It was a world-class cruise in the most literal sense of the phrase.
Which made it, like, really suck when someone hurled the recently-murdered body of the ship's captain onto the dance floor.
Panic ensued.
Shortly following the panic, someone, presumably in league with the captain's murderer, killed the ship's power.
Now, the idea of being on a boat, sans a captain and sans electricity, is certainly terrifying enough. However, what I meant about the Sunset Voyager being "world-class" was that it was not the traditional cruise ship, constrained by something as simple as water.
On the maiden voyage of the world's firster interstellar cruise ship, the captain was killed, and the power along with it. A thousand tons of elegant, luxuriously designed ship left drifting through the stars.
Most of the guests kinda wanted a refund.
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Welcome to The Sunset Voyager, a survival-horror-slightly-sci-fi RP that you'll hopefully join. I'll go over the big things here, since the earlier section was a teensy bit scarce on details.
The Setting
The entire RP will take place on the Sunset Voyager, the first-ever cruise ship designed for use in space. Given the obvious luxury of being onboard the first intergalactic Titanic, many people pay small fortunes to get a spot. The billions of dollars invested in this ship not only went towards things like making sure it could withstand the harsh vacuum of space, but also affording the highest quality services and surroundings for its guests. While taking a walk on the ship's balcony may not be possible, there's no doubt of how exquisitely gorgeous the ship is. The food is prepared by five-star chefs, the rooms created to the specific orders of the best interior decorators, so on and so forth.
The Sunset Voyager is about six times the size of a regular cruise ship-and yet there's still a limit to one bag of luggage with one carry-on item. The ship has a very large staff, around a thousand combined engineers, janitors, chefs, maids, and of course the ship's police. Operating out of the armory and the barracks in the belly of the ship, there's no doubt as to the police force's proficiency: they're all crack shots, expert investigators, and generally chill guys to hang out with. Of course, they seem to have failed somewhat in keeping the captain safe, which brings their expertise into question.
The ship, to make a long story short, is about as nice as you could possibly imagine.
The ship's layout can be most easily divided up into four levels. These levels are not strictly one plane; for example, all of the dorms take up several levels, but are only classified as one "level". Does that make any sense? In other words, a level is not strictly one story.
Also note that important sh*t throughout this OP is italicized orbolded
The Top Level
The Top Level of the ship is the Residential Level.
Dormitories
Here, all guests' rooms are located. These take up a considerable amount of space, amounting to around three stories high and one or two hundred yards long. They're all fairly spacious, with king sized mattresses, fancy-ass TVs, and plushy couches. There are small lounges on each hallway but there isn't much of significance there, aside from some magazines and snacks. The Dormitories are connected only to The Atrium.
The Atrium
The Atrium is aptly named. It's the center of the Top Level, connecting the various sections of the Residential Level and also containing the Staircase down to the Second Level. There isn't a lot here that's noteworthy: there are lots of tables and chairs, spread out around a giant fountain, with some gentle music playing (an orchestra was hired) and an all-around relaxing place to read if you're not into Dancing or you're full from eating. The Atrium is connected to The Dormitories, The Dance Floor, The Dining Area, the Staircase, and the Bridge. The Atrium also leads to the Boarding Gates, where everyone got on the ship, but I won't even bother listing that because unless you want to get sucked out into the vacuum of space and die a slow and horrible death there's nothing of value there. I'll lie a LOT to you during the course of this RP but I pinky-promise the truth on that one.
The Dance Floor
Easily the most swag-tastic section of the ship, the Dance Floor is soundproofed and an all-around great time. It's running nearly non-stop, with a fully stocked bar, top-of-the-line DJs, and a light show so crazy, some guests thought they'd been slipped LSD. Of course, the party was killed rather abruptly with the death of the captain, but there's still considerable amounts of alcohol-and people-to be found here.
The Dining Area
Connected to the Atrium, the Dining Area is essentially a massive restaurant. With top-of-the-line waiters and top-of-the-line chefs, there's no doubt that delicious meals are to be had here, with the room often full of mirthful laughter, the sounds of champagne bottles being popped open, and the busy hustling-and-bustling of nervous, but well-tipped waiters. The Dining Area contains little in the way of strategic significance-anything useful for survival would likely be found in the Kitchens, which is connected to only the Dining Area.
The Kitchens
As stressed as the waiters and waitresses of the Sunset Voyager may be, the chefs and...chefettes are even more stressed out. Here, all of the delicious food is prepared for the rest of the ship, and rumor has it there's an elevator leading down to the lower floors, so food can be delivered to the crewmen without having to deal with guests and those silly staircases. Of course, with the power down, the theoretical elevator wouldn't be of much use (unless you felt like scaling the elevator shaft) and most of the Kitchens' usefulness would come from the food reserves in the walk-in freezers, maybe some kitchen knives, and other fun kitchen-y stuff.
