So you want to play in the game, but have no clue what you want to play? Well, if you haven't checked out the background story, please do that first. It'll give you a lot of information that you simply won't have otherwise. If you've done that and you still need more information, this page is for you. Bear in mind that you can always email me for help regarding any step in the character creation process. This, being a PBEM RPG based primarily on how well you can articulate what it is your character is doing, is a very writer-driven thing. No dice will be used, and we'll never be comparing stats. We're here to see what sort of story we can write, and not to see who has the biggest....dex. That being said, I want to remind you that we are picking up where Dhalgren left off. If you are a fan of this book, then don't be pissed at me because some things have changed. This book has had more of an effect on me than any book I have ever read-- and that's saying alot. In short, I'm with you. Now, to the basics.
The Scorps
For purely personal reasons, this is my favorite concept. The Scorps were first found to be active in Bellona, but they didn't stay there. Pockets of Scorps can be found everywhere, including New Jerusalem, where this game is set. The Scorpions are rough-talking badasses, and the best way I can illustrate them to you is to tell you that they are basically Cyberpunk without the Cyberware. What do you expect in a world where the streetlights are painted orange because the electricity doesn't work? The Scorps are involved in any number of unsavory business dealings, up to and including, but definitely not limited to, gun-running, drug-smuggling, prostitution, terrorism, theft, arson, and vandalism. But never make the mistake of underestimating a Scorp. They're more than petty thugs. You see, the government's on the way back in, and the Scorps want to make sure that doesn't happen. For this reason, most of the Resistance fighters you will meet will be Scorps, though there might be a few Freelancers out there who want the same thing. The Scorps in New Jersalem are led by Lilith Amaris, a truly tough chick with an eye for chaos. For more information about Lilith and other badasses, go to Major Players.
The Feds
"If you ask your average citizen who the bad guys are, they're the ones wearing the uniforms. After all, didn't the fuckin' government get us into this mess in the first place? People like to talk and say that we're the reason civilization fell apart, and the reason that it won't ever be the same again, and to that I say-- fuckin' A! Things had to change. Never trust a Fed. They led this country right to the brink of war, and then they kicked it over. They'll try to tell you that the Commies set off the Bomb that destroyed the world, but that's bullshit, and we know it. Let me let you in on a little secret-- they're fuckin' terrified of us, because they know the people are behind us, and we don't intend on letting them make the same mistakes twice. If you see one, shoot first and don't bother asking questions. They're all liars anyway."--Alessandra Van Diel, Scorpion Resistance Fighter
"The criminals, or Scorpions as they prefer to be called, are nothing but the petty rabble that have inherited the decaying earth. The general population has been so blinded by their message of anarchist power and anti-government activity that they can't even see that the "Scorpions" will bring us to the brink of another war. It is not for personal or political gain that we fight anymore. We fight to take back a country that has passed through a holocaust, a country that was almost destroyed by the very stupidity that rules today. We will reinstitute order in this country, if we have to take out every single last one of them."--- Charles Gaudin, Special Agent
The Freelancers
The Freelancers don't belong to any particular group. They're the mercenaries of Dhalgren Revisited, and their motto is "anything for a price." Most of them have sympathies that lie with the Scorps, but the rare Freelancer will work for the government. If you read Dhalgren, then Kidd, the main character, is what I would consider to be a Freelancer. He wasn't exactly a mercenary, but he was searching for a name and a way, and that encompasses most of the Freelancer ideal-- how am I supposed to maintain an identity in a world gone mad?
The Denners
"The Lion's Den has been a pain in my ass since day one. I don't know where the fuck they came from, but ever since they got here, they've been making life hell for the rest of us. They call themselves resistance fighters, but they spend more time fighting us than the Government. I have no respect for them whatsoever. David Marlow, he's the head of the local chapter of Denners-- he's psychotic. No, seriously, he makes me look normal. He's been after me for two years, ever since I organized the...um...cleansing of the West Side, where they usually congregate. I reckon he'll catch up with me one day. Then again, I reckon I'll be ready when he does."--Lilith Amaris, leader of the New Jerusalem Scorps.
"The Scorpions have completely lost their sting, if you ask me. Stefan Geiger didn't have what it's going to take to take down the Feds. Alessandra Van Diel doesn't have it. And that little bitch Lilith, she sure as -hell- doesn't have it. I don't know why the fuck she's in charge, and why the fuck the "Scorps" think they can beat the government, considering the complete and utter incompetence that pervades every level of their organization. I've got what it takes right here. We've got heavy artillery, infiltrators all -through- the Scorps and Feds, and in short, we may act like petty thugs, but that's alright, because now everyone underestimates us. You know, I had Lilith in my sights one time. It was a beautiful thing, the crosshairs on her forehead. So beautiful that I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. I get easily bored, you know, and the Feds aren't exactly stiff competition. Without the diversion the Scorps provide, Armageddon wouldn't be nearly as much fun."-- David Marlow, Alpha Denner (this character is still available if anyone out there wants to head the Lion's Den)
The Outlanders
Outlanders are only recently beginning to pop up in New Jerusalem. They come from the Northern part of the country, up from South America, and, in rare cases, across the seas, and trickle in and out of New Jerusalem. As New Jerusalem was Atlanta before the War, it's actually been a somewhat popular place for the Outlanders to go, as one of the few large cities left-- well, large by today's standards. Since the Outlanders are nomads by nature, it's unusual to meet one who's stayed in any one city or outpost for any length of time. Because Outlanders so diverse and come from such different places, you will find Outlanders of every vein; from demolitions experts to new-world preachers; from former FED marksmen to new-world hippies.
