Cold Desert Wind RP--Info and Sign-Up Post

[Drake the Dark]

Edit: THREAD IS UP!

First off...salutations! I'm rather new to the boards, and VERY new to the RP area, so I thought I'd make my grand entrance by offering the chance to RP in one of my faaaavorite universes of my own devising. I eventually plan on trying to turn this universe into an anime movie at some point, so a lot of the reference points will be made from snippets of dialogue between main characters of the script I'm in the process of writing. (Hey, everybody needs a dream to chase, right?) So, to start us off, let's take a look at some of the background as given by famous bounty hunter Red in his personal diary:

09/08/45
Christ, here we go again. I don’t know why I’m even writing this down. I suppose I’m trying to chronicle this for future generations, but I still don’t understand why I’m bothering. Oh well, I’ve started, so I can’t stop now. Not that it really matters, but what the hell.
It all started about two hundred years ago. The event every living soul feared finally occurred. Without warning, the entire world was plunged into nuclear fighting. Nuclear-tipped missiles, massive constructs of war, and men and women all clashed violently for nearly a decade. The devastation was more than the planet could handle, as landscape after landscape was blasted into arid desert. When the radioactive dust settled, mankind was underground, hiding in vast underground caverns and fallout shelters.
No corner of the earth was left unscathed by the massive nuclear tidal wave. There was nothing we could do to undo the damage we’d done. The nuclear assaults had melted a quarter of the ice caps, and had drastically changed weather patterns and climate conditions throughout the world. Places that were once warm grew cold; places that were cold grew warm. It went on like this, on the surface, for almost one hundred and fifty years. When humanity finally left the shelters, it took in the devastation it had wrought, and wept. As far as the eye could see, no greenery stood. And then, a happy discovery was made in Europe. Ireland, the Emerald Isle, had been left unscathed by the nuclear fallout.
No one knew how or why the island had been left untouched by the ravages of war, and the more superstitious of us began to whisper that the great spirit of the earth itself had protected Ireland. Ireland was quickly re-inhabited, and it wasn’t long before things began to grow crowded. The greatest minds in science came together to find a solution. At last, one was discovered. A synthetic chemical was created, called Agrithorophine. Agrithorophine, or “Chem A” as it came to be known on the street, had the remarkable ability to allow anything to grow in almost any kind of soil. The inventors boasted that if you stuck a spoon in the dirt and pulled it out, and the end was eaten off, Chem A could make a delicate flower flourish there. Production plants were quickly built, and Chem A was soon being mass-produced in vast quantities, and the terraforming of Earth began.
However, out in the field, a constant supply of Agrithorophine would be required for at least the next three hundred years. It would take that long to properly infuse the soil with the proper nutrients required to sustain life. This news was disheartening, but humanity strengthened its resolve and began producing more Chem A. Further drawbacks to relying on the chemical became apparent all too soon. At about four thousand feet above sea level, Chem A became highly unstable and volatile, exploding violently without provocation. It became apparent that more production facilities would need to be created, out in the world. Long convoys of hover-trains began carrying vast quantities of Chem A to the various city-states and colonies that were attempting to survive the harsh land they themselves had created.
Needless to say, a shipment of Chem A is invaluable to life in the wastes. Without Chem A, you have no plants. No plants mean no water, and no food; two things that are vital to the survival of the human animal. On the black markets, a mere quart of Chem A can sell for as high as twenty million dollars. This makes raiding Chem A convoys a very lucrative business for raiders and bandits.
While it is inevitable that human greed will forever overshadow human nobility, in most parts of the world the raiding is kept under tight control. However, this is not the case in North America. In the area that was once Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and California, the raids have hit an all-time high. Entire cities are dying out because their supply of Chem A has been choked off completely. That’s where men and women of my occupation come into play.
My name is Red, and I am a bounty hunter. It’s our job to find out who’s responsible for the raids, find them, and convince them to stop…be it with words or bullets. The bounties in this area, known as the Frontier throughout the world, are twice what you would normally find in so-called “civilized” areas. The rampant lawlessness of the Frontier makes bounty hunting and mercenary work very lucrative, sometimes rivaling Chem A raiding in its profits.
In the end, all you can do is hope and dream that we can overcome our petty baseness. Chem A is vital to our survival in the wastes. I hope, for all our sakes, that mankind as a whole wakes up soon and realizes just how close we are teetering on the edge of extinction. I believe in the kindness of an innocent heart, but on the Frontier, you can’t rely on such things. All you can rely on is the cold desert wind, biting at your back.


