Shipwrecked: An Island Survival RP Concept

[SullyMcGully]

OK, so before I say anything else, let me get this out of the way: I do not have a lot of experience with RPs. This is just an idea I had that I thought might be fun. If it turns out that there are any glaring issues with the presentation and whatnot, then that is all it will ever be: just another one of Sully's stupid, half-witted ideas. So don't take this too seriously (at least at first).

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, let's start with the basics. This RP will focus on a group of castaways trying to survive on an uncharted island, similar to the books Robinson Crusoe, and The Swiss Family Robinson, or the movie Castaway. The timeframe is the 1850s. The passenger schooner H.M.S. Gazelle is sailing through the Indian Ocean on its way to Australia when a large storm suddenly strikes and throws the ship off course. The Gazelle is tossed around in the midst of the sea until it is smashed against some rocks and begins to sink. While this is happening, land is sighted, and the order is given to abandon ship. However, only a few of the passengers make it to the shore alive.

On shore, those who survived the wreck must now survive the challenges presented by life on an uncharted island. Untreatable diseases, lack of clean food and water, and the psychological weight of tragedy and survivor's guilt. The silver lining: the island is a tropical paradise, with many diverse species and interesting resources that, if utilized properly, can help sustain human life. 

So, hopefully, we can have some fun with that concept. Here are some things that will make this RP a little more interesting:

No dedicated sign-up time! You can pretty much jump in and out at any time. If you're joining in, you just need to come up with a story about how you got stuck on the island. If you're taking a break for a spell, come up with an excuse for why your character won't be around for a while. If you're quitting outright, then come up with a gut-wrenching way for your character to die. You can come and go at pretty much any time you want.

Talk about anything with fellow islanders! While there will be a few plot-related moments throughout the RP, in the meantime you can talk about pretty much whatever you want as you get to know your fellow castaways better. Just remember to keep your conversation in context. Also, if there is something big and plot-related going on, please save any more frivolous conversation for afterwards. I'll try to ensure that the story doesn't interfere too much though. 

Contribute to the plot with a unique character and unique talents! I'm not trying to be the GM or anything. Once we get this started, we'll set a recurring date (something like "every other Tuesday" or "the 10th of every month") where one of the players will get to come up with the next major plot conflict. We will then work to resolve this issue, using each of our character's experiences and skills to determine the best course of action. 

Here are some rules I wanna lay down real quick:

Be kind and courteous - so just try to avoid doing things for the sake of annoying others, bringing up things out of context, etc. all the things you wouldn't do in any other RP. I'll be mediating a bit, but I don't think this will be much of a problem because of how understanding I'm sure most of you are! OK, I'll stop patronizing now.

Don't let the adventure end - if I look at this RP and decide that it is going nowhere (or going in the wrong direction), then hallelujah! A British warship will find us and rescue us. While I'm sure our characters would be relieved, that also means the game is over. Meaning no more fun. That, of course, all depends on whether or not this RP actually is fun, which still has yet to be determined. If the aforementioned case is about to arise, be certain I will give you a few warnings before ending things off.

OK, now for characters! I'm going to go ahead and set a max limit of 10 characters for now, but if people actually like this, then I will make room for more later in the story.  I will stop taking sign-ups at midnight on Friday, May 5th, Eastern Time. If there are not at least four sign-ups by that time, then unfortunately, this RP won't be happening. That's plenty of time if there's enough interest though. 

This game has no stats, just a few bio details will be fine. Remember that the timeframe is the 1850's and that the Gazelle is a British ship setting sail from an English port. Here is your Master Character Creation Template:

Character Name: Any name

Character Gender: Any gender

Character Age: Any age

Character Occupation/Job: So what the character is proficient at/used to do for a living

Character Description: Describe the character's personality, character flaws, and little quirks, as well as their physical appearance.

Character Backstory: No need to get too detailed, you can tell us your whole life story as the RP progresses if that's what you'd like.

How Character got to the island: So the story of how your character got here. For the first few players to join, it should probably be tied to the shipwreck of the Gazelle, but after that you can pretty much make up whatever you want. Remember that the timeframe is the 1850's and that the Gazelle is a British ship setting sail from an English port.

So here is my character:

Character Name: Joseph Wilson

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 23

Character Occupation/Job: Chaplain

Character Description: Young, inexperienced minister with a heart for helping others and a strong dislike for argument. Doesn't care much for preaching and is generally misinformed on religious matters, but still a nice guy to be around. Has a tall frame, with brown hair and green eyes.

Character Backstory: Grew up in the English countryside. Recently graduated from seminary, due to his low academic performance he has only been recommended as a prison chaplain, which happens to be something in high demand in Australia at the time.

How Character got to the island: On his way to Australia aboard the H.M.S. Gazelle, he is caught up in the middle of the aforementioned storm and thrown overboard. Despite being unable to swim, he still somehow winds up on the shore of the island, bruised and beaten but still alive.

