PROPOSAL - The Walking Dead: Season 1.5 RPG

[Keyser Soze]

Okay, for those of you who weren't on the Zombie RPG OOC thread, here was the explanation for this RPG I made:

Yeah, the way I saw it is that the game's shortcoming was the same thing that has led to the downfall of a lot of games, "FTPO Syndrome", if you will. The fact that the game is too vague and all-encompassing, with so many characters from different mythologies included, but in a fashion that they're all kept apart. That's what has killed this game, I feel. The fact that everyone is seperated, off on their own corner of the country, and so there's comparitively little room for interaction.

My idea was to relaunch the game as a kind of prototype for the single-season games we've been discussing so much over in the RPG Soapbox thread. I'd set it in the continuity of the TV show. The set-up could pick up right after the season finale. The armada of vehicles drives off into the sunset.... and then our game begins. Call it The Walking Dead: Season 1.5. We wanted to try out the idea of RPGs with set season lengths? Have this game run until October 2011, when Season 2 of the TV show starts. Really create a sense of "what went down between seasons."

I think this game would have a totally different dynamic to the one we're currently doing. Rather than us all being spread out, doing our own thing, you'd have this really intimate, interaction-driven scenario, with us all together playing back and forth off of each other. My idea would be to set up a thread on the Proposal board, and don't launch the game until we have every character - or at least most of them - in the main ensemble filled by a player. Really focus on getting a roster of players, and put the focus on character and the group dynamics of RPing together.

We discussed the idea back and forth a little, until I decided to create a proposal thread here to gauge interest. So here we go:


Screenname of the Proposed RPG’s Game Master:
Byrd Man
Keyser Soze

Do You Have An Instant Messenger that we can reach you on for better conversation? (i.e MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ect.) And if so, what is your screenname?:
johnlees927@hotmail.com

Gamemasters/Assistant Gamemasters already chosen:
Byrd Man
Keyser Soze

How will the overall layout of the RPG be?:
A single-season (for now) RPG with a tighter, more structured focus than many of the more general RPGs out there. One of the things that might set it apart from other games is that there is a core roster of characters that will need to be filled first. Here are the ten key roles:

RICK GRIMES
The leader of the group. A sheriff's deputy before the zombie outbreak. Rick is torn between trying to be a good example to his family and the other survivors, and concealing his own growing feelings of despair. His hope is to find a safe haven for the group, somewhere they can set themselves up and restart some kind of normal life. But he is haunted by a secret Dr. Jenner from the CDC whispered to him before the building's destruction.

LORI GRIMES
Rick's wife. She is plagued with guilt over having an affair with Rick's best friend, Shane, when she believed Rick to be dead. She strives to maintain her son's innocence and childhood in this hostile world.

CARL GRIMES
Rick's son. I almost made him an NPC for Lori, but decided that in the comics he becomes a complex and compelling enough character to merit someone wanting to play him in the game. But if there's no interest he can be jointly NPCed by the players RPing as Rick and Lori.

SHANE
Rick's partner and best friend, Shane was the initial leader of the group, and while sleeping with Lori had become a surrogate father to Carl. Since Rick's return he has lost all of this, and as a result seems dangerously to mental collapse. Will he become the good man he once was, or will his downfall continue?

GLENN
A pizza delivery boy before the zombie outbreak, Glenn acts as a scout and forager for the group, getting them invaluable supplies. His upbeat personality and sense of humor also helps bring a touch of levity to the group's grim situation.

ANDREA
Andrea has been left traumatised by the recent death of her sister, Amy. She almost gave up on life at the CDC, until Dale convinced her to carry on for his sake. Will she find a new purpose in life, or is all hope for her now gone forever?

DALE
The elder statesman and father figure of the group, retired Dale owns the RV that many of the survivors depend on for transport. Having recently lost his wife to cancer, Dale finds himself growing very attached to Andrea. How will their relationship evolve? Also, Dale was witness to one of Shane's darkest moments, where he came dangerously close to shooting an unaware Rick. Will he share this news?