As you can see, we've made quite a mess of the future. You'll notice that Red's entry is marked "45." That isn't for "1945," in case you were wondering, but is instead closer to "5045." While the storyline sounds similar to the popular RPG series Fallout, there are a few key differences. For instance, there are no "muties" or unnaturally large animals to make trouble for you. Indeed, almost all of Earth's native species have been whiped out, the high levels of radiation unleashed during the global wars killing anything that hadn't been smart enough to take shelter. Another key difference is the lack of "advanced technology," as found in the Fallout games. There are some reminders, here and there, that things are quite a bit further along than they are today. For instance, Red, the bounty hunter whose diary we used in the first example, rides a Honda-Davidson Photostar speedcycle, a type of super-fast motorcycle that uses microfusion batteries to operate. Advancements in power, transportation, and infrastructure are subtle reminders that a long time has passed since the present as we know it. While some leniancy will be given as far as these things are concerned, there will be no quarter given on firearms and tools of war. Nothing more advanced than kevlar/titanium meshes or ballistic weaponry will be allowed. The storyline will probably take place in the Frontier, so please plan your character accordingly.

You'll notice this thread also has "Sign-Up" in the topic. Well, we'll probably end up getting to that quite a bit later on, once I've established there's an interest in my story. I suppose I'll open it up now to some questions.

[J Man]

Just so you know, most RP sign up threads have a sign up sheet at the first post. You may want to look at some other sign up threads for different RPs. But even if you don't, I'm joining. This seems pretty fun.

[MC43]

Ooo! I'm in for this one. IT has a good backstory and holds lots of potential. It kind of reminds me of Wild Arms 3... but that's neither here nor there.

Now... do I use Jet, or do I use Snake for this?

[batgirl]

Hmm....could be interesting. Get a sign up sheet up and I'll post a bio.

Might be fun. I shall join, just post an example bio and this shall be fun.

[Stover]

Why not?

[Wolf99x]

I'm definetly in this. Just get an example bio up for the rest of us to follow.

[Drake the Dark]

Believe me, I understand how this is normally done, I just felt that it would be best to leave it open to questions first regarding the background and history. Since there apparently aren't any, I'll give an example bio using our good friend Red. I also realize this is a bit more elaborate than most sign-up bios, but I like having this sort of information before I start. Thanks for understanding. If you don't want to reveal some major information for plot-related and char-dev reasons, feel free to IM me on AIM, Yahoo, MSN, or ICQ. Incidentally, my yahoo acct is also my email.

AIM: Drake Sturmgard
Yahoo: ddreddragon@yahoo.com
ICQ: 93007719
MSN: supersailororion@hotmail.com (the first person to laugh gets shot. :P)

Also, a quick note on the arsenals. If you're having trouble selecting firearms for your own personal use, check out this site. They have dozens upon dozens of civilian and military-grade weapons posted, as well as ammunition ballistics information. It's a good place to start on customizing your own set of weapons. Please don't directly copy what you find, as the odds of today's firearms surviving the next three thousand years is slim to nil. The major firearms companies of "today" are:

Franchi-Benelli: Shotguns, Some Handguns
Taurus: Pistols and Revolvers
Winchester-Smith: Rifles, Revolvers, and Shotguns
Heckler&Colt: Rifles, Assault Rifles, Machineguns, Pistols, Submachine Guns
Maxtor Inc.: Pistols, Revolvers, Machine Pistols, Submachine Guns

I hope that helps. Now, on to the sample bio:

Name: Red
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Irish
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 185 lbs
Hair: Red
Eyes: Green
Occupation: Bounty Hunter
Description: Red has a semi-muscular build, and usually wears a wide-brimmed hat and worn leather duster. He's frequently seen wearing sunglasses, or goggles when he is riding his speedcycle. He is often unkept, frequently disheveled as a direct result of his roaming nature. Some would consider him handsome, in a rogue-ish sort of way.
Arsenal: Taurus Model XII Revolving Pistol(2), Winchester-Smith Series III Double Revolving Rifle, Franchi-Benelli Heavy-Gauge Shotgun, Honda-Davidson Photostar Speedcycle
Background: Red is a bounty hunter who has made a name for himself out on the Frontier. Strangely enough, Red is one of the most successful bounty hunters in the business, yet he never seems to have money. He drifts from town to town, looking for the heaviest bounties, never staying in one place very long.

Arsenal Notes
Taurus Model XII Revolving Pistol: One of the most unique handguns in the world, the Model XII Revolving Pistol is the marriage of semi-automatic's sleek and compact design, with a revolver's stopping power and versatility. The Model XII, now the mainstay of Taurus' personal defense weapons, is highly modular, allowing for easy customization for personal use, including several different rechambering kits in the following sizes: .454 Casull, .50 AE, .45 ACP, and .357 Magnum. Red's particular Revolving Pistols are chambered for .454 Casull, a powerful hollowpoint.

