Play@YSDC

This is where we can just chat about things and get to know each other. I've been researching the Home Front pretty extensively since I picked up an old project I was going to do as a Chaosium Monograph but have since decided to try my hand at crafting a more custom system and supernatural background (don't worry, Mr. Handy, it's got heaps of background information in it still and I can send you all the BRP rules and mechanics I'd already written up for the Monograph side of things). I've also learned a lot more about British History during it and have realised that there's more information in Australian public libraries on the Home Front than I'd previously imagined. Unfortunately, you have to browse the book shelves because they're not well-listed and a search of the indexes for Home Front or even 1939 - 1945 might not actually bring it up.

Anyway, I'm still bound to get some stuff wrong but don't we all?

Ooh, also I looked up Blitz Memorabilia on ebay and came across about a dozen different packs of props designed for school children in Britain. $150 later I've had it all shipped to me! I've rationed myself to opening one a week and examining one document or cluster of, say, cards per day to really get maximum enjoyment of it. I've so far seen poster cover cards, an ARP card, and a ration book. This has me ridiculously excited and perplexes my fiance but, hey, such is life.

Laraqua wrote: I'm figuring on putting the orphanage in Gloucestershire somewhere. I'll do a bit of research to double check that the area is suitable. Basically, small country town that's big enough to have most of the amenities (some rural areas hadn't changed much over the past couple hundred years) but it small enough to be mostly wide open farmland and an almost idyllic Miss Marple style.

I live in Gloucestershire. Have a look at Winchcombe. It's an old market town, plenty of ancient buildings/houses and local history but still pretty sleepy. Others, like Stow, Banbury and Evesham are relatively happening and busy. Things haven't changed much since the 1940's so I guess it would have been the same situation then.

When do you think the roleplaying itself will start?

Once I have everyone's histories and sheets.

Winchcombe looks perfect. Forgive any instances of 'didn't do the research' as there's only so much the internet can provide compared to, y'know, living there. I'm happy for you to ad-lib a bit of what's in the town. If you know it has a certain something, you can always describe it. I'm happy to be a bit more collaborative with that. Otherwise, feel free to post here any interesting tidbits you learn.

Who are we waiting on?

I believe you are waiting on me, I'm ironing out the last kinks in my character now and I should have it posted soon.

hurry up man, I can't wait to get started.

There you go, all set up.

There you go. First post up!

http://www.winchcombe.co.uk/visitors/about-winchcombe

http://www.winchcombe.co.uk/directory/v ... ttractions

Wow. A very cool location. Wish I could visit England.... Stupid air fares from Australia are expensive.

I'm going to be away for a conference in the UK. My internet access will be limited till the 23 September.

Roy

Philulhu, good spot on the ute. Didn't think to check on whether one of our most mundane vehicles was around back then. One of those flat-bed small truck thingies then. Also, good spot on the petrol rationing. The non-orphanage boys (and the teenager) likely would wander about it as well and why no one's pulled them up on it. The "civilian" petrol ration wasn't abolished until 1942, and after that vehicle fuel was only available to "official" users, such as the emergency services, bus companies and farmers. Still, its a bit of a waste of petrol. Oh well, I'm sure there's nothing 'red' about the fuel. A cookie to anyone who gets the implication.

Off the top of my head, I'd suggest that red dye was added to fuel for agricultural vehicles so as to catch people using it for other purposes. It still happens today, except nowadays it's because tax on agricultural diesel is lower than your average motorist pays at the pumps, making it much cheaper to buy.

I'm American, but I hadn't known what an ute was when it was first mentioned here. I'd thought it must have been some kind of horse-drawn vehicle. I've always known utes as pickup trucks, but this is a big country. Maybe in other parts of it they're called utes.

May be one of these. 1930's built so good for the time frame. Low petrol consumption. Just about get the kids in the back. I would say the British equivalent of the ute would be a Landrover but they weren't built until 1948.

Good find! You could always borrow the local butcher's van if he's feeling generous...

OOC,For Dad's Army fans, this is the original van used by Corporal Jones in the TV series. It's a 1935 Ford Box Van which has been in private hands for a number of years... but it's coming up for auction! The reserve is only £20,000 - £30,000 - who wants in? ;)

That is goooorgeous.

It'd be the one above the butcher's van. Let's go with that one.

Also, Philulhu is pretty much correct, but it was added to commercial fuel rather than agricultural fuel (it covered agricultural fuel as well) and was to show fuel that wasn't intended for private use so they could spot if someone had sold it on the black market or were using it for their regular cars. Some black marketeers figured out to remove the dye from the petrol.

And Mike hoped to drive this ute:

Maybe when he's an old man, if he survives that long.

A glimpse into the future - what's the sanity-blasting effects of that?!

S'gone verrry quiet..........

Sorry, i just had a five day vacation - I thought I would be back in time to keep pace in the game. Posting now.

We're disrespectful kids. I don't know if we are going to last very long.

Speaking as someone who was lived in the orphanage eight years, no, you won't.

Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine. That whole 'Misery Orphanage' name was just a typo.

Besides, its not like she's foaming at the mouth in hatred over you. She seems so nice and friendly. That's reassuring, isn't it?

