Lifeless is a survival/horror storygame set in a post-apocalyptic Southeastern United States. The narrative follows the aftermath of a devastating plague of unknown origin. Any living creature that comes into contact with the plague - be it animal or plant - is turned into a wicked abomination of its former self. As everyone panics and the world governments topple into the fray of chaos, you are left truly alone in a new world of horror.

You represent a sole survivor; always on the move and never able to let your guard down. You are on your own, but you very well may come across other survivors as you move from point to point. You will face the twisted abominations, lawless brigands and bloodthirsty raiders that have eschewed all manner of law and order, threats of starvation, exposure, and almost certain insanity...

As a young American man, you've led your career down the path-most-trodden - starting off in an entry-level position at a giant retail outlet and working your way up through the rungs of lower management. Upon reaching a senior management position, however, you fell victim with everyone else to the products of a failing economy and were ultimately downsized.

After a year of unemployment, you've decided to place your faith in a more unconventional path. A strange longing for liberation paired with a surprisingly inspirational internet advertisement has led you to apply as a Butler.

The ad was placed by the prestigious Banner family of Norfolk, England; a call to arms for any young and able-bodied individual to serve as the right-hand of the family. Deciding that nothing good comes without a risk, you abandon your property and most of your belongings in order to set off for the United Kingdom.

Nope, not trying to start a forum game - just wondering what other people would do in such a situation. I could turn it into a forum game in the appropriate areas though, if it comes to that.

It would be modern day, but you would be able to form this society in whatever period you find most appealing. If you think things were best in the Victorian years, model your establishment after that. Middle Ages? Model it after that. It's an isolated settlement. You can be as modern or classical as you'd like.

You're not immortal. You're just -- you. The way you are, now. 3,000 people can become 10,000 in a very short timescale. We're talking just a handful of years of growth, there. Waste managament, farming, the allocation of individual responsibilities, laws -- ALL of these things need to be determined. I was just wondering if anyone had an idea of how they would do it. The question is sort of inspired by The Village (a movie by M. Night. Shyamalan) and several real-time strategy and city builder games I've played.

The way I would do it, or try to, would be to create a free market (everyone does what they are good at, buying and selling products at a fair and balanced price.) I would invent my own currency to serve as an economic medium, and at first it would be something as simple as bartering (a sheep for a goat). This would eventually turn into coinage as a few people figure out how to mass produce coins out of some semi-rare alloy. Now here's where I really turn on the thinking cap: I would try and avoid being the "leader" or king or what have you, and instead the government would be structured into Tiers.

Military tier (just in case we got big enough to become a threat to neighboring nation), Education tier (teachers, professors, etc.), Science tier (for researchers), Medical tier (for healthcare), Growth tier (for road building and structure maintanence) and so on and so forth. Each tier has an alderman, or an overseer, and it's own cabinet of elected officials. Here's where people will probably disagree with me and call me a Commie ... as the government was being formed, I would take all the collected wealth of the population's wealthiest 50% and distribute it evenly amongst all the tiers. This wealth would be a global currency, to where we could buy and trade with existing nations. This means that the Military gets just as much funding as our Science branch, and Medical, and Growth, etc.

Thoughts?

Imagine if you had the resources to purchase a plot of land. An island, maybe. It's a sizable piece of real estate, covering somewhere around 1,000 acres. It's located in a temperate climate, with plenty of open fields, forests, running rivers and great lakes. You contact the proper authorities and somehow manage to section off this land with a very high fence, running all around its border. You've got a chance to start your own village, town, commune, or even your own country. It would be a small country, but it would still be its own entity.

Now, imagine this place is advertised in a not so blatant way. Maybe it's word of mouth that spreads, but either way, in time you are presented with a population of around 3,000. Metalworkers, carpenters, lumberjacks, fishermen, farmers, geologists, retired politicians, whatever -- these people make up a wide variety of professions. They do not want to be paid, they only want to be a part of your project.

Now, my question to you: How would you run this establishment? Even if you did not want to lead, the people rise up at the beginning and imbue you with the title of President, or King, or Queen, or what have you. How would your ideal government function? After a short while, these people will multiply (not from newcomers, but from breeding!) Before you know it, the population of your settlement is at 10,000. Will your society have upper-class, middle-class, and lower class citizens? What will the laws consist of? How will religion be observed? Holidays?

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome!

I've started on two new storygames, but it'll be a while before I've got them where I want them. I did start off in the classic interface, but I'll take your advice and move them over into the advanced one.

Oh, and I've finished Endmaster's Necromancer, Eternal, and am now getting started on Ground Zero. (Very talented storyteller, that one...) I need to get around to finding some more good storygames, so if any of you have recommendations, feel free to hit me up with them here!

Hey everyone! Just letting my presence be known before I start attempting to publish material. Still looking through all of the guidelines, but it all looks pretty straight-forward.

Good to be a part of the club!