CAROL & SOPHIA
Whoever chooses this role gets two characters for the price of one. Carol was the victim of an abusive, bullying husband long before the arrival of the zombie apocalypse. Since his death, Carol has come out of her shell, and emerged as a maternal figure for the group of sorts, looking after the children and taking charge of the cooking and cleaning. But is she still hiding deep-seated emotional scars?

T-DOG
Little is known about T-Dog. Did he used to be a gang member, or was he an accountant called Terrence who took on the name T-Dawg after the dead started walking in order to appear tough? Either way, he acts as muscle for the group, and regularly takes part in dangerous missions. He remains haunted by his decision to abandon Merle Dixon - will that decision have dire consequences in the future?

DARYL DIXON
The loose cannon of the group, Daryl is a short-tempered, racist redneck who happens to be handy with a crossbow. He has proven to be an expert hunter, and effective at killing zombies, explaining why the group has kept him around. But why has he remained with the group? Perhaps he isn't as cynical and hateful as he appears?

Those are the 10 key roles, and before I launched the game, I would want at least 8 of these roles filled. This game would have an increased focus on interaction and character dynamics rather than long solo posts, so I'd want the cast to be filled out rather than NPCed. However, once these central roles are filled up, these additional roles would also be available:

MORGAN JONES & DUANE JONES
The father and son who Rick met when he first woke from his coma. Morgan chose to remain in isolation in Rick's old neighbourhood until he could kill his reanimated wife, something he had not been able to bring himself to do when we last saw him. In the comics Rick eventually does find Morgan and Duane again. Someone picking up this character would have the choice to re-introduce him in a way similar to how it was done in the comics, or go their own direction instead.

MERLE DIXON
Daryl's older brother - even more racist, and lacking any sense of underlying decency. He was left behind by the group, handcuffed to a pipe on a rooftop. The group returned for him, but by the time they'd arrived he had sawn off his own hand to escape. He then stole the group's van and drove off, presumably planning to eventually get revenge on the survivors. Will he come back?

MORALES & HIS FAMILY
Formerly part of the group, Morales split off and left with his family, hoping to find relatives in Birmingham. Does he make it? Or could he rejoin the group?

CHARACTERS FROM THE COMIC
Tyreese. Michonne. Hershel. The Governor. Do you have a favorite character from the comics who has yet to appear in the TV show? Once our core cast is filled, people will be able to introduce these comic characters into the continuity of the TV show, making a few tweaks if they so choose.

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS
If you have an idea for a new character of your own creation that could become part of the group, then you can include them in the Walking Dead universe. This could be a long-term commitment, or take the form of a short-term "guest star" who only lasts for a single sequence or "pit-stop" in the group's journey, like Dr. Jenner at the CDC.

Premise of RPG, if it is a user created RPG see below for applicable additions to this Applicaton, (Must be a paragraph or longer).
Set within the continuity of the TV adaptation of The Walking Dead, Season 1.5 begins where Season 1 ends... with the vehicles driving off on the road, the wreckage of the CDC behind them. The game would run until October 2011, the beginning of Season 2, to further the sense of it being "what happened between seasons". We can work in elements from the comics, or go off in our own direction completely, taking these characters into unfamiliar territory.

The game would be heavily directed by the GMS, with them setting up scenarios for the survivors to get put through, locations for them to find. Outside of that, the focus will be on intimiate character interaction, with a limited cast of core RPers working as this united group, and acting out the complex, conflicting group dynamics.

What will this RPG bring to the RPG forums? (please write two complete sentences):
I think it would be a really cool way for us to flex different RPing muscles and try a different kind of game. I also think it would be a way to refine the concept of the zombie RPG, which is definitely a strong concept, but suffers from us all being divided and off doing our own thing when zombie stories tend to be very much about group dynamics and confined settings.

Title Of The RPG You Would Like To Propose:
The Walking Dead: Season 1.5 RPG

Example Of Characters Application:

Name:
Your name.

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
Have you read all the comic? Read some of the comic? Just watched the TV show? Not watched the TV show or read the comic?

Character you want to play:
The name of the character. Until 8 out of the 10 core character slots are filled, you can only choose a core character. Once 8 slots are filled, supplementary characters, comic characters and created characters are an option. And people who selected a core character have the option of playing a second character in this supplementary category.