Winchester-Smith Series III Double Revolving Rifle: One of the most intriguing weapons on the market, the Series III is a double-barreled rifle set up in an "over and under" configuration. Each barrel is fed from its own eight-round revolver chamber, set to accept .308 Winchester cartridges. Though versatile and stylish, the rifle never really caught on and only a limited number of models were produced before being discontinued. The rifle is capable of accepting a variety of specialized bullets in the .308 Winchester caliber.

Franchi-Benelli Heavy Gauge Shotgun: This potent work of lethal art is a powerful 10 gauge shotgun, set to accept specially designed cartridges produced by Franchi-Benelli. These cartridges (capable of being loaded with rubber anti-riot, buckshot, slug, flechette, and anti-armor SABOT rounds) are registered as being 10 gauge, but in fact produce nearly three times as much muzzle velocity and kinetic energy. The incredible amount of recoil involved is dealt with utilizing two separate recoil suppression systems. In the main body of the weapon, a set of shock-absorbing "springs" have been built into the actual frame of the weapon, and are designed to take kinetic force, stockpile it, and then redistribute it in smaller amounts back along the weapon through the stock and butt. The other is a highly ventilated barrel, designed to vent a lot of the gases as the shell or buckshot leaves the weapon. The Heavy Gauge is fed from an internalized eight-round tube-magazine, allowing for a total of nine shells in the weapon.

Honda-Davidson Photostar Speedcycle: This super-fast motorcycle uses a set of micro-fusion batteries for power, and can be recharged off of almost any micro-fusion generator. Fast and fairly quiet, the Photostar is an older model and is very rare on the Frontier. Indeed, most riders on the Frontier prefer louder, noisier steam or diesel motors, for their reliability ease of refuelling. Red's Photostar is one of a mere handful of such motorbikes still in use, and is capable of reaching such speeds as 340 kph.



Hope that helps. I won't be using Red as my character, but I'll wait to see what some of you are doing before I come up with my own. I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with.

[batgirl]

I'll have a bio up later on today, now the only question is do I play as a girl with an extremely accurate shot or a guy who is adept at dodging bullets?

[Wolf99x]

Name:David "Wolf" Wolfram
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Scottish/Irish/Canadian/Ameircan
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Grayish Blue
Occupation: Mercenary (like a bounty hunter, but with defense contracts! )
Description: Wolf has a medium build, and typically wears a black trenchcoat, with a black t-shirt shirt and black pants. He also wears dark sunglasses (not that different in stlye from that of Agent Smith, BTW), his hair is an an unruly, spiky mop. He has a scar over his left eye as the result of a very near-miss with a bullet while fufuilling a contract 2 years ago. Basically looks like any average guy...except he's armed to the teeth.
Arsenal: Magnum Reasearch Inc. Omni-Falcon (2), Ingram MAC-33 (update of MAC-11) SMG, Colt M4A12 Assault Rifle, Dragunov SVD-Mk. XIX Sniper Rifle. Katana. Light Kevlar-Titanium flak jacket. Black Pontiac Trans-Am (5032 model). Codec. LinkCom 6K.
Background: Wolf was born David Wolfram, in the recently rebuilt city of Boston, MA. His parents were affulent members of the US and European government. In his early teens, Wolf proved himself to have amazing accuracy with firearms, as well as a penchant for swords. His parents, wishing to capitalize on his skills, urged him to join the military once he completed college in order to help protect the supplies of Chem A. However, not being one for the rigid structure of military, and tired of the easy life, Wolf became a professional mercenary out on the Frontier, and of course adopted his codename. His amazing skill with firearms gave him quite a reputation, and he quickly became one of the most sought-after mercenaries in the Frontier. An expert marksman, he has never failed to miss a target, and has never failed to fufill a contract...except one.
The contract in question was a high-paying assignment that had details on a need-to-know basis. When he reached the assigned destination, Wolf found out the target was a convoy of Chem A. Enraged, Wolf tracked down his employer for that mission, a Frontier Mafiosi, and killed him in a gunfight, which resulted in him getting the scar above his eye. Since then, Wolf has always made sure he knows what the assignment is before accepting it. He also has taken numerous defense contracts for Chem A since then. In fact, all defense contracts for Chem A convoys in the past two years Wolf has taken, regardless of the risks.

