The Odds

Just a quick note to say that I'm a little on the sick/flu-ish side, so I'm a bit slow and not feeling up to AIM time. But if anyone needs me/wants to thread, I'm still around, just drop me a nudge on email/dropbox! (I am really sure there were threads I was supposed to start for Ash and Dray, but sick brain/meds made me completely forget what, so feel free to remind me.)

Just an FYI that I'm still around, this weekend was just busier than I'd expected. I'll be doing the things I need to this afternoon/evening!

( WEEK TWO )

Just wanted to touch base with all of you going into the halfway point for the game. Larissa had a post on her CDJ a lot of you commented on and I wanted to clarify a couple of points and also mention a few things if people are interested. Obviously the way the game is running is new to me and new to all of you. And if we end up doing it again I have already realized a couple of things that could be improved and that I can change and certainly your comments help that a lot. I am as always blown away by how much people have been participating. I never really expected that and it really makes me happy everyone is enjoying the game. There's sure to be some rough patches but I hope at the end people have enjoyed it. It's hard trying to work things in a way that is fair to everyone and I have tried my best to do that. Hopefully it all turns out right in the end. That being said, I wanted to let everyone know that you will be notified between five and seven days in advance of your character's death, I am trying to send the notifications out on Thursdays for the next week so that is already in the works. Also a couple of people said they would like some idea of when their character is going to die. I don't know if people do want to know this or not or if they would rather have the suspense. Obviously I didn't tell people in the beginning because I figured it would really effect who would take what character to some extent as well as have potential consequences on people's activity. However for future games if this is something people would rather have, we can certainly take that into consideration (and assuming we do a sequel of sorts).

I also really want people to feel they can come and talk to me if they have any concerns. I really mean this. Anyone who has played with me before knows I am pretty easy going and flexible about a lot of things. I had no idea some of the Careers were dissatisfied until today, so if there are things I can do to make the game run better or smoother please let me know. I can't fix things if I don't know there's a problem! Again I love you all and I am so impressed by this group of writers and how talented you are as well as much fun you are to play with. You are all what has made this game so addictive and enjoyable and I think we can all agree on that.

Apologies for being slow and scarce the last few days. I went on vacation and it turns out Indonesia is not big on free wifi so I couldn't get online until now. Thank you, hotel internet corner. I should be back home in a day or so and catching up on the game then. Hurrah!

Mentors, please put your Sponsor Requests for Tributes here. Please remember items are now more expensive and please be realistic. Also expect that at this point some people may have difficulty getting items. From the game we know that Rue for example didn't get any items from a Sponsor, so not all Tributes will get items based on what they do or do not do. I will do my best however.

Trubutes! Here is the weekly check in post. Comment here with your character and what they have been up to what they are planning if you wish to share. All Tributes that do not check in by Midnight EST on Friday January 27th will be up next for elimination!

Hey ya'll! Regus's life is getting suuuuper boring, all on his own. Anyone want a run-in sometime this week? It can be violent or non-violent, I'm up for anything! (Obviously non-deadly, though.) As per today's narrative, right now he's making his way toward the northern mountains, so maybe someone in the vicinity?

Oh, and I am having way too much fun with Shynnah lately, so if anyone ever wanted to log with her, I'd be perfectly happy to comply! It could be at a viewing party, out in the Capitol, whatever! Basically, if you want your character to interact with a total bitch, Shynnah's your lady! Although boys, be warned: she may try and sleep with you.

the Gamemakers setting fire to the rain = Adele is totally a Gamemaker

Just a heads up for those who are having trouble keeping track of what's going on in the arena with so many people posting all the time! Ari has set a series of pit traps in the hills to east of the cornucopia, north of the canyon. Some are probably more effective than others because she didn't have any tools to help her and had to work with what she had but feel free to notice them, fall in them, not fall in them, find animals trapped in them, whatever suits your fancy!

1) The Careers will come across a deserted campsite tomorrow -- any volunteers to have been the previous owner/occupant? Rachel has the following details, but we're flexible & can adjust as needed: "there was a length of matted grass/leaves, branches which looked purposefully cut and broken, and a partial footprint that is too wide to belong to someone small like district 8. Otherwise I left it vague. But I could edit or include specific things if we know who owned it."

2) And relatedly, anyone in the north (Regus, Chip, Evander, Tramway...?) want to come across the Career pack later this week? No unplanned deaths, obvs, but a conflict/fight of some sort to delight the audience and spice up the Arena >:)

Hey tributes! Don't have water? Here's something to think about.

A couple of quick notes!

Regarding Sponsor Gifts, Mentors, please have your gifts delivered in the Arena community. If possible try to post them on the day they are received. Also, feel free to write a short narrative discussing the gift, who provided it, and how/when it was received, see Thyme's example for some ideas.

Also regarding scoring and Placeholders. I just wanted to clarify that I'm tallying the day's activity based on a 24 hour window that roughly begins and ends roughly at Midnight EST. To keep things fair overall to other players who are posting daily and to prevent me having to go back through days of posts to see if placeholders are filled, placeholders will only count for activity if they are filled within twenty four hours of being put up otherwise they won't count. I think it is fair to everyone that way, but if there are concerns about this please let me know.

Thanks!

Kati has been kind enough to provide us with a map of the Arena. I will put a link to it in the mod journal so you can find it easily! Thank you Kati!

( The Arena )

ALSO DEAD TRIBUTES PLEASE JOIN AND EVERYONE ELSE GO AND FRIEND orphancloud!