The Bridge
While located on the Top Level, you unfortunately won't be reaching the Bridge for quite a while-unless your character is absurdly cunning. See, for security reasons, the Bridge has this large, airtight, nuclear-weapons-grade blast door that seals shut whenever the alarm is pulled. The alarm was pulled a couple seconds before the power shut off, and the backup generator (which only runs power to the Bridge, the water and air purifiers-but your characters don't know that-and the communications center) sealed that bad boy shut. Unless you happen to have smuggled a nuclear bomb onto the Sunset Voyager with you, there is no getting through that door. To get to the heart of the Bridge, where the captain was presumably murdered and then dragged to the Dance Floor, you'll need to circumvent that blast door by heading down to the bottom level and scaling back up, where the crew staircase links the Bridge to the Engine Room. This will be quite the odyssey, of course, but the essential communications, navigations, and weapons systems controlled by the Bridge are surely the key for getting the Sunset Voyager back on course to Earth. You've all heard "Space Oddity", haven't you?
The staircase from the Atrium leads into the Second Level, or the Entertainment Level
The Second Level
The second level of the ship is the Entertainment Level. The staircase from the Entertainment Level to the Residential Level leads into the middle of the Plaza. The primary purpose of the Entertainment Level is to offer numerous amenities for the guests while they stay on the Sunset Voyager. As a result, it's full of all kinds of fascinating things that I'm sure we'll all love to see in the darkened, creepy remnants of the ship.
The Plaza
Much as the Atrium was the center to the Residential Level, so too is the Plaza the center of the Entertainment Level. The Plaza lacks even the couches and coffee tables of the Atrium, instead having several bulletin board style postings about what fascinating things are currently available on the Entertainment level, such as what performers will be playing that night, where you can go to play a riveting game of bingo, so on and so forth. The Plaza is essentially a platform in the middle of the Level with six bridges leading off of it. Each of these bridges lead to The Museum, The Amphitheater, the Cinema, the Media Hall, the Library, and the Zoo. There is, seemingly, no staircase leading down to the next level, which is strictly crew-only. Perhaps a staff elevator or staircase is tucked away somewhere.
The Museum
Because so many people pay thousands, bordering on millions of dollars of money to go and look at a bunch of fascinating artifacts all day. Yes, the poor curator of the Museum is the laughingstock of the Sunset Voyager's crew, because perhaps a handful of the ship's thousand guests come by each day. The Museum is empty and quiet, specifically detailing a history of nautical and astronomical explorations. You can find all kinds of cool old ships (small ones, obviously), space rovers, stuff from old pirates, etc here, but it's also especially poorly lit and quiet. Still, there's not going to be many people here, so maybe you might find a quiet moment of solace in the Museum. The Museum is adjacent to the Library and the Media Hall
The Library
Second only to the Museum in terms of "no visitors", the Library is stocked with thousands upon thousands of books, e-books, and magazines in every language. The ship's staff caters well to their guests, who come from a great many countries and backgrounds. As such, you can find nearly any book you're looking for here, although the e-books aren't going to be lasting for too long with the power out. Hope you're a quick reader! Oooh, speaking of which, you're gonna need to find some light to read by.The Library is adjacent to the Museum and the Zoo
The Zoo
Now, if you've already put two and two together, you know where lovely old sadistic as hell Shade is going with this. If not, the Zoo is stock full of all kinds of fascinating creatures, ranging from simple prairie dogs to the majestic lions of the Sahara. Of course, with the power down, a glaring, glaring flaw in the Zoo's construction was found: the cages were held shut electronically. The second the power was flipped, over five hundred various animals, all of whom were rather bored and irritated from being locked in cages all day, suddenly found those cage doors wide open. The entire Entertainment Level is now a hunting grounds, and if the animals stumble across the staircase, it looks like the rest of the ship might be going that way too. The Zoo contains several useful strategic items, however, if you're willing to brave the heart of the animal outbreak to get them. Several back-up tranquilizer weapons are stored there, along with some gear for protection against the animals. It must not have done the zookeepers much good-hey, where are they? The Zoo is next to the Library and the Amphitheater
Amphitheater
Because even in the near future, there's no better way to have fun than getting hearing loss from music that's too loud. Each night, a different performer rocks out the Sunset Voyager's guests and staff, spanning all genres and generations. The performers even have the same suites as everyone else, so you may stumble across Shakira or Kanye while trying to find the power switch. There isn't much to find here, unless you think you could rig something useful out of the sound and pyrotechnics supplies left abandoned here. The Amphitheater is next to the Zoo and the Cinema
Cinema
In case you don't like music or books, you can always catch a movie. Various movies, both new hits (most of which aren't in theaters yet-the ship payed premiums for that) and classic oldies. Eerily, the movies are still running, but the sound has been completely cut off. If you care to see IMAX-sized faces without voices, sit in the many comfortable seats and eat some of the cold popcorn. Why the Cinema still has power when nowhere else on the Entertainment Level seems to is anyone's guess. The Cinema, of course, borders the Amphitheater and the Media Hall
The Media Hall
Like the library, but with video games, so like a library that people would actually go to, the Media Hall features all kinds of new video games, computers with incredibly high speed internet (how is a spaceship connected to the Internet so well? F*ck you, that's how!) and all sorts of other great features are available in the Media Hall. Set up like a massive lounge, the Hall also features laptops that can be rented if you're an antisocial gamer-but those are really hard to come by. Of course, with the power out, everything but the laptops is basically useless here. There isn't much you'll find that's still functioning, but you might still get a few hours of por-uh, something, I don't know, out of the laptops. The Media Hall is next to the Cinema and the Museum. Oh, hey, we went full circle! Crazy how that happens.
