Pre-Game Plotting Post

[decaymod]

Pre-Game Chatter Post

Hi everybody! I am so pleased and excited to welcome you all to State of Decay. This game has been a longtime labor of love for me, and I cannot wait to see what stories you all tell in the world I've curated for you.

While I will largely be running this game like the other collaborative journal games I know you all from, I'm also trying out some new things. Please anticipate a few growing pains as we try stuff, sort things out, and figure out what works. I am always looking for feedback & suggestions for improvement on how to streamline and organize things, so feel free to drop me a line if you have comments or suggestions. Thanks for bearing with me as I get my feet on the ground!

This game is currently closed to new players. Please don't hold, join our Discord, or comment on this post unless you've already been invited to join us.

🧟 updates
🧟‍♀️ npc planning
🧟‍♂️ questions
🧟 character concepts

♡

Comments

MOD UPDATES

[decaymod]

Saving this space for announcements & updates! 💖

HOLDS & APPLICATIONS

[decaymod]

Holds will open on September 1st at 9:00 AM Pacific. As a heads up I have a flight at 11:30 that day, so I will not be around until later in the evening.

First adds will be on September 6th. Please don't hold your second character until your first app has been accepted.

NPC claim discussion

[decaymod]

There are a handful of recently dead NPCs listed here. Some of them are pre-defined and serve specific roles in the story, and other have been left ambiguous and left open for communal development. All of these NPCs, pre-defined or otherwise, were prominent and well-known members of their communities. Characters should have relationships and opinions about each recently deceased NPC at their community.

If you'd like to claim an undefined NPC as a close connection of your PC, you can feel free to discuss that here before holds open. These connections should also be denoted in your holds.

Once I begin accepting apps, I'll unlock the NPC post so people can post summaries of their characters' relationships to existing NPCs, which you are also free to discuss here.

After game start, players will also be allowed to submit profiles for NPCs who current living members of the communities. This isn't mandatory for every NPC mentioned, but if a character is prominent or interconnected amongst a few player characters they should be submitted for easy reference.

Undefined NPC claim

[decaymod]

If you'd like to claim WF1, WF2, WF3, CF1, PFS1, LL1, or LL2 as a close connection of your character, comment here. You can feel free to do this before holds open.

NPC PFS1?

[smokeeater]

Hiiii it's lyss again! SO Alex and I wanted to ask about the possibility of PFS1 for Ares and Reggie's third bff npc. We were thinking Dylan Rawbone (name roller) was their good friend from the original Prescott station where they were employees (they're Providence Ridge locals). WONDERING if there's a certain kind of death we'd have to stick to here as long as it's via cougar zombie? (We were originally thinking the classic turned-zombie-and-then-one-of-our-kids-had-to-shoot-him death, but are flexible and just wanted to know any lore we should follow to make sure it works!) Thank you!

Re: Undefined NPC claim

[decaymod]

Grabbing WF1 for Whitney's previous third-in-command (position tbd)

Celia Wallace

[decaymod]

Everyone in the Quad Area knew Celia Wallace. Whether they were longtime coworkers of hers at the Fire Station, people she met while helping survivors around the county area in the early days of the outbreak, or just people she spoke to on the radio, every player character should have an opinion of Celia and/or a major interaction with her.

Feel free to brainstorm ideas for relationships and interactions your character may have had with Celia here. I'm happy to work collaboratively with people to figure these connections out if you don't have a particular idea! You can either contact me here or through the mod dropbox if you'd prefer to have a screened conversation.

Re: Celia Wallace

[transferswitch]

HI SO IDEA.... Gideon is a micromanaging freak who was probably very invested in monitoring radio activity, and maybe befriended Celia by accident over the radio. She was close to winning him over and convincing him that Lundegaard would be safer with a network of allies. When she died, he wanted to close the community up like a clam. But... when Roswell suggested to let in her allies to judge the whole murder situation, he only put up a weak fight due to established trust w/ Prescott.

Other NPC discussion

[decaymod]

If you're looking at taking connections for Montana, Jessica, Hank Flume, or Logan Keaton, you can discuss that here.

September Plans

[decaymod]

Over the month of September as people get their applications in, I'll be running a handful of backstory-building memes. These will largely be focused on interactions between members of the same community, with gameplay beginning on October 1st marking the opening of the Bulletin Board as well as the beginning of the Peace Summit.

