But in all seriousness, this sounds great, I'de love to participate. Though I must ask, do they all need to be people down on their luck? Nothin else allowed? I can deal but I may as well ask.
Well, it's all a matter of defining "down on one's luck". To some people, this could mean a widower who's wife of 40 years just died, and they're looking for one last crack at life before succumbing to the grave themselves. To others, it could be a university student facing a mental break down due to the pressure of his/her exams. It could also be someone who is stuck in a dead end job, and has just realised that they've wasted years of their lives doing something they hate simply because they were stuck in a rut.
So in short, it's not a competition of who has a sadder back story. I think as people we all have our ups and downs, but some more than others, and it's those "more than others" I want to focus on. For some reason, the idea of a group of pessimistic individuals trying to survive on a desert island seems interesting to me.
A group of miss-match strangers crash onto a desert island, and must survive!
Starting Anew
Your life wasn't going the way you had planned. Slowly beaten down by a soul crushing career, or driven to depression by tragic events, you decided enough was enough!
No more waking up, staring bleary eyed into a mirror that portrayed a dull grey face you no longer recognised. No more struggling to find the motivation to just carry on breathing. No more coming home from work, only to collapse into a chair and silently curse the inadequacies of your life choices.
It was time for a change! You only get one shot at life after all, and what's the point of sitting about moping all the time? People have had it worse than you, or so you suspect, and some of them got on just fine. It was time you did the same.
Booking a place in a group holiday to Australia, you looked forward to meeting new people, seeing new sights and finally discovering the passion that once fired your engine of enthusiasm.
Of course, the moment the plane's left engine exploded, you knew that this was all a hopeless endeavour. Some people are just cursed to live in misery; chased into the grave by a spree of bad luck, cowardice and cold indifference. As the fire spread up the wing, you heard so many screams it froze your mind - but your voice did not add to the orchestra. Why scream? How was that going to change anything?
In retrospect, your life probably isn't worth living anymore. Going down in a fiery inferno is probably a good thing, with everything considered. No more regrets, no more broken dreams, and no more staring up at the ceiling and contemplating how different things could have been.
If only, right?
You wake up beneath a warm sun and a blue sky. The sound of a gentle surf lapping against the smooth sandy beach upon which you have found yourself, is the only noise you can hear. Everything is eerily quiet, as if you've stepped outside of reality and into a small capsule beyond space and time.
Looking around, you quickly realise you have been washed up on some desert island. The realisation of this prompts a spurt of sea water to surge from your lips, and you collapse retching in pain as your lungs struggle to dislodge the unwelcome liquid. And then, to round everything off, you hear an explosion - and feel it too. You open your eyes for a moment, and see smoking rising from the ocean in the distance.
Did you really survive that plane crash? Are you dreaming?
Of course you're not dreaming. Your life sucks. You really did survive, and now you're stuck on god knows what island. Have fun with that.
Premise
Characters are survivors who miraculously escaped the plane.
I never watched Lost. This is not Lost.
The survivors must... well, continue to survive on the island. Firstly, by finding each other, and secondly, by establishing their own little colony as they attempt to work out a way to get home.
The survivors are all people who had planned for their vacation to be a life changing event after a sustained period of trouble in their lives. Looks like they got more than what they bargained for.
The island is tropical, but unmapped, allowing for players to explore their own locations.
SO, who wants to go survive on an island? There's no zombies, I promise.
We were pretty pissed at the annexation (who wouldn´t when we were betrayed by half of the world and second half was trying exterminate us), we even assassinated the highest ranking Nazi officer. I would probably go with West, because Soviets were in many aspects even worse than Nazis.
Least they let you have an awesome Spring ;) I love living in a non-former-communist country. Much freedom, much economy, much living conditions!
How is the Republic doing these days? I've had a few relatives that went to Prague, said it was a beautiful place. They brought me back a giant pint glass, that contends nightly for position of favorite with my Amsterdam beer mug.
Well, since I actually live in Prague, this might be very interesting roleplay. Would it be possible to play Czechoslovakian resistance member?
A militia man, fighting on the side of the Reds or the West, would be possible I suppose. I imagine there'd of been a lot of people who were pissed at their country's sudden annexation, and who had no love for communism. On the other hand, I imagine there'd be several enthusiastic individuals who fully support Communism and very much want to help out.
So in short yeah, and you can choose whose side to fight on.
Oh wow, this sounds awesome. I'm just about to hit my first exam tomorrow however, so I don't know how well I'll be involved.
How many exams you got? And how far apart are they?
