The Flats- White Group.White Group is a secret society of assassins and thieves that operate in a region called the Flats. The Flats is a steam punk inspired post-apocalyptic world with a distinctly western feel.
In this RP you will play a member of The White Group by writing short stories based on a job my character gives you. The secret HQ of the White Group is a place called the Workshop.
That?s pretty much it. Below I?m going to lay out the particulars of The Flats, tech etc.
The Past.
At an indeterminate time in the past an apocalyptic event occurred that basically ended civilisation. Not much is known about what exactly happened but it?s clear it had a massive impact on the environment. The world became hotter while the sands claimed wide sections of the planet. The Nights are short now and the sky has taken a slightly reddish hue.
While the ?World That Was? is a mystery to most, signs of it are everywhere, from the bastardised technology that keeps the Flats alive to the ruins that act as the grave markers of a society nobody remembers.
The Flats.
The Flats is a desert region which is obviously pretty flat. Many varied groups call it home and they live in towns and cities dotted around the place.
The Badlands, The Wastes or The Wide Open.
This is the areas between towns and cities that is pretty much barren desert land with the occasional oasis. It is home to the Tribals and the Ochil. The Tribals are roving gangs of people that are little more than feral. The Ochil meanwhile are a community of Nomads that wander the wastes taking old world Technology and selling it to whoever they meet.
Farpoint.
The trading hub of the Flats thanks to it being an Airship port. This is the place to go for a good deal on pretty much anything. Its proximity to New Mesa makes it particularly popular with The Sky Jockeys. It?s a New World town and as such is built predominately out of bits of the old world. It resembles a shanty town.
It?s sometimes called ?Shade city? due to the shadow cast by the many Airships floating above.
Hope.
It?s an old world town of cobbles and grand architecture that has been reclaimed from the sands by its religious inhabitants. The town?s people are xenophobic zealots who follow the teachings of a man called Father Singh. Singh believes by keeping his flock pure from the violence of the Flats they can become more pleasing to his interpretation of God and thus leave The Flats which they believe is a form of purgatory.
For this reason the town uses a group called the Guardians as protection, they are made up almost entirely of Orphans that are mercilessly trained to be the best defenders possible. Of these only a few ever venture outside the walls of Hope. These are called the Walkers who are considered to be the most lethal people wandering the Flats, however their small numbers make their threat negligible. The Guardians are considered to be brutal to their enemies and completely loyal to Father Singh. They also carry a mark on their hand which identifies them as Guardians, it is considered to be a trophy among criminal gangs.
Few people ever go inside its walls and all matters of trade with the outside are conducted outside its walls. Intruders if caught will find their life expectancy is measured in seconds.
New Mesa
This town is a combination of the old and new which means it has cobbled streets and some beautiful architecture sitting right beside houses made out of repurposed wood.
Its run by a man called Gretch, a Tribal who took over the town in a bloody coup. Not much has changed although Gretch?s brand of justice is a bit more brutal and public than his predecessor?s. The town is popular for its large Casino Complex called Fat Nick?s after a previous owner. Gretch didn?t want to change the name and affect brand recognition. In addition it is home to many brothels, bars and nefarious characters. It?s the kind of place where you can find anything if you walk down the right street. Best not think about what happens if you go down the wrong one though.
Increasing numbers of Confederate Soldiers have been noticed in the area which is making other towns quite nervous.
Skycove.
Sometimes this town is called the ?Floating City? other times it?s called The ?Rat Cloud?. Both are accurate depending on your opinion of Sky pirates.
Skycove is city in the sky that is normally in the south east of The Flats but it can move around a little. It?s completely man made and started out as a flotilla of Pirate Ships which eventually tethered themselves to each other and became a safe haven for Pirates. Over the years the town grew as more ships docked and never left.
Without any formal government and being populated almost exclusively by drunken Pirates means it is best described as anarchy. Nobody tends to remain in power long enough to really change anything. It?s not unusual to see someone taking a ?long jump? after a drunken argument which has led to a small society developing under the city. These are called the body snatchers and they make their living by rifling through the corpses that fall to earth. It?s much wiser to settle an argument over a round of shine.
Groups.
If you can imagine it and it fits with the theme I?m willing to accept anything here?s a few though to show you what I mean.
