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The world as we know it is gone. Gone in fire and terror and blood and carnage and--
(Who cares about any of that?! Get to the point!!)
Right! It's been three generations since the fall of the World-That-Was, and even with nations shattered and new nations risen (and shattered) and risen again, even with life as we know it soul-crushing and terrible, the common folk do love themselves some entertainment, and one of the most popular is motorsport!
Races are still a very common form of sport across the Broken World. Repurposed tracks in the ruins of the World-That-Was, to new ones constructed in open (or even not-as-open) areas of the cities that have survived or risen up, to grueling endurance rallies.
One of the most epic is the Cinderfall Grand Prix... An enormous cross-continental loop, it starts in Fresno, the capital of the San Andreas Islands, winds north through the desolate landscapes of Canada-That-Was, then back down along the Atlantic Coast before the first half of the run ends in the Keys.
After a stop there to take in the paradisaical splendor of the Keys, (miraculously untouched by the devastation that touched the rest of the world) contestants must then race back up up through the peninsula and along the Gulf Coast before heading north and across the continent, through the mountains and deserts before braving the anarchy of Lost Angels. If they can make it to the finish line in the mountains high above the ruined city in the shadow of the HOLLYWOOD sign, they'll earn major cash prizes, sponsorships, adulation, and death threats!
Along the way, the racers will have to deal with catastrophic weather patterns, unforgiving landscape, cracked tarmac and pavement, opportunistic go-gangs, New Yorkers, aggressive mutant raiders, race hooligans, and of course other racers. There are no set routes. Racers must simply get from Point A to Point B, within a set amount of time. Many racers equip their vehicles with unique systems to give them an advantage in the race, often weaponry. Weaponry is, officially, only to be used against course hazards (the aforementioned go-gangs and raiders and so on), but unofficially will be used on other racers whenever they think they can get away with it.
The Cinderfall Grand Prix-- brought to you by UltraMegaCorp Industries! (We own you wholesale!)
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So, basically, let's have some fun with some wacky racing!
Setting-wise, it's post-apocalyptic, fresh enough that some parts of the world are still smoking, but old enough that civilization (such as it is) is recovering. What caused the apocalypse? Combination of climate change, nukes, outbreaks, and whatever else is convenient to explain why part of the World-That-Was is wrecked, burned, or otherwise not as it was. No one thing caused the world to end, it was a combination of small apocalypses all rolling into one big collapse.
Now, corporations and rich warlords do more or less secretly wield a lot of power behind the scenes, but usually at cross-purposes. As noted, sporting events are popular again, and are encouraged to keep the masses sated. Most of them are some form of bloodsport, whether it's murderball, thunderdome, or indeed motorsport.
You will play a racer and their team as they take part in the Cinderfall Grand Prix, an epic ten-stage endurance race series that will traverse the majority of the North American continent. There will be course hazards aplenty, from debris, environmental dangers, or aggressive natives and hooligans. The Cinderfall brings in scores of racers from all over the world. To be accepted as a contender, you must have either backing from a corporation or other significant figure in the Broken World, or have won your spurs as a racer or driver in another race somewhere in the world. Of course, some have both, whether they won a major race and received backing, or received backing that enabled them to win a major race.
Start your engines!
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=Application Form=
Driver's Name:
*Sponsored By: [if applicable]
*Credentials: [what races have they won?, if applicable]
(*NOTE: Your racer must have at least one of these.)
Description: [quick physical description and personality profile]
Vehicle Name:
Vehicle Specifications: [what kind of vehicle is it? it must be a land-based vehicle, non-flight-capable. Is it repurposed from a stock car? Is it bespoke?]
Vehicle Features: [what unique systems does your vehicle have to help you in the rally? what weapon systems does it have to its benefit?]
Team Members: [No driver functions by themselves. They have a team that helps maintain the vehicle, scouts competition, reviews potential routes, etc. At the very least, list the team manager.]
NOTES: This is like the Wacky Races-style cartoons that Hanna-Barbera produced. Over-the-top personalities are welcomed, ditto the vehicle features, but there is always a flaw, as well, that causes trouble for the racer. Whether that flaw is character-based (Dick Dastardly Stops To Cheat) or vehicle-based (prone to malfunctions, fast-but-fragile or strong-but-slow, etc.), there's always at least one. There will be NPC racers in the competition as well, some of whom will be decent folks, some of whom will be dastardly. Also, feel free to invent whatever/whomever you like to be potential sponsors, be they corporations, warlords, billionaires, whatever. Ditto other races they've won. To that end...
=World Building=
Include at least one thing in your application (aside from your sponsor/credentials races) to further build aspects of the Broken World. Whether it's a nation-state or something, or possible course hazards for the various stages of the race, etc. It'll probably get used at some point during the fun.
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Any other questions? Go ahead and post 'em!