Hitler was successfully assassinated, Erwin Rommel took the helm and enacted an effective defensive of Germany, forcing the Allies and the Soviets to fall out. The situation soon explodes into the Extension War, or as some may like to call it, World War Three.
The RP is focused on the Battle for Prague, where an isolated Soviet garrison consisting of the remnants of the 5th Guard Army are holding on for relief from their comrades who are amassing in strength to the East.
Facing them are elements of the 6th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer Grenadier Division of Rommel’s Army Group Trident, and the 1st United States Army.
As a battle rages in the streets, German and Allied air forces contest the skies above with the Soviets. To the north of the City, the bulk of Army Group Trident is trying to crush the 5th Guards Army, but they are proving stubborn. As mentioned, to the east several Soviet Army Groups are amassing for a huge attack.
The Allies’ position may seem a tad suicidal, but it’s all a ploy. With Germany’s Army Group East holding the Russians at bay to the north, and the Allies running and fighting in Northern Italy, the Soviets are relying on their singular knock out blow to come in the centre, from Czechoslovakia. The Allies however, have not been idle, and are amassing their own force in the safety of southern Germany and Italy. A gigantic battle is about to take place, with Prague at its epicentre.
You are a German, Russian or American soldier, initially, assigned to battle being waged in and around Prague.
The Extension War
June 6th, 1944 – Allied invasion of Normandy.
June 22nd, 1944 – Russians launch Operation Bagration, with the aims of crushing Army Group Center.
July 17, 1944 – Erwin Rommel, the fabled German general, comes close to getting killed when an Allied Spitfire strafes his staff car as he travels to Army Group B's headquarters. He miraculously escapes injury, but is left with a sudden and undeniable realization of Germany’s coming fate.
July 19th, 1944 – Adolf Hitler is shot and killed by a rogue unit of Wehrmacht officers en route to the Wolf’s Lair in East Prussia. The assassins are killed in the ensuing gun battle.
July 20th, 1944 – Wehrmacht launches a military coup. Civil war erupts as Waffen SS divisions attempt to reassert their authority, but are badly outnumbered.
July 21st, 1944 – Leading Nazi Party officials including Hermann Goering and Dr. Paul Josef Goebbels are arrested as they attempt to flee Berlin.
August 16th, 1944 – After an intense and bitter civil war, the SS are defeated in a string of battles and driven into Austria.
August 20th, 1944 – Erwin Rommel emerges as Germany’s defacto leader, with popular support. He goes on to form a Military Council consisting of several decorated officers, such as Erich von Manstein and Gerd von Rundstedt.
August 21st, 1944 – Rommel offers unconditional surrender to the Western Powers, on the understanding that they save Germany from the Soviets. The West declines, stating that Germany must unconditionally surrender to both.
August 22nd, 1944 – Rommel issues order 341, prompting Operation Verlorene Liebesmüh (Forlorn Hope).
Operation Verlorene Liebesmüh was in essence, an order to all German forces within occupied states to return to the Fatherland. In a magnificent feat of logistics and cunning, the Wehrmacht in France, Holland, Norway and Belgium withdrew its men and material to Germany’s west borders. Despite the Allies’ best efforts to intercept the withdrawal, they were unable to prevent much of the Wehrmacht’s western strength from fleeing to the safety of the Rheine.
Likewise in the east, the German army made a massive retreat. Much like on the Western Front, the rout was orderly and paced to save as much equipment and munitions as possible. By September, the Wehrmacht had consolidated itself within Germany’s borders, leaving Finland, Romania and SS-riddled Austria to fend for themselves. Though still defeated forces, the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe were able to coordinate a deadly defensive effort against the Allies and the Soviets.
As 1944 drew to a close, and 1945 began, neither the Soviets nor the Allies had managed to penetrate Germany’s borders. It was a war of attrition however, and though Rommel and his staff were effective battlefield commanders, they were running out of industry and food with which to power their army. The German population was also falling victim to starvation, and Nazi terrorist cells were growing bolder – Hitler’s gruesome end had given them a martyr to rally around, ironically something Erwin Rommel had once wanted to avoid.
In February, Romania, Hungary and Austria fall to the Soviets after a brief but collected campaign. Rommel admits to the international community that death camps had existed under Nazi rule, and that a great many people died as a result. He promises to release everything related to the practice, and to hand over all of those involved and implicated, in return for a conditional surrender. Both the Soviets and the Allies outright refuse.
In a further bid to win international favour, and to distance himself from Germany’s former leaders, Rommel released the information anyway. Camp locations, inmate processing files, names of SS and Wehrmacht staff responsible for their day-to-day operating were published in a series of documents, and handed over to neutral Switzerland for distribution. Hundreds of thousands of former camp inmates released from the camps were placed on trains, and sent towards both the Soviets and the West depending on their proximity to either front. Rommel stated that he himself had a part to play in their existence, for serving the Reich in a military capacity, and made a pledge to stand trial at the war’s end.