WEEK ONE This week will allow for a few days of recovery after the excitement of the Cornucopia and the flooding. Please feel free to do any and all individual plot you would like with your characters, if it's major plot where someone gets seriously injured or you have a question about anything just run it by me first. Please one Volunteer slot per player! On Friday the flood waters recede and the rain slowly tapers off until afternoon when the sun comes out. For the next week there will be no rain at all, save for a brief shower on Tuesday evening. It is cold out, with temperatures in the fifties during the day and the low forties at night. Sunday, REGUS encounters a bear and two cubs in the forest. (I think there's a joke somewhere about this). They are not muttations, however they tree the Tribute for several hours. On Monday CHIP, EVANDER, AND VOLUNTEER (up to Three) are caught up in a Gamemaker Trap, in the woodlands to the North of the Cornucopia, as a poisonous rain falls, burning the skin of those in the area and who do not seek immediate shelter. On Tuesday those who are in the North will discover that a small flowering plant they may have observed the past few days has begun to bear fruit in the form of small red and black berries. These are edible and not poisonous. Meanwhile those in the South will discover that rattlesnakes are beginning to awake from hibernation and VOLUNTEER awakes to find one inside her/his boot which they had taken off for the night. Wednesday, TRAM attempting to cross and see if the Cornucopia has any thing left inside will get sucked into the Quagmire. They are rescued by ARI. A fight or an unlikely alliance may ensue, your call. I will switch these around depending on what Tram's player wants. On Thursday, SATINE discovers a weapon (will be revealed by the Gamemaker upon volunteering for the slot) and ORR discovers a battered but intact crate of supplies (will be revealed by the Gamemaker upon volunteering for the slot.)

Tags: gamemaker post, plot post

Mentors! Please put up any Sponsor requests for your Tributes here that may come out throughout the week. Comments will be screened.

ETA: I'm sorry this is for Mentors only! Tributes if you have requests please confer with your mentor players!

Oh no! Bron is dead. :( Where will we get our lovely icons from now?

Arena Information

The following is some information on the Arena. I am awful at things like Map making, so I am going to direct you to the place I picked as the site of the Arena and explain some of the changes to it over the years from what it is in current day. The Arena is going to be the largest so far in Hunger Games history. It is a veritable maze of canyons, cliffs, highlands, mountains, and desert plains. It is loosely based on the Chiricahua Wilderness in the Coronado National Forest. I've never personally been there but going on the information I can find it is an area where there are multiple climates, flora, fauna, and temperatures. To quote the website about the Coronado National Forest states that The Coronado National Forest covers 1,780,000 acres of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Elevations range from 3000 feet to 10,720 feet in twelve widely scattered mountain ranges or "sky islands" that rise dramatically from the desert floor, supporting plant communities as biologically diverse as those encountered on a trip from Mexico to Canada. Views are spectacular from these mountains, and visitors may experience all four seasons during a single day's journey, wandering through the desert among giant saguaro cactus and colorful wildflowers in the morning, enjoying lunch beside a mountain stream, and playing in the snow later in the afternoon.

For our purposes we are keeping the Arena within the area of the Chiricahua Wilderness. However the wilderness is dark and quite different under the Gamemaker's influence. It is a wild and untamed labyrinth in which it is very easy to be lost for days. Unlike the Arena in the 50th or 75th games this landscape is stark and rough, particularly on the southern portions. It is at times ugly and dangerous and there are a great many poisonous plants and animals within the confines of the Arena's force field. The Cornucopia is at the central portion of the Arena, in the area known as Rucker's canyon. To the north of the Cornucopia is a cliff face, on top of it is a plateau that goes up into the mountains above, with temperate forests on the slopes, twisting mountain trails, and small pockets of water in the form of hidden underground springs and streams. Farther up the mountains there is snow, even in winter, and a vast amount of animals and plants. Some of these plants are poisonous, and the snakes, bears, deer, and cougars that live on the slopes have dangers of their own. There are multiple types of birds including hummingbirds and many other species, but few fish in the streams, except on the highest part of the mountains. South of the Cornucopia is a wide plain with trees in the far distance. It ends hills and beyond them mountains and beyond it, a desert expanse, extending to the edge of the Arena. There one can find water containing Cacti, venemous snakes and lizards, rabbits, and small rodent like animals. There are poisonous insects including spiders, scorpions, and massive beetles the size of a Tribute's hand that like to attach to Tributes in the middle of the night. but are also edible and quite tasty when cooked. Don't try to eat them raw, the vomiting and hallucinations will make you regret it. To the East and West are more rocky canyons, valleys, cliff heights and the occasional secluded, tempting, (and often times contaminated with poisonous vapors) geo-thermal pool.

The water should be considered not-potable and will make the Tributes sick if they drink it without boiling/disinfecting with Iodine Tablets. Rain water, however, may be drunk. Throughout the landscape the tributes will see evidence of Natural disasters included fire-blasted groves of trees, land and mud slides, and areas where there has been massive flooding and erosion.

Weekly I will be posting along with the activity check, an information post for the upcoming week. This will be a place to volunteer for Gamemaker plot, discover what the Gamemakers have in store regarding traps and other excitement, and find out what the weather will be for the week. I will also put up a weekly Sponsor entry in the OOC where Mentors can comment with what sort of items they might like to see their Tributes garner from Sponsors (realistically of course).

I don't intend to make people stick to any particular detail regarding locations and topography, there is a map on the website I linked to with a map of the area, but as I have said I think we can use that more as a guideline for the general area than anything else. Pictures of the general area may be found here. If there is someone in the game who is really good at making maps and that sort of thing and would like to make one for the game, please let me know and I would be very happy for you to do so!

The fun has just begun, feel free to ask me questions that come up about the Arena.

( More icons! )

Ummm... it got a little dusty in here when I read Thyme's post.