Over the month of September I'll also be writing backstory logs with each PC and their community's Leader. If you have an idea for a scene in your character's backstory which you think their Leader might be suited to fill, please pitch it to me! Otherwise I'll be making the rounds to hit you all up as apps get accepted. This is nonmandatory, and if you'd rather not do a log/scene for this I'd still love to hash out the details of the Leaders' relationships with each PC.

I'm taking suggestions for any first person voice-testing memes people might want to do. I don't currently have any of these planned, but I'm happy to put something together if people would like to do them. This will probably happen in the last week of September at the earliest.

Clarifying Questions

[decaymod]

If you have questions about any of the game documents or the application process, let me know here!

Character Concepts

[decaymod]

Who are you plaaaaaayingggg?

marin's concepts

[baisemain]

Edgar de Leon (Oscar Isaac) starred in a string of financially lucrative sci-fi movies, and was attempting to prove himself as Serious Actor by doing Hamlet with a traveling theater company. After killing their zombie-bitten managing director, Edgar became the de facto leader of the theater troupe, which has spent the last six months camping in the parking lot of Whitney Field Depot. Edgar is vain, melodramatic, attention-seeking, optimistic and canny about self-promotion.

Isabeau "Beau" Betancourt (Adria Arjona) was a street racer and car thief running from her past (spoiled sheltered rich girl 😎). She survived the first couple months of the outbreak at her family's gated estate while all of her friends died. She and her twin sister Carter stole their father's gun collection and took off on their own before eventually ending up at the Container Fort. Beau is brave, reckless, competitive, guilt-ridden, and always supportive of bad ideas.

🤔 i don't have any particular ideas for connections yet for either of mine, but i'd love to talk preliminary thoughts for any characters who are at Whitney Field or the Container Fort. i'm aware of only one other person who's planning to do a theater troupe member and we're capped at 3, so lmk if you're interested in the last one!

meggie's concepts

[transferswitch]

Gideon Ames (Josh Hutcherson) is an electrician who used to work in the outdoor recreation industry, and ended up escaping hoards of infected tourists by rafting to safety. He's Lundegaard's second-in-command, the one who's less keen on throwing the doors open to their neighbors compared to his counterpart. Gideon is clever, uptight, bossy, cowardly, and prone to overreacting, but is also a perfectionist who will look out for the community at any cost.

Linda Arozamena (Melissa Barrera) was going out of town for a major sports competition that unfortunately ended with her and her teammates getting stranded in the middle of a zombie outbreak. The athletes that survived became a semi-feral roving gang of raiders, but as their numbers dwindled they needed to seek out more security. The Container Fort ended up taking them in. Linda is overbearing, a primadonna, unsubtle, clingy/needy, emotional and terribly insecure. She desperately wants to prove herself and be a Hero.

As for connections, Gideon and the third in command are obviously going to have an important relationship and I'd love to discuss that if anyone's interested in them! Linda, meanwhile, could have people who were with her from when her team got stranded. Aside from that I'm interested and open to ideas!!

k's concepts💓

[spicecake]

hi could not be more excited c:

Crystal Paquin (Elizabeth Debicki) is newly Second at Prescott Fire Station. She is a career dispatcher who has been at the station since the outbreak, currently (canonically, even as we speak???) losing her mind over the recent death of her best friend and training mentor, Celia Wallace, the former leader. Crystal is efficient and observant, deadly calm, and very good at her job, which she uses to bandage over a failed career in photography, her shyness, and her secret lil artist's heart.

Beck Rossetti (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was finishing his Masters in Horticulture when shit popped off. Insert mayhem here through which he ended up at Whitney Field, where he now lives and works on Mazzara Farm, particularly babying a crop of marijuana plants. Beck is confident and well-read, a lover of nature, and still trying to outcool an older brother he hasn't seen in years. Also probably blazed right now. ...You think he's cool, right? Not that he cares.

super super jazzed to see what plays out :3 i'd love to talk to other prescott & whitney field folks! i don't have particular lines in mind yet but I'm gonna think abt it some more :3

Lyss's Concepts!

[helplyss]

I'M SO EXCIIIITEEED! WE GOT:
Carter Betancourt (Adria Arjona) who is a former Olympic shooting sports medalist (silver in Beijing 2008 did NOT place in 2004, but got fourth, and thinks it's important to note that.) She is a former highbrow country club denizen,but ran away from her fiance and her father's billionaire's shelter/lounge to chance the outside with her twin sister, Beau. They made their way to Container Fort a while ago. She's painfully shy but way bitchy as a cover, protective, stoic, methodical.