Rommel’s attempts to reach out to Germany’s enemies fell short of gaining either their favour or sympathy, however. On March 19th, the Soviets launched Operation Burning Star, with the aim of breaking through the German border and taking Berlin. After a week-long barrage of some 5,261 howitzers, the Russians made their attempt. Millions of soldiers, and thousands of tanks and planes were dedicated to the assault. However, a reformed Army Group East rose to the challenge and using its large assortment of refurbished Panzer Divisions, complex trench networks, dense minefields and a combat-effective Luftwaffe, it was able to smash the Soviet spearhead and encircle 500,000 Russians outside of Berlin in homage to Operation Barbarossa’s early triumphs. The Russians repeatedly attempted to restart the offensive, but the intricate German defences, coupled with Mainstein’s knack for mobile counter attacks, prevented them from making ground. Concerned that a large portion of their troops would soon succumb to the encirclement, Stalin reluctantly ordered his generals to abandon the attack. This was the last strategic victory for the German army in the year of 1945.
In the West, the Allies probed and plotted, but were not eager to launch a full scale offensive. Germany’s Army Group West had some 3,000,000 men, and 1,300 combat ready tanks; though still gravely outnumbered, it was coherent and battle tested. Allied commanders knew that unlike France, where they fought a paralysed and demoralised enemy, fighting Rommel’s Army Group West on home ground would result in catastrophic casualties.
Although fuel was becoming increasingly difficult to source, Rommel’s defensive plan along the Rheine required little mobility but maximum firepower, and with the Luftwaffe concentrated and therefore still at large, Allied air superiority was gradually losing the devastating effect it enjoyed months previous. Furthermore, through careful management of Germany’s faltering economy, and of its available resources, Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe squadrons started to become a prominent force. Though still vastly outnumbered, the Luftwaffe had made a slow but steady comeback.
Russia’s failure to break the Germans, and the Allies’ hesitation, led to a fallout between Stalin and the Western leaders. Washington, London and Moscow began to distance themselves from each other; the Allies showed their weaknesses. Whilst a red faced Churchill argued for the destruction of Germany, and its full inclusion into the Western political sphere, American President Harry S. Truman began to lend support to an idea of a future where Germany existed unoccupied – a shield to be used against Stalin’s expansionism.
As if acting on cue, Stalin went back on his pledges to allow for Soviet occupied countries to undergo their own democratic elections, and stated his intent to absorb them into the USSR. This enraged the West, and caused further concern amongst all political figures – especially those who had just reclaimed their countries – and a very visible crack formed between the Allies. No one wanted to be the victim of Communism, except for the growing internal communist political movements that were on the verge of being illegalised.
Sensing the divisions of his enemies, Rommel made another plea to the West for a conditional surrender. This time his words were contemplated by the United States President as well as the British Prime Minister. The Soviets subsequently announced that any form of agreement without them involved would lead to war between Russia and the West.
Ever a clever tactician, Rommel made good of the situation. He declared Germany’s western borders “open” and moved Army Group West to the Eastern Front, providing the Russians with a truly formidable adversary. Allied troops crossed into western Germany shortly after, and began occupying the territory in the wake of Germany’s retreating army. They halted as they came half way across the country, so that their leaders could contemplate the situation.
Stalin considered this a sly political attempt to bring the whole of Germany under western control, despite prior agreements. He declared war on the West in response, which created a world-shattering chain of events leading to what is now known as ‘ The Extension War’.
The Red Army starts to gather strength along the borders of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Finland. The U.S and British armies respond in kind, and start to reposition their forces in preparation for the incoming invasion by their former ally. However, despite Rommel's pleas, they steer clear of lending any form of support to Germany's army.
Sweden attempts to reaffirm its neutrality to the conflict, and a newly liberated Norway follows suit. However, with the establishment of the Soviet's Finland Front comprising of several armies, it is clear that the north will not be spared.
Despite initially agreeing to declare war on Japan following Germany’s misconceived imminent defeat, Stalin offers the beleaguered nation an olive branch. In return for Soviet military assistance, Japan must conform to certain Communist ideals. Japanese Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki reluctantly accepts the terms, and cedes Manchuria to the USSR to provide them with a regional base from which to operate. Millions of Red Army soldiers start to arrive in the following weeks; although poorly armed compared to their brothers in the West, they are a much needed asset to the floundering Empire of the Rising Sun. Alongside these soldiers, thousands of aircraft too are donated to Japan’s defence. Stalin publicly announces an alliance between the two nations shortly after.
