[Campaign Adventure] Uberworld - Serendipity Showcase I: The Crossroads of Polynesia

[synergy]

Submissions and Questions to: home_n@hotmail.com (Neil/GM) and/or to http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/uberworld_serendipity1 (Adventure List on Yahoo Groups).

 

Synopsis:

A tropical cyclone has swept through the Society Islands of Polynesie Francaise. The worst part of it swept the island of Mo'orea, but no one was killed and major property damage was averted due to the action of three superheroes who were there for one reason or another just prior to the storm. The three heroes then find themselves in an adventure on the tropical island.

 

Background:

The wood was still soft which made it easier to scrape the inside of the big log that would be the hull. Napoleon Rahiti brought his round blade to the front and pulled back again, scraping a layer away. It was the way his father had taught him to make a fishing canoe, and the way his grandfather had taught his father, and so on. The only differences from the ancient way is that sharp stainless steel replaced the chipped obsidian. It was a big difference, though, for a single man could, with good effort finish the major part of the scraping in two days rather than two weeks.

 

He wiped the sweat from his brow and brought the scraper foward again, but not before he glanced backward. In the small clearing next to the house stood a small plot of trees and amongst them, stood a woman four years his junior. His wife, Celeste, also worked a tool. In her case, it was a long-handled hoe that dug into the dirt and pulled up fast growing weeds from the root.

 

The fish that Napoleon caught made for the majority of their meals and usually enough to sell in town for whatever other food or household items were needed. The noni that Celeste tended did more than that. Without it, they would not have a television or cell phone. Without it, their two children would not be in Hawaii going to the university.

 

A breeze filtered through the stand of trees. Normally, a breeze flowing in from the cove would feel cool and would be welcomed by the Rahitis. Strangely, this one was not. Napoleon peered through the trees looking at the clear azure water, at the dark reef with colorful fish darting here and there, and further. It was the further that concerned him. The wave action had picked up. In the distance the water looked rough rather than smooth. The skies above the island were clear and light blue, but that over the distant water seemed full of angry gray clouds. The weather was not going to be peaceful for Mo'orea soon.

 

That night, after dinner, the couple sat on the couch. A small lizard perched on the wall chirped, looked here and there and then ran off to a small crack in the wood walls. Both Napoleon and Celeste waved fans at their faces attempting to release some of the heat by sweat evaporation. A cool bath seemed like a good idea for each. But, their attention shifted to the television. The weather report was on and an image from a satellite showed a mass of clouds approaching, becoming organized over the day into a cyclone. It seemed that they might have a few hours before it hit. Napoleon went out to tie down the new canoe hull and the canoe that he was currently using. Celeste shuttered the windows. But, tropical cyclones - known as hurricanes or taifun elsewere - were fairly rare in Polynesie Francaise, and so, these efforts would, in retrospect, be too little.

 

The normal dawn light was muted by the storm. Already the wind was blowing hard enough that the trees all seemed to be prostrating themselves toward the ground. The shutters shuttered and the walls creaked as the storm winds roared past. The noise increased steadily, the wind howling, the trees cracking. Things began to hit the house with occasional thumps. Napoleon Rahiti clutched his wife who was, herself, shaking with fear.

 

And then suddenly, it stopped. The television had gone out and Napoleon quickly ran to turn on the radio. The emergency broadcast system was tracking the progress of the tropical cyclone. "... all Tahitian islands centering on Moorea. The majority of the island is currently in the eye and should continue to shelter in place. Residents are warned to stay indoors and not to..."

 

The roar returned with a thunderclap. The winds were just as strong as just before the eye passed over the Rahiti house. The only difference was that it was in the opposite direction now. With a startle, Napoleon threw himself over his wife once again. A two loud thumps crashed against the side of the house. And then an explosion as a tree hurtled through the window near the couple. Glass flew across the room and embedded shards on the far wall. The trunk of a noni tree lay a few centimeters above Napoleon, lodged firmly now in the window with shreds of bark, which had been peeled by the glass, fluttering wildly.

 

 

Adventure Description:

The Crossroads of Polynesia is a short adventure of the Serendipity Showcase series of limited series 'comic' books. At the same time, it is designed to mentor novice or lesser experienced Champions PBEM players (with the goal of helping them become effective members of the Uberworld community - and possibly on the road to becoming GMs.