As previously mentioned, the location to the Third Level, or the Security Level, is unknown, but presumably it exists, tucked away in the back of one of the other areas. Of course, if you were extremely daring, you could simply jump down from the Plaza to the roof of the Third Level, fifty-something feet below, but such an endeavor might cause you broken bones-unless you use a human shield to cushion your fall.
The Third Level
The Third Level is the Security Level. Here, the armory, barracks, and other crucial things for maintaining order in case a disaster breaks out are kept. Oddly, the ship's police forces seem to have vanished entirely, making the entire Third Level seem like they're slacking off on the job. Maybe they all just took a smoking break at once and let the captain get murdered on accident or something. Yeah, that's probably it. Definitely not a mutiny or anything.
Wherever the staircase to the Third Level may be, the Third Level's layout is a bit more straightforward than the other levels. It's basically a long hallway, with every area branching off to one side or the other. The areas will go left-right-left-right in order, with the staircase to the Fourth Level located at the end.
The Brig
You were hoping the room full of guns and grenades would be first! Instead, all the convicts are waiting for you once you get to the Third Level. Is anyone currently located there? Who knows. Likely, it's just where drunks who were making a scene or people who got in a fight (see also: drunks who were making a scene) are being kept to cool off for a little while, because surely no one on a vessel as elegant as the Sunset Voyager would commit felonies. Probably. Anywho, the gates to keep people sealed, just like the zoo, also seem to be electronically maintained: meaning whoever WAS in there is now running free. Probs not good. Maybe check in here for prison shanks or police batons or something.
The Barracks
Keeping prisoners right across the hall from where you sleep seems like a smart architectural decision. Regardless, here are the barracks, which house all of the security personnel (other crew members sleep in the suites). The Barracks are fairly spartan and militaristic, with standard bunks and footlockers, not too much else. Surely there are a few holdout weapons kept in here, though, as it seems unlikely that many trained military personnel would sleep without something to protect themselves nearby (regardless of the legality). Maybe crash in here for a nap or grab some guns or something, probably not much else.
The Command Room
The strategic headquarters of the Sunset Voyager are located here, where the ship's Security Adviser and Captain probably met and had drinks and came up with plans until the Captain got murdered and stuff. But, still, likely some plans about emergency contingencies and maybe some information about what's going on. Hey, probably some maps in here too. Who knows. Not much in the way of physical armament, but plenty of information to make your next move in here.
The Armory
What is there to say? Ordered, neatly stacked away, and waiting for your bloodthirsty little hands to use them are dozens of rifles and pistols, grenades and Tasers. Melee weapons, firearms, riot gear, you name it. The Armory was funded just as lavishly as the other parts of the ship, if not a bit moreso. Of course, it's going to be where everyone is headed, so maybe try and get there first, or if you run into any other survivors, maybe just tell them the Armory's actually on the top floor or something.
The end of the Third Floor leads to the...huh. Well, really, knowledge of the Fourth Floor is pretty scarce. All that's known is that the engines are down here, and there's a way to get up to the Bridge in the Engine Rooms. Aside from that...nobody seems to know much. Even the ship's staff are only allowed through out of necessity. Pretty cray.
The People
You can probably imagine what kinds of people are on the ship-mostly rich socialites. However, if you don't want your character to be a super wealthy/super boring hotshot, you can also play as one of several corporate delegates. Many companies were issued vouchers to send one of their employees onboard as a show of good faith-the Voyager takes a lot of money to run, and without cutting a few financial deals here and there, it never would've taken off-which, maybe, could be a blessing. So if you're looking for a way to have your character go on, they can either be one of those things I mentioned or the lucky recipient of a random lottery ticket. Scratch and win, baby![/quote]
As far as your character goes...yup, another stat-based RP.
