Be sure and come up with a good story about who your character was before their eruption. Try be as detailed about their history and personality as you can.

Make sure that you discuss with the other players how your characters know each other, and have reasons for them to stick together. If you want you can even work together on your back stories and have them all tied together.

(For example, I have a table top game where all the characters were friends because their parents sent them off to prep-school, and while there they formed themselves into click. After graduating they remained close and eventually erupted when they got into a difficult situation together.)

That's not to say you need to pick that story, you can come up with whatever you want and go toward whatever faction group you want.

Alternately, I can create connections for your characters if you would prefer, but that would take some of the creativity out of your hands, and might not be as interesting as what you come up with.

I can make my plotline work with whatever Faction group you guys choose.

Have fun, and I'm sure we'll have some interesting characters.

Players list: (Unless someone decides to drop out. I'll go with the first to post from the original topic gets the slot.)

Thoranon
White Rat
Jimmy Boothe
Esther Bluecorn
Emily Williamson
Neil Preston

Also, a good friend of mine will be helping me out with running the game. He will play some of the NPCs for me and will be there for me to consult with on the plot. His name will be Saamir.

Dr. Bradford, I'd love to have you in the game, especially since I've enjoyed playing in your game so much, but I think 6 characters is my limit. If anyone drops, their slot will be yours if you still want in at that point.

Things I need before we can get started:

1) Pre-eruption characters from each of you, via PM.

2) A discussion amongst youselves on how you guys know each other, and what ties you together. (I want the group to have loyalty among the members that goes back to before everyone was erupted.)

3) List of the powers and other preferences you would like, post-eruption.

4) Backstories, for each character posted here.

5) any questions you guys might have.

Ok, here is my basic character background.

Marcus Elliott was born in Texas. His mother died in childbirth. He was raised by his father, but mostly babysitters of some sort. His father was a professional caddie and was often on the road away from home. Marcus grew up around golf courses as soon as he could lift a club he began to play, and as soon as he could lift a bag he began to work as a caddie. This proved to be his way to earn money as he grew up. When he got into high school he joined the golf team where we excelled. This earned him a college scholarship, which was the only way he could afford to go. After graduating college with a business degree he joined the amateur golf circuit. His college golf coach (mentor) often caddies for him if he is playing a local tournament. He has sense turned pro and now makes his living as a professional golfer. He has gotten himself where he is today by hard work and determination as will do everything he can to keep that from being taken away from him.


College seems like one of the best places to have ties. But as someone who travels a lot for his job it would be easy to meet people on the road. As a professional athlete he does have a certain amount of influence and resources.

Anyone else?

Here is my character background:

Omar Khudikias was born and raised in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. A member of the Kurdish Minority, he was always treated with contempt by the regime. Being a Kurd, and a secular Christian, he was disliked by the extreme elements of Islam.

At an early age he decided he wanted to win an Olympic medal in wrestling. His family supported and nurtured his decision to pursue his dream. He studied wrestling, both Greco-Roman and Freestyle, while taking literature in technical school(high school). He graduated in 1998.

A large man, Omar in an imposing figure. He stands well over 2 meters in height, and over a meter in girth at the shoulder. His body ripples with muscles. A very handsome, and intimidating man, he looks like a modern day Heracles.

Following the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, where he came in 5th place, he was jailed and tortured by Qusay Hussein for dishonoring Iraq. He endured the pain and persevered. Afterwards, he trained even harder. He trained for the 2004 Olympics, and began a regiment of rigorous physical and mental training.

In 2003, the US invaded Iraq, and Omar watched as the Dictator was deposed. This brought Joy to him, because Saddam treated him and his county men like slaves. Although the idea that a foreign country occupied his country bothered him, he held no ill will for America. He understood that it was in the best interest of Iraq for the long term.

In the '04 Olympic games, Omar again failed to win a medal. Deeply frustrated by his failure, and because of the violence plaguing Iraq, he emigrated to the US. Once there, he applied for and received an athletic scholarship to wrestle. He hopes to be ready for the 2008 Olympic Games, and to finally win a medal for the Iraqi people, who so desperately are in need of a hero.

I've got an idea...

In the Puerto Rican community, many young women are pregnant, involved with gangs or working minimum-wage jobs by the end of their teens, usually because they were pretty, greedy, foolish or without hope. Coming from a frugal yet hard-working family, Raina Rodriguez was none of that, becoming the first woman in her family to complete high school and the only person on her street to complete community colleges, working at her family's bordega during the day and taking classes in business, administration and her own favourite of art during the evenings. She got her qualifications at the age of twenty and applied for a disadvantaged student's scholarship based on her gender, socio-economic circumstances and racial background at the nearest major college. She was accepted, and completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Art History with minors in digital and traditional artforms.

However, the necessities of life have forced her into administrative work while she decides what to do with her degree. Her family pressuring her isn't helping either.

Raina is a thin, average-looking Hispanic woman in her early twenties.

Here we go:

Isabel is one of the two children of a wealthy Chilean family, owners of one of the biggest copper-mining industries in the country and part of the economic elite. Diagnosed early as suffering from an autism-related disorder that kept her from normal social interaction, she was home-schooled by a range of expensive and prestigious private tutors, that soon saw that she excelled amazingly in practically every creative endeavor. Given schooling on technique her ability blossomed, especially as a painter, to almost rival nova artists. At the age of merely 14 her paintings were featured in galleries throughout the country, and by 2007, after her eighteenth birthday, she has travelled the whole world and painted comissions for even the nova elite.

Those who have met her probably remember a beautiful Hispanic girl, with her hair dyed some brilliant color, with a disconcerting demeanor of staring very intently at things, and responding to conversation with softly spoken monosyllables, if at all. And always followed by either her parents or their hired bodyguards, and possibly her younger brother as well [Neil's character]

Ok, so far I have character ideas for everyone but Jimmy, and sheets for about half of you. The sooner I get the sheets the sooner we can begin. I already know how the eruptions will occur and we will play them out once I have everything.


Connections between the characters: (Unless you guys have better ideas you want to share.)

Isabel and Raina are both up and coming artists and run in the same artistic circles. Although from very different socio-economic backgrounds, their paths have crossed on several occasions at art galleries.

Isabel/Raina and Marcus.
Isabel/Raina and Omar.
Isabel and Raina were commissioned by Sports Illustrated to paint portraits of a number of sports figures for some of their behind the sports articles, which happened to focus on Marcus and Omar among others. Among the minor sports figures M and O were chosen for some human interest stories, because of their 'self-made' backgrounds.

Marcus and Omar have come to know each other as a result of being featured in the Sports Illustrated article.

Neil's character knows each of the others as a result of his Sister's artistic endeavors. He is the social one of the two. Often found at her side being the 'mouth' of the artist, he expresses the things she is not quite capable of verbalizing. Were it not for him, Isabel would not be so popular, nor have many friends.

Jimmy's character met Omar when he was stationed in Iraq. In fact Jimmy's character saved Omar's life when he was a child during one of Saddaam's attempted purges. Since that time Jimmy has done what he could to follow Omar's life and career as an olympic wrestler.

Now the only thing I'm needing before I can get started is pre-eruption sheets from a few of you. If you can get them to me tonight I will try and begin posting tomorrow.


Ok, things are moving pretty fast... I'm only lacking sheets from Esther and Jimmy before we can begin. Looking forward to it!