So, I figured I'd try and gauge the prospective interest in an RP I've been working on. The plot and setting are both directly influenced by the TNT series
Snowpiercer (and by extension, the 2014 film of the same name). But themes from HBO's
Succession and even
Game of Thrones will also be incorporated.
The RP will be set in 2043, seven years after a stratospheric aerosol injection (CW-7) triggered an unprecedented period of global cooling and glaciation. Launched as part of a last-ditch effort to reverse the effects of climate change, the CW-7 solution backfires. Within a single year, the planet's average temperatures drop by almost 40°F, resulting in a mass extinction event. With temperatures continuing to fall, a privileged few 6,000 survivors retreat to
Snowpiercer -- a luxury train owned by enigmatic billionaire and railroad magnate Edwin Turnbull. Powered by the revolutionary "perpetual motion technology" of Turnbull's Eternal Engine,
Snowpiercer consists of 2,500 cars and stretches over 100 miles long. The train, rigidly stratified based on passenger class and skillsets, represents a closed ecological system that can theoretically endure for millennia.
As in the TNT series, the self-contained society of
Snowpiercer is divided into 4 distinct classes:
- 1st Class, representing less than 1% of the total population and mainly consisting of ultra-wealthy investors/associates of Edwin Turnbull before the Freeze. These mighty elites live at the very front of the train, with each family unit in being entitled to their own private double-decker carriage to live out their years in grotesque opulence.
- 2nd Class, consisting of skilled and well-educated workers that represent an affluent management class or petty bourgeoisie. These are the scientists, doctors, lawyers, and white-collar highbrows who continue their labors in considerable comfort on the train. A number of celebrities and media figures were also able to pay their way into Second. About 1,000 passengers belong to this coveted class -- about 14% of the train's total population.
- 3rd Class, the largest and arguably most vital caste of passengers aboard Snowpiercer. Numbering around 4,500 citizens (roughly 64% of the population), the so-called "Thirdies" are the unskilled masses that keep the train functioning. Despite the vital nature of their work, they suffer far worse living conditions than their superiors in the upper classes. 3rd Class is heavily policed by the train's security forces, and Turnbull uses a number of underhanded methods to ensure none of them step out of line.
- "The Tail," an unofficial fourth class of about 1,000 stowaways who forced themselves onto the tail end of the train during Snowpiercer's departure from Chicago in 2037. These poor souls suffer the worst existence that Turnbull Industries has to offer. Crammed into just 10 cargo cars at the back, the "Tailies" are fed measly portions of composted protein to keep them alive so that they can be exploited for slave labor.
Edwin Turnbull, CEO of the eponymous Turnbull Industries before the Freeze, has ruled over the train with an iron fist for six whole years. But he unexpectedly dies in 2043, leaving behind a train without a leader and no officially mandated means of choosing a successor. This is where the RP begins. The old social order is on the verge of collapse in the absence of the train's despot, and there's no telling what will fill the power vacuum. The very survival of the train and its people is at stake. Who will ascend to Edwin's throne? And by what means will that ascent take place?
I originally wanted to let players choose what classes their characters would belong to, but that would require a fuckload of participants to create a truly engaging narrative. And frankly, it would be too hard to manage that type of plot over a long period of time. Instead, players will take on the roles of Turnbull family members in 1st Class. You begin at the pinnacle of the food chain. Be you related by blood or by marriage, you belong to the train's ruling family, and your claim to power in the wake of Edwin's death will not be without merit. But how you choose to proceed will be entirely up to you. You might be a Machiavellian conspirator built in Edwin's image, ready and willing to destroy all opposition to your rule. Or you might be a visionary reformist seeking to change the order of the train for the better. Hell, you might not even give a shit about any of this. Maybe you'll just pop a bottle of champagne and enjoy watching the shattered remnants of mankind finally succumb to extinction.
What do you guys think? I love the idea of players engaging in a power struggle amongst themselves and external factions of NPCs. Especially given some of the insane writing talent on these forums.