Ares Makepeace (Aaron Moten) is a former fire lieutenant and he's at Prescott. He's from a very large family of all boys, and they're all dentists. Being a blithely ignored runt instilled in him a sense of literally no self preservation, but in an easy-going nice boy way. He has the worst luck on earth. He seems to be fine with it. Makes himself responsible for people when he shouldn't, middle-manager vibes. Might not have registered that he's in a zompocalypse yet, just let him get up and go to shift.

As far as connections, I know I've already talked roughly to SEVeral people about being former colleagues for Ares, so would love to continue that. And maybe an older brother if you want a dentist? I don't have any other specific ideas but I would love to plot with anyone in containers or fire stations!

John by Sam

[lineman]

John Lastnamehere (Lee Dohyun)is a former high voltage lineman who clinically died after being electrocuted—but he got better. Previous to that, was kicked out of a Catholic seminary for wanting to be a priest too enthusiastically (I actually know someone who had this happen to them, and I think about it all the time). Outward appearances suggest he is strongly prosocial and cares about what he deems as morally correct ("correct") outcomes—an upstanding member of the community who makes himself available to help others, regular degular normal niceman. But, deep down: a secret sleeper agent freak who has not fully processed his near-death experience and is instead letting all his feelings about it (+ longstanding wretched feelings about failed priesthood) ferment inside him like the world's most nastyass sacramental wine. Possibly overcompensating externally for bad vibes internally. Anyway, he's in the Lumberyard.

I have to go back to work now but this looks very cool and everybody's concepts look so much fun!

Rin's Concepts

[dukeofrats]

These are... poorly formed so please forgive the vagueness, I will come back with more concrete things but I just wanted to get the vibes out.

Duke Rattray: (Colton Haynes) Nice boy delinquent, Container Fort heavy machinery operator (?), early 20s. Originally from a Louisiana junkyard and younger brother to Kas's precious man, made his way to PNW to follow him but also because he was mixed up with a not great group. Cares so much about nature that he blew up some stuff about it (but was careful not to kill anyone!!). Went to juvie. Met Jackie's son, his bestestest buddy in the whole wide world outside of their former house-mom's cat. Kind of stupid, very loving, strong moral compass. Will probably give literally anyone a chance because he's very idealistic and thinks that people are ultimately good.

A lady: Will probably be mid-30s? Was in a doomsday cult that was sort of right about the whole end of the world thing, at least? Knew basic medical stuff/midwifery from being in an isolated group. Fled and hung out in a hospital for a while, was found by someone (possible connection!) who brought her back to their community (still also up in the air) because she was claiming to be a nurse. Reads medical books all night so she can continue to maybe be a slightly convincing nurse. A little terrified someone is going to figure out she's totally lying about probably a lot of stuff. Personality is in-flux but she's clearly the kind of person who would join a cult.

kas's concepts!

[swamperella]

hello, i'm so jazzed 🥰 these are quick for now as i'm on vacation & they're still percolating.

prince arlo rattray (alan ritchson) is a junkyard kid from louisiana > PNW hotshot crews > PNW local FD as a driver engineer. older brother to rin's duke, twice-ex-husband to LA's court -- the second time was post-apoc, so we're sorry to prescott residents for witnessing that. arlo's litely freaking out about his promotion to prescott's fourth in command & is often a mechanic. big heart, big intentions, empty head. doesn't cope well when his hands are idle so he's always on the hunt for A Job.

calliope nightengale (emma d'arcy) is container fort's hacker/programmer, skills learned since encountering red talon. they were with raiders before as a means to survive & they now subsist on trust issues. wouldn't do a big speech but would drag you home a whole pizza like a loving rodent who's just looking out for you.

everything is ✨ nebulous. ✨ i don't have specific lines to fill atm because i was waiting to see everyone else's characters, so hmu if you have ideas!

alex's concepts!

[soliloquacious]

Reggie Goodleaf (Jessica Henwick) is a first responder at Prescott. Grew up on a dairy goat farm, became a paramedic-firefighter as a way to exercise her overbearing mom friend tendencies and also show how much weight she can carry. She's extremely protective and also kind of abrasive and mean and controlling, but it's because she loves you guys and wants everyone to be safe goddammit. Pessimistic and sort of in denial about things getting better and embracing hope because she didn't find her footing as an adult until things went to shit.

Blythe Ferry (Jack McBrayer) is an actor in the theater troupe. He's desperate to be seen as useful and keep the morale up so he uses all the skills he's gathered in his lifetime of being a theater kid. Let him sew, or build things, or cook, or sing you a song!! Absolutely cannot keep his voice down, this has been a problem. Sort of Neelix without the child bride.