So, I think that just about wraps it up. The actual RP won't be starting for another day or so, and maybe not at all if I get enough negative feedback. Once again, refer to the disclaimer at the beginning of the post. I'm open to any constructive criticism, and I am willing to alter this post or scrap this RP entirely if there are any serious problems with it. That said, if you don't have a problem and would like to join, feel free to submit your character below. I look forward to starting an adventure with all of ya'll!

 

 

Edited May 3, 2017 by SullyMcGully
Added more timeframe information

[Erren]

Character Name: Hitoshi Yukimura

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 19

Character Occupation/Job: MMA Fighter, on and off Puroresu Wrestler in training

Character Description: Asian America. He stands at 5'9 and weighs 197 LBS, with black hair, blue eyes and has your ideal body build. Hitoshi trains his mind hard and his body harder, and has a good knowledge of survival skills, although not being able to find a way to use them. His flaws are his insecurities, which makes him have some anxiety. He is also autistic, and that means he learns different and acts different or weird.

Character Backstory: There is not much to tell about the life of the young Yukimura, but his troubled past is one of the reasons he wanted to get stronger and be able to defend himself, like a boxer of sorts. He was bullied in school for being different than the rest, and eventually, at the age of 13, he had enough and started to train like the ones that inspired him as a child. He would practice many kicks, punches, elbows, etc. And also learned outdoor survival skills, in case he ever needed it. He started to train to be a professional Puroresu wrestler 4 years later.

How Character got to the island: When he heard of a wrestling promotion starting to become famous in New Zealand, he had to find a way to get enough money to get a ticket to go there. He would save enough money to buy a ticket to board the ship.

Edited May 3, 2017 by Erren

[SullyMcGully]

One thing I probably should have mentioned in the OP: there's a deadline. I will stop taking sign-ups at midnight on Friday, May 5th, Eastern Time. If there are not at least four sign-ups by that time, then unfortunately, this RP won't be happening. That's plenty of time if there's enough interest though.

So, when this thing actually starts, the actual RP will be taking place in a new, clean thread. I might add a bit more in this thread later with a few more detailed rules and guidelines, once i get those figured out. I'll also start a chat thread. In the meantime, anybody got a good name idea? Something better than "Shipwrecked"?

I would still appreciate any constructive criticism, even from people who don't intend to join the RP. I'll go ahead and edit the OP with the deadline information. 

[SullyMcGully]

4 hours ago, Erren said:

Character Name: Hitoshi Yukimura

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 19

Character Occupation/Job: MMA Fighter, on and off Puroresu Wrestler in training

Character Description: Asian America. He stands at 5'9 and weighs 197 LBS, with black hair, blue eyes and has your ideal body build. Hitoshi trains his mind hard and his body harder, and has a good knowledge of survival skills, although not being able to find a way to use them. His flaws are his insecurities, which makes him have some anxiety. He is also autistic, and that means he learns different and acts different or weird.

Character Backstory: There is not much to tell about the life of the young Yukimura, but his troubled past is one of the reasons he wanted to get stronger and be able to defend himself, like his childhood idols Kazushi Sakuraba, Taka Michinoku, and Tatsumi Fujinami. At the age of 4, his parents discovered that he had a slight autism that made his learning skills confusing to others. For this, he was bullied in school, and eventually, at the age of 13, he had enough and started to train like the ones that inspired him as a child. He would practice many kicks, punches, elbows, etc. And also learned outdoor survival skills, in case he ever needed it. He started to train to be a professional Puroresu wrestler 4 years later.

How Character got to the island: When he heard of a wrestling promotion starting to become famous in New Zealand, he had to find a way to get enough money to get a ticket to go there. He would save enough money to buy a ticket to board the ship.

OK, Erren, I really like your character, but as I believe I mentioned in the original post, the timeframe for this RP is the 1850s. In the 1850s, we didn't have the medical ability necessary to diagnose autism, and the three wrestlers you mentioned hadn't been born yet. Maybe I should have made the timeframe a little clearer. Sorry!

[Erren]

No worries, I can edit.

[ThicreanPhoenix]

Name: Simon Perros

Gender: Male

Occupation: Unemployed, but wouldn't mind being a scientist.

Description: A young man, roughly 6' even. Has deep brown eyes and black hair cut short. Very hardworking...assuming someone else told him to do whatever he's doing. His biggest character flaw is his extreme apathy, which masks a much deeper case of decidophobia. Has only rudimentary survival skills, none of which had ever been tested.

Backstory:  American by birth. Doesn't care enough about where he grew up to remember. "Might have been a transfer student or something. Who cares?" Grew up with nearly every aspect of his life meticulously planned by his wealthy parents. As such, he's never actually made any decisions for himself. Received top-notch education and due to having nothing else to do, passed with flying colors.

Arrived via: Boarded the Gazelle as part of a vacation of sorts with his parents...neither of whom survived the crash.