This unexpected partnership leads to a halt of Allied operations in the Pacific theatre, and an uneasy stalemate continues into August across both the Pacific and Europe.
With the development of the Atom Bomb came a determined and unified Western response to Russia’s escalation of the crisis. On the 6th of August, the U.S Airforce dropped the devastating weapon upon Hiroshima, followed by a second strike at Nagasaki on the 9th. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians were consumed by the destruction, and this blatant disregard for innocents was not wasted on the Soviet propaganda machine.
Camera crews were herded in droves from USSR-held Manchuria to Japan, to document in graphic detail the extent of the West’s bombing runs. Footage was dispatched across the region, with Stalin urging civil-war ridden China that the same fate waited for them in the foreseeable future.
America, undeterred by the coverage of the attacks, dropped two atom bombs on Tokyo on August the 15th, obliterating the city and slaughtering millions of its inhabitants. Japan’s standing government was wiped out in the process, though they hid in underground bunkers at the time, and the country was reduced to a leaderless wreck. Stalin was quick to get boots on the ground there, despite the West’s warnings against such an action, and hastily installed a Soviet government. Some of the Japanese resisted, but with the effectiveness of the USSR’s coverage of the atom bomb attacks, these were few and the general population was desperate for protection.
Responding to the situation in earnest, SWPA moved its naval forces towards Japan with the intention of blockading the island, thus denying the Soviets vital Japanese naval bases. Stalin ignored this gesture however, and continued to pour troops into the island nation. It seemed that it would take more than a weapon of mass destruction to cow the Red Bear. Further atom bomb strikes were postponed, owing to the U.S President’s reluctance to start all-out war with the USSR. Though the West had the obvious upper hand in any potential conflict in the Far East, Europe was another story altogether.
August 27th, the Russians conducted large scale war games on the borders of Germany. During these exercises, a Soviet gun battery fired a series of blank rounds towards the 1st Panzer Division stationed east of Berlin. Whether through the incompetentence of the gunnery crews, or some dastardly political attempt to set the world on fire, not all of the shells were blanks.
Dozens of live rounds fell onto the Germans, and though no casualties were sustained, they fired back with batteries of their own. This prompted an immediate Soviet response, and on the personal directive of Stalin, the 55th Red Army made a probing attack over the borders. Manstein reacted with his 2nd Panzer Corps, and drove the half-hearted attack back onto the Russian side of the border.
Meanwhile, the 5th Soviet Guard Army supported by the Soviet 2nd Army struck north from Czechoslovakia in an attempt to catch the Germans off guard. Rommel however, moved Army Group West, now renamed Army Group Trident, to blunt this offensive. Using a mixture of feints, counter attacks and mobile defensive tactics, he utterly crushed the Soviet attack and pushed them back into Czechoslovakia.
Not content to leave matters at that, Rommel pushed on against the Soviets, who were unprepared for Germany to make any kind of offensive action – and thinking them a wholly defeated force, days away from running out of fuel.
Whilst this last point may have been true, Rommel was able to encircle the 5th Guard Army north of Prague, and made a lunge for the city with the 6th Panzer Division and the 21st Panzer Grenadier Division.
Stalin, frustrated by Rommel’s audacity, ordered Red Army formations all across Western Europe on the attack. The Americans and British took hours to respond, even as their positions were overrun as millions of Red Army soldiers and thousands of Soviet tanks surged over the borders of Austria and Finland, laying siege to their positions in Northern Italy, and the Swedish army.
By the 1st of September, the Allies had finally come to terms with the situation, and committed themselves not only to the defence of their territories from the Soviets, but also to the defence of Germany. Supplies and munitions were aimed in Rommel’s direction, even as his Army Group Trident tore through the Red Army and surrounded Prague.
The 1st American Army arrived on the 5th of September, to lend aid to Army Group Trident, with the aim of tying up the bulk of the Red Army in Czechoslovakia whilst the rest of the West’s armies were gathered in force for a decisive offensive action.
Rules
Realism! Realism! Realism! I don’t expect everyone to know how a bullet fired from their weapon will arc in windy conditions, but I do expect them to understand that their character is one of thousands in a battle where no one individual is favoured, and where one mistake can be the end all of everything.
If I see someone running around with two Thompsons held at the waist, killing Ruskies left and right, I’ll morph them into a chicken.
Character Sheet
Name:
Age:
Gender: Russians only. If German or American, then you have to be male.
Nationality: Any USSR country, Germany or America.