I don't have too many specific concepts for connections, but I'd love to talk ~vibes~ and whatnot and et cetera!!

Colleen’s Concept(s)

[cricketandjesse]

Guess it’s time to move this over here so we can chat!

Margarita “Maggie” Son (Kim Go-eun) is a wraith-like loner haunting the lumber yard. Born and raised in Kamchatka before moving to Alaska/traveling to study Methuselah viruses in Arctic permafrost. Essentially she traveled to rural Arctic communities to check for signs of emergent ancient viral infections —- functionally a traveling nurse. (Technically, articles about this kind of stuff are just now being published in the last couple years but I was thinking it’s probably okay to fudge it and say that the academic community has been monitoring the Arctic for awhile?)

I would like for her to be the de facto doctor for the lumberyard, although she is more of a medical researcher. I imagine her as someone who has about as much functional medical knowledge as a writer for House but has a confident inflectionless way of speaking that makes people believe she is more capable than she really is. I think it would be interesting if her presence was one of the reasons Roswell decided not to reach out to Prescott during the lumberyard’s flu outbreak and that’s thrown her competence into question. She could also be a cause for some of the spooky rumors about the lumberyard maybe? (She has a sun allergy, covers up at all times, and never lets anyone in to her living space.)

If another doctor like figure wanted to app the lumberyard, I’m happy to adjust! Still in early stages, so I’m flexible!

Oh, and my other concept is the dopey sidekick to whatever character Ben decides to write. Gonna finally try to use that Charles Melton set that Alex made for me 🙃

jackie's concept(s)

[jackspratt]

aubury rabbit (lorenzo zurzolo - specifically with this awful haircut) is lanky little dipshit who got thrown in juvie for grand theft auto and auto stripping. comes off as way more of a deadpan realist then his baby-prison bff duke, but is also the kind of moron that carries around his deceased den mom's cd wallet. so. truly succeeding at aloof. (look, celine dion's 'falling into you' album is still good. whatever.) took some body work/welding classes in juvie so he's decent at maintaining the fort's architecture. and also auto stripping. which is now a skill and not a class a misdemeanor.

we've scraped through the admin days for back to school and we'll see how beastly the students are feeling before i commit to having an actual second thought process. BUT i'm excited!

tiff's concept(s)

[agriculturalist]

Hi! This is Tiff, late to the party and raw-dogging it without any connections!

This is Emmett Wright, who's at the Lumberyard, mostly looking after the farm animals and sometimes working as a sniper. He's a local, and basically a big, gruff rural guy who cares more than he'll ever let on. His bio is here.

He's all I've got for now.

Everyone looks fun! Thank you JJ! Byeeeeee

LA's concepts

[castnet]

only now realizing this was a thing, so putting words here for posterity et al.

Yo it's LA. Yo I still suck at character blurbs, but here we have Courtney/Court Slaughter from coastal SC. She's a paramedic who first came to PNW in pursuit of working with Life Flight, found herself married and divorced twice to the same person (sup Arlo), and somehow hasn't gotten herself killed yet in pursuit of adrenaline in a zombie apocalypse. At Prescott since July of 2012.

There is also nebulous cloud of a character for the Lundegaard innkeeper of the Peace Summit B&B, but one day that means I have to decide on a pb and a name. What I have on him so far: late 20s/early 30s (or maybe 40s???), butcher by trade, complete scalawag by design, if not kept busy he'll find something to amuse himself, nosey as hell, and the kind to more pull strings behind the scenes in creating drama than be at the center of it, but definitely involved with whatever drama there is because it amuses him and he bores easily. so voluntolding him to go put his shadiness to good use could definitely be a thing? UPDATE: this is his face and his name is Marvin Quaid.

This probably makes no sense. SO excited to write with y'all again. Thanks JJ for the sandbox <3

kitty's concept(s)

[hosinsul]

hello hello, it's kitty showing up late with a cup of coffee from some place as always.

i've just got ophelia hwang, john's little sister and a teacher at lundegaard. she's a superstitious weirdo but also an atheist and lowkey kind of wonders if her brother is a pod person several times a day. she was a taekwondo person up through uni when she stopped to focus on school but folks at lundegaard can still see her keeping up a workout routine and running laps around the yard every single morning that the weather allows this.

she's externally pretty grumpy when she's not teaching and doesn't like to talk details about things prior to arriving at lundegaard, but she's generally polite out of the understanding that they live in a society, etc. her bio is here.