Err... no. Not really

I have a feeling that one of the new trio will end up in a soup.

royya wrote:I have a feeling that one of the new trio will end up in a soup.

Can I nominate one of the others?

Oh, sorry. Nominations have already closed.

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Well, meat is on the ration. Might as well kill a child and keep the ration books.

I vote the American boy pokes the pigs.

Which part of the States is he from? Is he corn-fed?

Aww, Peregrine is so cuuuuute!

Probably quite tender too. He just needs feeding up a bit.

I'm sure Davey will be up to no good in short order. It's hard to keep still and do what you're told all the time.

I will be away from 2.11 - 8.11 with limited internet access

Roy

royya wrote:I will be away from 2.11 - 8.11 with limited internet access

Roy

A whole six hours?

I'm on the fence here, on one hand Martians a freakin genius and logically should be able to figure out what the problem children disapearing implies, but on the other hand these matrons are the only real authority figures he's ever had so he might be inclined to believe everything they say.

People probably don't seem very sensible to a genius like him anyway. The idea of folk picking troubled kids might even seem logical considering the whole 'do your bit for your country' but the other kids never indicate that life is better for rough and tumble boys. There would be rumors from the other kids as well. He's probably trust them but have his doubts. Why do they always leave in the dead of night? Sometimes they're even carried out sleeping (the other ward-mates can see that).

I'm going with, he knows that something is up but figures that looking into it or even thinking about it too hard is a bad idea. Do normal kids get adopted or just the ones who go missing?

Ocasionally. Less commonly though. Adoptions of children just aren't very common, unfortunately. Everyone wants babies that can be sculpted rather than kids who have their own traumas, habits, and personalities to cope with.

Im a little confused on the arrival thread, are skipping straight to our night on watch?

No, he's just clueing the newbies in to what you'll need to do the following night (fire watching night). Martian would already know the drill so he could head to bed right away anyway.

I'll be away from the 2/12 to 13/12 with little time to post. I'll do my best. Thought Laraqua is not here as well.

Roy

This seems to have gone very quiet. Do we still have a game?

Cheers,

Phil.

For some reason, I thought I was waiting on you guys. Seems I was wrong.

Onward to victory!

Or something.

Good thing Martian's a tiny little thing.

Hi all,

Are we still in the game? It's gone pretty quiet...

Cheers,

Phil.

Just to let you know that the slower pace of the game is because I'm getting married in late March and so haven't had as much time and energy to devote to my game.

Congratulations!

Laraqua wrote:Just to let you know that the slower pace of the game is because I'm getting married in late March and so haven't had as much time and energy to devote to my game.

Congrats

The Arrival Thread won't let me post. Sorry for that. Says there's an error.

I'll be off for a quick vacation from Friday. I'll resume posting on Monday
Roy

Ping

Ping indeed.

And now I return, fully married and logged in (accursed log in troubles). Let's see what happens here.

Welcome back Mrs L. I will be away from 8th to the end of May as I'm cycling a long version of John O'Groats to Lands End and living in a tent. Please NPC or incarcerate Peregrine until I'm back. I can post until the 7th.

I'm sure Perry will be fine!

Peregrine's walked through the shimmer and disappeared -where is he now?

Laraqua didn't say so in our thread, but we've moved to the other one (The Gateway). I guess she thought we were following along there.

I'll be away on vacation through the 29th, and again from the afternoon of July 3rd through the 7th, so I probably won't be able to post during those times.

Whoops, sorry about that. Yes, you're in the new thread.

Welcome to Act II. Enjoy your stay.

I am currently in the process of moving so I'll be a bit sketchy with the posting. I'll aim to do a proper one tomorrow at least and keep to a weekly schedule at worst before I move in.

Apologies for the lack of posts - holidays and real life stuff. I'll read up on the posts and get back in the game.

Cheers,

Phil.

I'll be away at conventions October 31-November 3 and November 8-10, so I probably won't be able to post then. I'm not sure if I'll even be able to post between them, as I work during the week and will have little time to catch up, though I am off November 11.

Hi,

Are we waiting for someone?

Cheers, Phil.

Hi,

We seem to have stalled... ...

Mike leads the way down the tunnel - I think we are waiting for the GM to unleash his horrors upon us...

... 'her horrors'...

One assumes I'm not just a sentient bimorphic force from beyond the walls of space and time.

Sorry about the delays. My space-time continuum became fraught with Expo Arrangement.

I'm going to be away from the night of Saturday, February 15 until Monday, February 24 and will probably not be able to post.

I'm traveling to the UK on Monday, not sure how much free time I'll have to post till the end of the week. NPC me as necessary.

-Roy-

Sorry about the massive delay. You'll get a map tonight once I figure out a program that will let me freely upload it. Regrettably ImageShack is no longer free. I may need to try making one in ASCII.

I will be away to a trip in Europe from the 21 to 27 with a limited internet access and not much time.
I hope I'll have time to post here and there.
-Roy-

Seeing this post in here triggered a revelation.... I could always draw up the floorplan and post it on my blog and then it'd be stored someplace you could look. I'll aim to have it ready by the 28th.

My sister's approaching 18th this weekend is eating up time faster than I can get it! The floor plan may be up Sunday at the earliest, perhaps a day or two after that, regrettably.

No problem