Arsenal Notes
Magnum Research Inc. Omni-Falcon: In order to adress the issue of sparse ammunition following the nuclear war, Magnum Research Inc. developed the Omni-Falcon. At first glance it seems like an ordinary .45 caliber Desert Eagle. But upon closer examination, we see something else. Utilizing nano-polymers interspersed throughout the chamber and barrel, the gun is capable of loading up and firing almost any kind of handgun ammo. When a clip is inserted and the round chambered, a nanoprocessor "reads" the ammo type and adjusts the barrel accordingly through the nano polymer controlled shape-memory alloy the gun's internal components are made out of. The gun can take 8 round .357, .45 and .50 caliber clips, 9mm clips from 7 to 12 rounds, And .22 clips up to 15 rounds. The pistol also has a built-in laser sight that can be toggled on and off. Only a few of the guns were ever made due to the scarcity of nanotech following the war, but Wolf got a couple on his hands through the political influence of his parents. He normally uses the .45 round configuration, but will switch ammo if need be. He also carries around a clip of .357 cookie cutter rounds for dire emergencies.

Ingram MAC-33 SMG: The M10 submachine gun was developed in 1970 or so by Gordon Ingram at his Military Armament Company (hence the name MAC), based at Powder Springs, Georgia, USA. Since then, many companies manufactured exact copies or slightly modified clones of both MAC M10 and M11 (smaller version of M10, in .380ACP a.k.a. 9x17mm Short). Both MAC10 and MAC11 are compact and reliable guns, capable of delivering a good amount of firepower due to high rate of fire (1100 rpm for MAC11 and a striking 1600 rpm for MAC11 in .380). But the light weight and high rate of fire resulted in marginal accuracy and relatively short effective range, thus make the MACs the good choice for building sweeps and inside-the-vehicle operations (Israeli commandos used the MAC-11s in their Aircraft Hijack Rescue missions, thank to its to great firepower and low probability of over-penetration and ricochetes). The MAC-33 is the latest iteration of the MAC-11. It's been resized to the same specs as the old MAC-10, fires 9mm parabellum ammo, and has a 33 round clip, the first MAC to use such a clip.

Colt M4A12 Assault Rifle: This weapon was intended to replace in service some M9 pistols, as well as some aged M3A1 submachine guns and some M16A2 rifles. New weapon was much more handy and comfortable to carry, than the long M16A2 rifle, so the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) put its eye on the M4 as a possible universal weapon for all Special Operations community. For this purpose M4 was latter modified with the M16A3-style flat-top receiver with integral Picatinny-type accessory rail instead of the M16A2/M4-type integral carrying handle. The other change in the M4A1, when compared to M4, is that its trigger unit is modified to fire full-auto instead of the three shots bursts. The M4A12 is the latest version of the M4A1. It fires the same ammo as before, but now the clip size has been increased to 36 rounds. The gun can fire on 3-round and 4-round bursts, as well as single shot and full auto.

Dragunov SVD-Mk. XIX Sniper Rifle: SVD was designed not as a standard sniper rifle. In fact, main role of the SVD ir Soviet / Russian Army is to extend effective range of fire of every infantry squad up to 600 meters and to provide special fire support. SVD is a lightweight and quite accurate (for it's class) rifle, cabable of semi-auto fire. First request for new sniper rifle was issued in 1958. In 1963 SVD (Snaiperskaya Vintovka Dragunova, or Dragunov Sniper Rifle) was accepted by Soviet Military. SVD can use any kind of standart 7.62x54R ammo, but primary round is specially developed for SVD sniper-grade cartridge with steel-core bullet. Every infantry squad in the Russian (Soviet) army had one man with SVD. SVD is extremely reliable in all conditions, and designed for heavy battles. The latest version of the SVD, the Mk. XIX, has become more of a true sniper rifle, capable of firing up to 750 meters away, and still just as lethal as before. In addition, Wolf's SVD has been upgraded with a scope capable of night vision and thermal vision.

Katana: Ancient Japanese Samurai weapon. Blade made so thin and sharp, it is capable of cutting through steel. Wolf generally uses it for stealth missions, or if he's going up against people without guns (ammo conservation reasons).

Pontiac Trans-Am: The 5032 Model Trans-Am, which looks aesthetically similar to a 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am, is similar to that ancient vehicle, except with the addition of modern components. It also runs on microfusion batteries. Wolf recieved this car from his parents when he was 17, and he took it with him to the frontier. He bulked it up with light titanium armor, to better protect it. With the computer equipment inside, the car is more or less Wolf's mobile base of operations. Top Speed: 150 MPH

Codec: Not much different from the codec in MGS

LinkCom 6K: Network Cell phone. Has wireless internet capabilities, and can be wirelessly linked with the codec.

EXTRA INFO
Wolf is an extremely intelligent and tactical person (have to be if you wanna be a sniper). He also has some skill in HTH combat in case things get really bad.