The Template
Name:
Age:
Sex:
Occupation:
Description: (should reflect their stats and vice versa)
Personality: (I understand this is tricky to fill out ahead of time; should reflect their stats and vice versa)
Talents:
Bio: (we all hate this so yeah you can skip it)
Terror: (you will begin at 0)
Oh. I should explain Terror. Your character will undergo varying degrees of psychological distress during this RP. Things like traumatic battles, being wounded/going into shock, or seeing their friends die will increase your character's Terror. Even the nerve-wracking experience of walking through the lightless, lifeless halls of the Voyager can increase their Terror. With each increased level of Terror, checks will become more difficult as your character increasingly wishes to run away like a scared girl. Morale and other people Regulating your character (more on that in a second) will help you resist the effects of Terror. Once you reach the fifth stage, your character will basically succumb to full cowardice and run away screaming. The good news is that avoiding conflicts, morale-boosters like alcohol, romance, or finding somewhere quiet to stop and gather their thoughts can all lower terror and help keep you sane.
The Stats
You have 24 points to allocate to each stat.
Strength: (Measures raw physical power. Determines tests of force, such as melee combat or moving heavy rocks)
Dexterity: (Measures agility and quickness. Determines reflexes, hand-eye coordination, that kinda stuff)
Constitution: (Measures health and build. Determines resistance to poisons, injuries, and how rockin' your bod is)
Perception: (Measures awareness and intuition. Determines how much time it takes, after you make that one wrong turn, to realize you're in a baaaaaad part of town)
Intelligence: (Measures intellectual aptitude and creative thinking. Determines strategies, subject knowledge, and reasoning abilities)
Wisdom: (Measures emotional empathy and sagacity. Determines your ability to talk to others and stay calm)
Charisma (Measures social awareness and charm. Determines your ability to lie, win over others, and be great in bed)
Doing certain cray-cray things in your character template can alter the results of your stats section. Okay I'll stop with all that craziness. But yes, you can wind up with more or less than 24 points depending on how you fill out your character sheet. Make sure it's well-reflected: if your character has cystic fibrosis, their constitution probably isn't going to be very high. Do not have a 0 in any stat.
Depending on the allocation of their stats, you may get certain skills. I will fill these out. However, because my stat system is super flexible, these are subject to change. New skills may be invented (and, subsequently, your level in said skill) to deal with new situations I hadn't anticipated. Normally, these will be determined by taking the two relevant Attributes' values/2 to determine the value of the skill (fore example, Marksmanship takes Perception and Dexterity, so with P4 and D2, you'd have a Marksmanship of 3).
RULES
1. Weapons are strictly forbidden onboard the Sunset Voyager. At BEST, you could have smuggled in a small pocket knife. That, however, is extremely dubious.
2. Even though this is stat-based, let's not get crazy. It's to help you stay in character and to keep things nice and interesting. It's flexible, we can all be chill here. If you notice a glaring flaw in something, I'll probably change it instead of being a douchey GM. That being said, if I am final on something, I do have the final word.
3. In space, no one can hear you scream.
4. There are no restrictions on killing other characters, save what your stats limit you too. Feel free to pick people off one by one, form a posse for protection, etc. You, however, will likely be unable to reach the Bridge without significant support from other players.
5. You can use stats on other players-if someone's freaking out, you'll need to run a Regulate check. If you need to win over a group of people, maybe a Leadership check or Persuasion check are in order. If your character is steadfast against something, that's alright, but it's going to be pointless if every check that passes against you you brush off.
6. Checks can go one of six ways: Critical Failure/Success, Minor Failure/Success, Failure/Success. A "critical" failure/success has repercussions you could not have possibly imagined: for example, when trying to shoot the enemy you were aiming at, you shot through his head and killed a guy behind him (success) or the gun blew up in your hand and gouges your eyes out (failure). These are very unlikely to occur as they require the upper or lower one or two of the d20, and only for certain things (like fights. You can't critically fail to open a door or something). Minor success or failures are just barely scraping by. Maybe that punch you threw barely missed, but you managed to recover in time that it's like you didn't even throw it. And of course, regular successes and failures achieve what you aimed for, nothing more or less.
7. No godmodding, autohitting, or metagamng, the usual. No making Mary Sues.
8. I am willing to go with whatever, in terms of creativity. If you see a wild animal and want to fight it head-on, feel free. If you want to try some ridiculous-ass scheme to get away and can use your attributes/skills to back it up, I'm willing to give it a shot. Your only limits are your ingenuity.
9. If you need more details about your surroundings, feel free to ask. I can go into as much detail as needed.
10. I want this to be serious, but also fun. As you may have ascertained from this OP, I may swerve into sarcasm or silliness when doing GM duties pretty frequently.
Aiight, homies. Lemme see them sheets.
locked cities is already dead anyways XD