Appearance:
Rank:
Bio: If German, most SS personnel have been rooted out and imprisoned/executed, but some may have slipped the net and are busy trying to cover up their past.
Awwww c'mon, you guys seriously gonna sit there and tell me you don't want to suit up as a god damned space marine and destroy the Persian army at Thermopylae, or get all slicey dicey as a cyborg ninja over at the Reichstag in 1940?
The year is 2235, and Earth has all but been destroyed by the Third World War.
Continents have been laid to waste. The skies have been irreversibly scarred. Radiation rules the land, and death travels swiftly to the fortunate few who have survived. It is only a matter of time, before the last flickering embers of humanity, are wiped from history.
Unless, we can change what was, and prevent what is from coming to pass.
In a top secret European Union science facility, miles beneath the Earth's surface, a team of leading scientists attempt to turn back the wheels of time. They have established a theoretical gateway, that allows them to manipulate space and time. That's right. It allows them to *gasp* time travel!
Early tests have revealed promising results, but no living being aside from the odd dog has been sent through the gate.
Time is running out however. The world is dying, and the damage inflicted to it by humanity's arsenal has destabilised the core. There can be no more tests, but there can be the gateway's first and last human-based practical examination.
As the facility crumbles around them, in the waning days of Man, the scientists scramble to activate the gateway one final time. A group of brave men and women stand in front of it, and prepare to launch themselves into key points in human history that have led to this disaster.
Going back and killing the Third World War's leaders will not be enough. More deluded individuals will replace them eventually - it's inevitable. This evil must be killed off from the roots.
The gateway is set to transport the heroes from one time zone to the next. In each time zone, they are required to perform a certain task, before they can move on. The zones will not be in chronological order, and their historical significance may not always present or make much sense.
But there's no time for much explanation, there is only the question of doing what must be done.
Rules
1) Accept that time travel exists.
2) Accept that you'll be in some pretty strange and maybe controversial places.
3) Accept that your character killing everything may get old quickly.
4) Accept that your character killing everything might be a f**k ton of fun.
5) Respect other players.
6) Disregard rule #5. LET ANARCHY RAIN.
7) Disregard rule #6 if the Mods start asking questions.
8) I AM GM. I AM GOD. U SMALL BEING. U ANNOY ME, ME KICK U LOL.
9) But no seriously, we're here to have fun. Keep it clean, and keep it exciting. This is a casual, casual, casual RP where we can all just come to write stuff. Feel free to experiment with writing styles, gender swapping, character types etc I really don't care. We got a world to save!
Commando Sheet
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race/Nationality:
Physical Appearance: Regardless of picture use, please include approximate weight and height.
Armour: It's the year 2235, get creative!
Notable Skills: Something your character rocks at, such as marksmanship, acrobatics, maths, computer hacking, multilingual, legendary love maker, pilot, heavy weapons expert, coffee connoisseur.
Weapons: It's the year 2235! Lasers, kinetics, plasma, it's all yours to have.
Items: Again with the um, year 2235 stuff. Want a portable hologram of a scantily clad lady? It's yours! Want a lipstick that turns into a lightsaber? Sure, why not.
Bionic Implants: Shiz got crazy in the 23rd century. People be walking around with bionic eyes, crazy-strong limbs and artificial organs. This is optional though.
Psi Powers: Year 2235, blah blah blah. Can you do stuff with your mind? Like, you know, read others? Move stuff?
Achilles Heel: (Mandatory) What is the one weakness your character has, that could be considered fatal? If your character isn't what you'd consider OP, then just put "Bullets, swords, ingesting rotten fish etc".
RP Skill Level Test: I want a 1 paragraph response to this question,
Your character walks into a bar, way back in 1851 on the American frontier. Two big, ugly looking fellahs take immediate offence to their presence, and reach to draw their weapons. How does your character handle the situation?
After a long hiatus I have returned. To those who know me, hello again, and to those I left behind, sorry!
Wow this place has changed, it's so flashy!
OH MY GOD, YOU CAN COLOUR TEXT!?
Sweet Jesus in a pram.
... Annnnyway. Anyone here still got what it takes to play a proper NRP? I'm thinking of booting this big soldier back up, but the landscape may have changed since I left and for all I know you've all turned into anime donkeys.
If so, I'll have to remake the maps and what have you, because I no longer have them. New computer, new life, so they say. Other than that, she looks in good shape.
From my Blackberry Curve 2500 or whatever ancient model it is: sorry for not posting, been on my brother's stag doo in Brighton. Get back tomorrow, but then off to Holland on Wednesday for the wedding. I'll do what I can but it's crazy my end. Stay with me