What can this character bring to the RPG?
At least two sentences.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:
At least three paragraphs.

[Saved]

I'd probably be interested in this.

[Keyser Soze]

As a co-GM, I will take this time to make the formal announcement...

DIBS ON RICK!

As well as letting us know you're interested, it would be really helpful if you guys also let us know what character you'd be inerested in playing as - see if we'll be able to fill up all those core slots.

It doesn't matter if you choose someone that another RPer also expresses an interest in, by the way. If it comes to a tie-breaker scenario the apps can help us decide who gets to play the character. The main proiority is getting a sense of numbers.

[Byrd Man]

You already know I'm up for it.

EDIT: I'd really like to play Shane, but it's not a make or break kinda thing.

[Saved]

I'd be interested in either Shane or Glenn.

[MST3K 4ever]

I'm in...never saw an episode in my life...but I would still like to use the character I created in the other Zombie RPG. If that's ok...if not then put me in for Dale...in either case I want to be playing in this RPG.

[Electro UK]

I'm wanting to be a part of this...

Though I want to be Shane. Damn you Byrd!

[Byrd Man]

Originally Posted by Electro UK

I'm wanting to be a part of this...

Though I want to be Shane. Damn you Byrd!

You will play Andrea, and you will like it!

[Eddie Brock]

If the dibs aren't set in stone, I'd be interested in Dale, Shane, or Glenn. If they are, I'd still probably go for Daryl or maybe Morgan.

[MadRhapsody]

I am allllllllllllllllllllllll for this.

*Yeah, the geek is back again. Go figure!*

I have a keen interest in Lori and Carl, or Daryl.

[wiegeabo]

I'd be down for Dale.

And since we're going to eventually allow created characters, I have one already worked out. (I've played him twice, already )

[Byrd Man]

Dammit, man! You're a doctor, not a retired zombie killer!

[wiegeabo]

And you're a rapist!


And you want to play Shane!

[Byrd Man]

Of course. I want to do the old story about boy meets girl, girl is married to boy's best friend, boy's friend goes into a coma, boy and girl survive zombie outbreak and leave friend for dead. Boy and girl become lovers. Friend comes back, boy comes jealous, and all three die in a blimp crash over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

[wiegeabo]

Originally Posted by Byrd Man

Of course. I want to do the old story about boy meets girl, girl is married to boy's best friend, boy's friend goes into a coma, boy and girl survive zombie outbreak and leave friend for dead. Boy and girl become lovers. Friend comes back, boy comes jealous, and all three die in a blimp crash over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

Goodyear?

[Byrd Man]

The worst.

[wiegeabo]

Now I wanna play Zombie Leslie Nielsen

[Byrd Man]

Too soon. Surely you can't be serious!

[wiegeabo]

I am serious. If anyone deserves immortality, and can make zombie-life fun, it's Frank Drebin.



And don't call me Shirley.

[Batman]

While it's not yet been formally announced, there's going to be a new method established towards RPG approval. One of the requirements will now be that there must be at least eight parties of interest in order to get a game up and running, the other requirement is that there will be four of us to approve the games, now: Myself, Byrd, Keyser, and wiegeabo.

But since Keyser is the one trying to start this, aswell as the close involvement of the other two that I chose, I'm going to consult an outside source to help me with approval for this. Since you have the eight people required, though, I don't see why this shouldn't be approved within the day.

I guess what I'm saying is, keep your fingers crossed...

[Byrd Man]

The **** you trying to say, man?! Saying Soze, wieg, and I can't be trusted?

[Batman]

Oh, not at all.






wieg and Soze can definitely be trusted.

[wiegeabo]

Originally Posted by Batman

Oh, not at all.






wieg and Soze can definitely be trusted.

*puts the photographs back in the safe*

[Excalibur]

I'm interested, though I've never read a comic and have only seen the pilot Ep.

[Keyser Soze]

Originally Posted by Excalibur

I'm interested, though I've never read a comic and have only seen the pilot Ep.

Wait, by "never read a comic", do you mean you've never read The Walking Dead, or never read ANY comic?