Although the GM has a basic framework for the adventure, the introduction/background has been made general so that he can easily modify the adventure to suit the selected characters and, perhaps, incorporate individual plot items that pertain to them.

 

 

Date of Closure of Submissions:

Whichever comes last: a week after the announcement of the This Mutant Life campaign roster, or until a suitable mix of characters (and their players) is found.

 

Date of Announcement of Adventure Roster:

Unless otherwise informed, the GM will select a roster within 48 hours of Closure of Submissions

 

 

Turns:

Non-Combat: 1 turn every week (possibly more frequently depending on players and GM - especially with PC-PC interaction)

Combat: 3 combat segments per week (possibly more frequently depending on players and GM)

 

 

Experience Points and Roleplay Points:

This will be a short adventure. The range for Experience Points (for PCs that are retained by the players) or Roleplay Points (portable points for Players who are using NPCs) will be 1-3 points depending upon the quality of posts.

 

 

SUBMITTING A CHARACTER APPLICATION FOR SERENDIPITY SHOWCASE II: The Crossroads of Polynesia

 

A total of three Players will be selected to act for three Player Characters. One to two players will be Experienced Players, one to two players will be Less Experienced Players. Submission files should be of the following types: .doc, .rtf, .pdf, or .txt. As you will see below, there is no reason to have .hdc files for submissions.

 

 

Experienced Players:

To apply for a slot, you first will select an NPC from the Uberworld website. While the suggested NPCs are listed below, you are by no means restricted by this. Keep in mind that French is the major language that is spoken in Mo'orea, and the NPC you choose should have a reason for being in Mo'orea. Characters should be roughly around 350 total points, should have no severely villainous disadvantages, and should have no unbalancing powers or characteristics. After making a selection, write a scene using that character (475-500 words; more if you feel up to it). Since this is a mentorship style campaign, I would like the experienced players to be willing to assist the GM in helping the less experienced players develop as Champions Players and PBEM writers (while still having fun, of course).

 

Suggested NPCs: Armstrong (The Brotherhood), Bastille (Trinity), Immorta (UberForce), Kurus (Bidadari), Lamb (The Immortals), Le Crapaud (Trinity), Nostrum (Southern Knights), Southern Cross (Southern Knights)

 

Less Experienced Players:

Novice Players are welcome to apply for this adventure. To apply for a slot, you will state your PBEM, Champions, and other RPG experience. Even if you have played a lot, one of the main criteria here is that you would like to become a better player (while still having fun, of course).

You also need to send a one paragraph description of your character concept. Overly complicated concepts will not be selected. Included in the description should be a reason why the character is in Mo'orea. This adventure could be, in a sense, the character's origin (when he/her obtained her superpowers).

The detailed background and character sheet will be handled after the adventure roster is selected. Characters built by Less Experienced Players can either be retained by them or donated to the Uberworld NPC pool.

 

Important Links:

Uberworld Home Page

Serendipity Showcase Campaign Page

Serendipity Showcase I: The Crossroads of Polynesia adventure list

[tribe]

Re: [Campaign Adventure] Uberworld - Serendipity Showcase I: The Crossroads of Polynesia

 

I think both Neil and I will be aiming to get as many people into the new Uberworld games as possible, so I'd encourage potential players to submit to both the This Mutant Life game and the Serendipity one.

 

And I'd imagine that the second Serendipoty game will begin soon after, maybe in March.

 

Hopefully we'll have three or so games running which could potentially create twenty or so new Uberworld players.

 

Come and join up so we can make some stories.

 

[tribe]

Re: [Campaign Adventure] Uberworld - Serendipity Showcase I: The Crossroads of Polynesia

 

*bump*

 

Does anyone have questions on this concept?

 

We're just trying it out - a short term campaign where players can just dip into a character without the long term committment?

 

Good idea?

 

Or are we p***ing into the wind?

 

Seriously, we think this is an untapped concept which should take off. Gives us lots of potential for short, themed campaigns.

[Rage]

Re: [Campaign Adventure] Uberworld - Serendipity Showcase I: The Crossroads of Polynesia

 

this does actually look quite cool.

I like the idea of having relatively short and low maintenance games, and the game world seems neat. I think the name "Uber-gne" is a little clunky however it is well within the genre, and I respect anyone who doesn't want to be sucked into the cliche`s of the genre.

 

(bump)