important question of all and it might be a little different than you're used to. For this game, it is important that you submit your Character Sheets through DM only, to myself and my Co-GMs [@Medili] and [@pantothenic]. [b][u]Do not post them in this thread or in the OOC (if/when it opens) until you are approved.[/u][/b] I will announce approved CSes one week after the submission deadline, which is currently TBA. At that point, the discord will open as well. For your convenience, a raw code character sheet template can be found below.[/sub][/color] [hr][hr] [hider=The Golden World Character Sheet][code][right][color=FFFACD][h1]_ _ _ _ __[u][color=gold]C[/color]haracter [color=gold]N[/color]ame[/u][/h1] [img]Character Image[/img] [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]A G E[/u] | [u]G E N D E R[/u] | [u]L O C A T I O N[/u] | [u]J O B[/u][/h3][/sub] [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S[/u][/h3][/sub] [i]A description of your character's appearance, motivation, and personality.[/i] [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]B A C K G R O U N D[/u][/h3][/sub] [i]A description of your character's life, experiences, and circumstances up to this point.[/i] [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]I N V E N T O R Y[/u][/h3][/sub] [i]A description of items regularly in your character's possession or owned by them.[/i] [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]S I M I D E N T I T Y[/u][/h3][/sub] [i]A description of your character's identity within the simulation of the Golden World, including any special abilities or powers.[/i] [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]S T R E N G T H S & S K I L L S[/u][/h3][/sub] [i]Three[/i] ❖ [i]to four[/i] ❖ [i]of these[/i] ❖ [i]go here[/i] ❖ [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]W E A K N E S S E S & F L A W S[/u][/h3][/sub] [i]Three[/i] ❖ [i]to four[/i] ❖ [i]of these[/i] ❖ [i]go here[/i] ❖ [sub][h3]_ _ _ _ __[u]C O L O U R C O D E & O T H E R[/u][/h3][/sub] [i]Your character's hex code and any other miscellaneous information. Feel free to use bullet points.[/i] [i][color=gold]hex code[/color][/i] ❖[/color][/right][/code][/hider] [hr][hr][h3][color=FFA07A][u][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/188078-father-sky-sci-fi-political-thriller/ooc][color=FFA07A]D I S C O V E R F A T H E R S K Y[/color][/url][/u]____ __ _ _ _ _[/color][/h3] [hr][hr][h1][color=FFDEAD][u]A D V E N T U R E A W A I T S[/u]__ __ _ _[/color][/h1] [img]https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/article23-1.jpg?w=1200&strip=all[/img]