[PBEM] Riverworld PBEM seeks player for Freud, 1 other char

From: alansz@mellers1.psych.berkeley.edu (Alan Schwartz)

Date: Mon, 08 Apr 1996 00:00:00 +0000

NOTE: This call for characters expires at midnight PDT on Apr 15.
      Applications sent after that date will be deleted.

QUICK INFO
----------
       Type: Play by email
 Gamemaster: Alan Schwartz <alansz@mellers1.psych.berkeley.edu>
      Theme: Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld
 Characters: Historical figures reborn on a strange planet
      Focus: Roleplaying, character development, exploration, mystery
Game system: None/Freeform
Turns/Moves: Issued once per week
       Cost: Free
     Wanted: 1 player to take over Sigmund Freud (currently run as NPC)
             1 other character
   To Apply: Read the rest of this posting

DETAILED INFO
-------------
In September 1995, I began running a play-by-email (PBEM) role-playing
game that uses Philip Jose Farmer's excellent Riverworld novels as
its setting. All of humanity is reborn on a planet on which a wide
river meanders from pole to pole; historical characters from different
time periods interact, and perhaps try to discover what's going on.

Currently, the characters who've been in the PBEM RPG include:
	Charlemagne	Cleopatra	Florence Nightingale
	George Patton	Glenn Gould	Hypatia of Alexandria
	Jeanne D'arc	Josephine Baker	Louis de Saint-Just
	Mary Shelley    Shaka Zulu	Theodore Roosevelt
	Yukio Mishima	Benjamin Franklin
	Lawrence of Arabia

Each "Turn" of the PBEM game is a chapter in an ongoing story that is
co-authored by myself and the players. The PBEM emphasizes roleplaying,
exploration, mystery, and character development, and the players use no
gaming system.  Turns are issued once a week, making this PBEM ideal
for the player with not a great deal of time.  The players are
friendly, but have high standards for character consistency and
literacy.  There is no charge for this PBEM, and there never will be.

Players receive customized versions of other players' moves and of
the game Turns that show only the events which their characters witness
and only those languages their characters understand. As a result,
the story, which is archived on the web, can be read from the perspective
of any character, or from an omniscient perspective. For a sample,
visit the web page (http://mellers1.psych.berkeley.edu/~alansz/rw-pbem/),
but if you are serious about playing, please don't read beyond the
first 5 Turns, and don't read the other characters' backgrounds.

We are currently seeking applications for the character of Sigmund Freud
and 1 other character. Freud has been played as an NPC thus far.
If you are interested in participating, please follow the instructions
below. You can reply (by email, not news please) to this message
with your app.

You don't know Riverworld? Well, let me tell you about it...

Riverworld is described in these books by Philip Jose Farmer:
	To Your Scattered Bodies Go
	The Fabulous Riverboat
	The Dark Design
	The Magic Labyrinth
	Gods of Riverworld
	(Tales of Riverworld - edited by Farmer)
	(Quest to Riverworld - edited by Farmer)
However, we won't be using the events of Gods of Riveworld.
The two edited books (Tales and Quest) are probably the best
examples of Riverworld.

As for the theme, Chani@DuneMUSH put it well:

>One morning, you awaken on the banks of a river, and other people
>surround you.  You are all naked, and confused. There is a canister
>tied to your wrist.  Then you remember:
>
>You died. You can remember that much. But now, here you are! Where is
>here?
>
>Before you is the River, sinuous silverbacked beastie - perhaps a mile
>wide. There are people on the other side, too, all as naked as you. You
>look around -- the men have all been circumcised, -nobody- has any
>hair! Is God Jewish? Is God bald? Who knows? The Riverbank climbs to a
>broad plain, covered in grass, which gives way to thickly forested
>hills, which, in their turn, become sheer mountains.
>
>You question those around you, and find that about 90% of the people in
>your general area died in one time/place, 9% from another, different
>one that is common to them, and 1% from anytime, anywhere.
>
>Food. Aparently even dead people eat, because you're hungry! Will you
>have to eat your comrades? Perhaps the grass . . . ?
>
>ON the Riverbank, perhaps a kilometer apart on each side, are stone
>mushroom-like things, each with many niches in them that look ot be
>about the size of the canister attached to your wrist. Exactly that
>size, apparently, as one of the canisters is in the niche at the very
>top of the mushroom. You and some others band together, waiting foor
>whoever (or Whoever) resurrected you to bring you some food, or your
>new life won't last too long.
>
>At noon, the sun reaches its zenith. A thunderous noise echoes up and
>down the River -- suddenly, a jjet of blue flame erupts from each stone
>mushroom!  The noise and fire subside, and a cautious one among your
>group inspects the canister that had been waiting -- and finds food! A
>great lot of it, too, if ony one person were eating . . .
>
>The others find out, on both banks, and food riots break out. Perhaps a
>quarter of the people around you die in those riots, but you, you get
>an idea and back away from the rioting.
>
>Five and a half hours later, you slip up to the mushroom and place the
>canister attached to your wrist in oneof the niches on the stone
>mushroom, and wait. You notice others got the same idea, and have done
>likewise.
>
>The flames shoot up again! And this time, ALL the canisters are full!
>They are of a strange metal that is lighter than aluminum, yet more
>durable than steel.  As time wears on around yoru little stone
>mushroom, the canisters become 'grails,' the mushrooms 'grailstones,'
>and the river, 'The River.' The grails provide food. The grails provide
>clothing. You find that only you can use your grail, which is good.
>
>One morning, while walking to the grailstone for breakfast, you see an
>astonishing thing: a naked woman, sleeping by the grailstone, a grail
>lying beside her. She wakes, and smiles. That was how you found out
>what happens when you die in the Riverworld -- you wake up someplace
>else the next day. but one question remains as yet unanswered: Who did
>this to humanity -- and why?

APPLYING FOR A CHARACTER:

First, you can play any historical figure who died between
100,000 BC and 1984 AD. Well-researched applications are appreciated. :)

Either reply (via email) to this message, or send me an email with the
Subject: CHARACTER APP, and tell me the following things:

1. Your character's name when on Earth, and, if you're using an
   alias on Riverworld, the name you've been going by - which could
   be the name of another historical personage. :)
2. A brief physical description of your character. Remember that
   everyone on the Riverworld is resurrected as age 25 (unless you're
   a child), so don't look old.
3. A short biography of your character on Earth. Include such things
   as birth date, birth location, death date, cause of death,
   education, occupation(s), languages spoken, important
   relationships, drives and motivations, important life events,
   and personality.
4. Some basic information about what kinds of skills your character
   would have acquired from their time on earth. Any kinds of skills.
5. The answers to the following questions:

* Would your character prefer a game of chess or a game of football?
* If your character found a wallet in the street, would they return it?
* Would your character be more likely to be the life of the party or
  to quietly observe the goings-on?
* Would your character be found on the top of a pyramid of people or
  on the bottom?
* Pretending to be your character, rank the following statements in order
  of truth. Leave out statements that are false about your character.
	a. Other people listen to what I say
	b. I am physically above-average
	c. I am clever with my hands
	d. I notice my surroundings
	e. I love to read
	f. I always tell the truth

Whew, that's quite a lot, but it's important to have a well-developed
character. Don't limit yourself to traditional RP types: writers,
artists, scientists, samurai, politicians, teachers, anybody you think
would be interesting. Please don't use any of the major characters
from the series, however. If you don't know who they are, you probably
don't have to worry.

I reserve the right to turn down any application for any reason.

Looking forward to playing with you!

- Alan Schwartz
   <alansz@mellers1.psych.berkeley.edu>