roleplay workshopping

[gorzek]

I'm working with a few other people to put together a roleplaying theme for the forums. Nobody has to participate in this if they don't wanna, it'll just be "vibes" for those who don't want to play.

The theme I have in mind at this point is cyberpunk, but not "high cyberpunk" like you usually get. The peak has passed. The Earth has been stripped. Megacities still exist. Some still even thrive. But the cracks are showing and the end may not be far off...

Proposed factions (subject to change):

• Scrappers - Scavengers who recycle and repurpose technology discarded from the cities. Resourceful and distrustful of authority. They live mainly in small communities in rural areas, often not far from cities. Some persist as roving bands, moving from place to place. They avoid contact with "organized" civilization, and are typically hostile to outsiders. Organizing principle: Autonomy
  
• Singularitans - Technology has become their god. They believe in the infinite potential of technology and that humanity's only role is to bring about artificial general intelligence so that humanity might submit to it and thrive under its guidance. These are people who take Roko's Basilisk a little too seriously. Neutral toward most people, but actively hostile to anyone who is anti-technology. Notably, they are a heretical offshoot of the Cybercult. Organizing principle: Unity
  
• Strivers - This faction is mostly late teens and young adults. Disillusioned with the way society has been run in the past, they want to build a better future rather than accept the decline that surrounds them. They believe they can reform society from within through agitation and rebellion, disband the megacorps, and bring humanity broad-based prosperity. This is the goody-two-shoes idealistic faction. Organizing Principle: Compassion
  
• Cybercult - People who have fully embraced cybernetic enhancements, even to the point of no longer being recognizably human. These are your ultra-transhumanists. Their beliefs are incredibly varied and often incomprehensible to outsiders. They tend to live in enclaves in or near massive tech complexes like autofactories, power plants, etc. They tend to want to be left alone though they will organize raids to acquire new technology if they can't obtain it legitimately. Organizing Principle: Change
  
• Podders - Isolationists devoted to rebuilding humanity after the collapse by collecting and preserving pre-cyber technology. They are something of a cross between Scrappers and Strivers, in that they are idealistic, resourceful, and anti-authority. Organizing principle: Survival
  

Certainly welcoming any thoughts on this. I'll post more as I think on it further.