The Sky Pirates.
Farpoint serves as a refuelling station for many Airships on their way south. Given the Flats? harsh terrain and isolated geography this makes it a perfect place for Pirate attacks to occur. Of course most trade ships now employ some form of bodyguard so pirates have to be careful. In addition the Confederates have a zero tolerance policy on Pirates and those captured can expect summary execution or enslavement.
The Guardians of Hope.
Possibly the best trained fighters on The Flats but they are rarely seen outside Hope, the town they are sworn to defend. They are trained from a very young age to be completely loyal to the town and deadly with their chosen weapons. Their greatest strength is their disregard for their own safety as they value the lives of those living in Hope over themselves.
The Tribals.
These are disparate groups of completely insane individuals who live on The Wastes and prey on unsuspecting caravans. They have been known to band together under strong leadership but since Gretch took over New Mesa and left his Tribal ways behind there is something of a power vacuum.
The Ochil.
They are the nomadic traders of The Flats who are more rational than the Tribals. They are a hard people who are second to none at surviving on the harsh wastes. Their horsemanship is highly regarded and their use of primitive weapons is the stuff of legend.
However their appearance marks them out in a crowd. Most Ochil are only slightly over five feet tall, have brown skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. This can make life difficult for them when encountering the fervent racists on The Flats. Amongst their own many dye their hair a variety of colours.
The Confederate Army.
The Confederates hail from a region called the Peaks which is very different from The Flats, its characterised by mountains and colder temperatures.
The ?Feds are a terrible group known for their brutal tactics and enslavement of conquered foes. On The Flats they are viewed with open distain. Calling them a formal army would be a stretch but the army can be divided into two groups the regulars and the specials.
The regulars tend to be drunks and conscripts while the specials are more dedicated to cause and are comparable to special forces.
They wear a grey uniform while their officers have an iconic greatcoat. This perhaps shows how Ill prepared they are for life on The Flats. For this reason they use private contractors to conduct operations. Gretch is widely thought to be one.
These are only a smattering of groups. Additional ideas are gun fighters, explorers, Traders, Archaeologists, Inventors, Thieves and like I said above anything you can think of.
In this RP though all characters will be members of the White Group however their background is up to you.
The White Group.
Little is known about the organisation even by those working inside it. It?s best described as a strictly amoral and capitalist cellular organisation. The only thing they believe in, outside of financial gain, is reputation. Therefore once a contract is accepted only the client can stop it so offers of more money from targets fall on deaf ears.
It is unknown how many operatives work for the Group and exactly what the hierarchy is. The Director of this cell is called Mr Charles and it is his job to provide contracts to the operatives.
The name of the group comes from the fact that White Light is a combination of the different spectrum of colours, just like the White Group is a collection of different individuals.
Technology.
Airships.
You know what an airship is. Most are armed with cannons and sharpshooter filled crow?s nests.
The Skyhook.
Shaped like a revolver but it actually fires a grapple that can be used to get from the ground to an airship quickly. It?s often used by pirate boarding parties.
Horses.
Not Technology but they are in limited use on the Flats, mainly by the wealthiest.
Weapons.
Revolvers, Clockwork sniper rifles, bow and arrow, Swords, Sabres and cudgels are all on The Flats just don?t expect to find a machine gun.
RP Mechanics.
Pretty pretentious to call it mechanics I know, but I figured it was better than ?engine? both are terrible but I couldn?t think of a better word. Basically this is the ?How it works section?.
Ok I view this as two RPs one side social the other side short stories. You can engage with either as much or as little as you like.
The Social side takes places in an area called the Workshop which is where the operatives will hang out and train. This is where your characters can mingle, spar etc.
The Short Story side begins when Mr Charles gives a character a job, then they head out and you write how your character completes or fails the jobs. The outcome will shape the Landscape of The Flats which is part of our over all story.
Damage carries so a break a hand in one short story and I expect to hear about it healing in the next. I?m not going to bust chops over this but it?s something I always liked.
The getting to know you phase of RP is the most dangerous for a GM as it takes up a lot of time and is not what people want to do. Therefore all the characters will know each other
and have been working with the White group for at least one week. This will allow us to jump right into the action.
Please ask more questions so I can flesh this out as much as possible.