Quoted from Dreamscale Michael, these are great ideas and your 2 choices are nice as well. Along the same lines, would it be a good idea for each of us to also choose 2 technological advances that we all know and understand are now reality on Mars?  My advice would be then to have everything else as we know it now. Just an idea.

How about two historical events, which may be a technological advance?   That would give our world some depth?  

Beryllium Infused Thermal Imaging System (BITIS) - Uses cameras placed around the facility to project a full 3D view of any image within its radius on a teleporter-like pad located in the Command Center.

Double Halex - Two-sided ray gun which melts down cobalt rods into non-lethal pellets to subdue suspects. Roughly the size of a sawn-off shotgun.

Hey Michael,

Can you give us a better idea of what exactly goes on at the Mars base? What was it built for, what specifically is its main purpose and about how far into the future does this take place?

Also, are there aliens? Or is it just us up there?

I'll get working on my two tech items.

Cheers.

The year is 2050 - so it's the not too distant future.  

The purpose of the base is to establish the infrastructure for a colony on the planet.  

There are no aliens -- yet.


And btw excellent terms, Blonde.

Quoted from mcornetto And btw excellent terms, Blonde.

Well, I figured since I usually can't come up with any ideas, I may as well make up a bunch of random shit. =)

PAAPS (Proton/Antiproton Annihilation Propulsion System)

A scientific method by which supercharged bursts of protons and antiprotons are fired at each other, which causes them to explode in a burst of energy. The resultant energy is then fed through an engine system, which allows vehicles to move at tremendous speeds. The method has been adapted to fit large craft, which can carry people and equipment between Earth and Mars in just a few days, and also for smaller craft (such as shuttles and terrestrial modules) that can traverse the surface of Mars at extreme speeds.

That's all I've got for now. Will edit this with a second tech when I have one.  

Matt, don't we want to be a bit isolated form Earth contact?  Not trying to be dickish, but I thought the whole idea of being on Mars was so we were apart from any help.

The system could be working fine in the beginning but gets sabotaged. Maybe?

That's a good point, Jeff. I was thinking we'd need a faster propulsion system because the politicians are coming. According to WikiAnswers, moving at 40,000 km/h it would still take 38 days to get from Earth to mars, and that's in a straight line between here and there. Depending on orbital movement, Mars could be a lot further away, so that time frame could easily be doubled or tripled.

There are also lots of reasons that ships coming from Earth would be delayed or prevented from reaching the base, like atmospheric conditions, problems with the computers that calculate orbital approach vectors, or (as Mr. Blonde pointed out) good, old-fashioned sabotage.

Quoted from mcornetto My terms: Sneeze - a sniffed synthetic drug that gives a euphoric hallucinogenic high when made right, but causes uncontrollable, sometimes fatal, sneezing fits when made wrong.

i'm thinking this is a new drug... something the convicts discovered about certain soil samples on Mars while building. some of them might be looking to make a little profit once they get home... maybe some under-the-table deals going on with cetain Senator(s).

something to create possible motive for the killings.

Nice characters here, guys. I especially love yours Penoyer.

Jenna Drast (early 30s) Convict

As a little girl, Jenna was warm-hearted and innocent despite the fact that her father was the biggest drug lord in the remains of the old world.

One fateful night, as her father was plotting the biggest drug deal ever known to man, he was betrayed and murdered by his second in command in his own private chambers. When officials came to search for clues the next day, all they found was Jenna hiding in the closet with a fresh scar running down her temple.
Years later when she became an adult, she restarted her dead father’s ‘franchise’ and began producing the highest quality ‘sneeze’ money could buy. She made billions in the process, hoping that eventually the psychological wound in her brain would heal.

Later on in her life, she was approached by a strange man in a gray suit. Meetings like this were uncommon for Jenna as no one dared enter her premises without a valid reason. But how could Jenna refuse when he offered the name of her father’s killer for 50% of her ongoing profit? As she heard those words, she automatically pulled her FN five-seven and put it to his head, threatening to shoot if he doesn’t speak. The man, obviously scared to death, blurted out some random gibberish, eventually mentioning something about a military hitman who now resides at Mars Base. As if by instinct, she shot the man in the nose then called 911, confessing to the murder.

She was immediately taken to jail as her criminal record held more lines than the bible. There, they revealed that she will serve life in prison. With ties from her gang, they bribed several judges and politicians and like a miracle, she was shipped across to Mars a week later to lessen her jail sentence.

Now, as she sits in her jail cell, all she can think about is her revenge. To destroy her father's killer who caused her all this pain and hardship over the years.

Henry Evans, mid twenties - Convict

Henry was brought up in an orphanage run by the Catholic church, starting at the age of ten he was physically and sexually abused by the head priest. He left the orphanage at the age of eighteen, but returned shortly in which he murdered the priest who abused him, and the nuns who let it happen. He was also suspected in ten other priest killings within the state, but was not proven guilty of those crimes.

Short and skinny, he was smaller than the other inmates, and his blond hair and blue eyes  put a "prison bitch" target on his back. So his first day in he killed the biggest inmate he could find. Also, in the eight years he has spent behind bars,  he killed another nine inmates, four gaurds, and one Warden.

While in prison, Henry being a bookworm, earned a PHD in Psychology and English literature. Henry has now got a taste for killing, mostly for those he feels are unjust. The system should know better than to give him early parole because he has no intent on rehibilitating, just carrying on his own sense of justice

A big Welcome to Mars  for all the new player/authors and to all the returning ones as well.  So far we have 6 characters - so we still need a few more.  If you were thinking about joining us, do it.  You'll have a good time and maybe learn something in the process - I promise!

I would suggest you lead with your non-convict character at this time since the cells are filling up.  It's going to be hard to start the story if our factions aren't about equal in the beginning.    Remember you create another character during your first turn and that one could always be a convict.  

Those who already provided a character or are planning to - remember to provide your two terms for our lexicon.   They can be a technological advance, drug of choice, slang, or some other everyday thing in the future.  There's going to be a rule about creating these sorts of terms during the game - so create them now.

The map has been updated.    

Bernard Devlin (35) Convict

Born into money, Benard (Bernie) had everything a child could want but the love of his parents.  Their love came in gift wrap and as a result Bernard became a loner, a social leper.  His childhood drifted into a fantasy world of make believe where anything was possible.

After the sudden and suspicious death of his parents, a sixteen year old Bernard now had his inheritance to help fuel his fictional life.  Under numerous names and over many years, Bernard lied, cheated and scammed his way to a prison sentence.

While serving his time, Bernard managed to bluff his way onto the base construction program in a hope of gaining an early release.