H E A T H E N S

Welcome to Lockheath Academy, the single most selective institution of higher education in the United States. Every year, twenty thousand applicants vie for about a hundred spots. Matriculants enroll straight out of secondary school. The collegiate-level curriculum runs for two years, and then you can transfer to whatever university you could possibly want. Every imaginable door of opportunity yawns wide open. You're set for life.

If you've made it here, you're the literal less-than-one percent. You were chosen because you're better. Better than the nineteen thousand nine hundred others you beat out. Better than the unprivileged masses crowding into their public schools with their need-based grants and work-study programs. Better than your professors and your administrators. Maybe even better than your peers.

You're the son of a Senator. You're the daughter of a tycoon. You're money as old as fuck, or you're the next big thing. Maybe, just maybe, you're a rare prodigy who won your place by merit.

For the next two years, you'll live, sleep, eat and breathe Lockheath. It's an experience unlike any other. A firm foundation in liberal arts and quantitative reasoning. Lessons in debate, logic and etiquette. Sports and athletics to keep the body as sharp as the mind. Small classes. Close quarters. A whole lot of free time. But you're never free from your peers.

You'll make friends here. And enemies. Alliances are made and broken over too many drinks at all-night ragers. Romance is fleeting and usually toxic; rivalries are forever. Ruthless cliques rule the cafeterias, quadrangles and dormitories, and those without a people are relentlessly bullied. The administration turns a blind eye to all of this.

The people you meet here? We call ourselves the Heathens. Because there's a savagery beneath all the wealth and polish. Locked in, pent up, it's a feral world of hormones, tribes, and urges. We whet ourselves on each other so when they let us out we're ready to eat the world. The relationships formed here won't just shape the rest of our lives. It'll dictate society for the next thirty years.

Because if you're here, you were born to rule to world.

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This game is inspired by several great GMs and their games. It's designed to be tight-knit, fast-paced, and rooted in interpersonal relationships, dysfunctions and conflicts. The setting is inspired by various school/bully dramas that loom large in pop culture as well as actual real-life ultra-selective boarding schools in a similar vein. It's worth noting this is not meant to be a happy, feel-good, wholesome game. We'll deal with a lot of adult themes - bullying, toxic relationships, dramas, substances, feuds - and the ending might be bittersweet at best.

Speaking of which, the idea is to have a defined ending. I don't like it when games start strong and then sputter out. The goal is to keep things moving and to bring it to a close early enough to leave 'em wanting more. We're going to try to keep a pretty regular clock in this game, and it'll be designed as a limited run - a single academic year. If the limited run goes well and everyone wants a second season, we can think about playing out the second (and final) year of these characters' time at Lockheath. However, a lot of the dynamics might be set by the end of the run, we may also start with a completely new cast.

We'll start in the early fall and play through to the following summer, though we probably won't play every single minute of every single day. Instead, we'll skip through some critical moments and plan to move the clock every week or two.

As time advances, we'll throw characters together in ways that encourage interaction. There's a single dorm, and every character will be assigned a shared room with another character. Characters will be rotated through classes in groups of 2-4. Downtime will be open play for shenanigans, and we've got plenty of extracurricular activities planned. If you hit an interesting post count (100, 200, 1234, etc), you'll get a PM offering you some neat perk or other.

That said, this is NOT a strongly GM-driven game with a planned plot arc. We'll give you plenty of hooks and events to work with, we're looking for complex characters with a lot of play off, and we ask that you reach out to each other to establish connections and dynamics. But in the end, the story is what you make it. We provide the kindling. You bring the spark.
This message was last edited by the user at 08:25, Sun 10 Mar.

What's Going On In-Game:
We have a really great group of writers with diverse characters and interesting interactions. The game got started this past Monday w/ move-in day, and we're still on day 1 so it's still a great time to join. Settle into your dorm, meet your roommate, mingle with your peers, and start forming the relationships - good and bad - that will define your time here. In another week we'll probably advance the timeline and throw a rager.

What We Could Use:
The gender balance is pretty good. I put out a call for no-money merit admits and now we're a bit overstocked there, so New Money or Old Money is more desirable right now. We've probably got enough Outcasts too. Could use another Nerd or Jock. All that said, if you've got a really good idea, you should still float it. We're always willing to make room for great characters.

What's Going On In-Game:
First-years have mostly moved in and met one another. Tensions are already brewing. The first time jump has happened, and we're on the night of move-in with a beach bonfire bash serving as backdrop to all sorts of misbehavior. Still a good time to join as a new student - move-ins are continuing IC through the weekend, and as with most colleges, the first week or so is a time to class-shop. Settle into your dorm, meet your roommate, mingle with your peers, and start forming the relationships - good and bad - that will define your time here. In another week or so we'll advance the timeline again and go into our first classes.

What We Could Use:
We have enough Merit Admits, Outcasts and Populars for now. Everything else is welcome. If you really had your heart set on one of the currently-full backgrounds/cliques, you can still give it a go. We'll always consider good characters, and even if the answer's a no for now, we're happy to work with you on another idea and/or shelve it for later.
This message was last edited by the user at 06:45, Mon 11 Mar.

What's Going On In-Game:
The beach bonfire is winding down, and we're rolling into the second time-jump. The first classes are about to start, and students still hung over from the first weekend are making their way to their assigned rooms. Note this is the last week you'll be able to enroll on-time with the rest of your class. Henceforth, newcomers will have to join as a transfer student and/or will need to have some sort of minor backstory for why they missed the start of the school year.

What We Could Use:
We have enough Merit Admits, Outcasts and Populars for now. Gunners might be filling up too. Nerds and particularly Jocks are a little low. If you really had your heart set on one of the currently-full backgrounds/cliques, you can still give it a go. We'll always consider good characters, and even if the answer's a no for now, we're happy to work with you on another idea and/or shelve it for later.

What's Going On In-Game:
The first session of class is winding down and students are headed to lunch soon. Characters joining the game now might be getting started a little late, but not to the point that you'll need some sort of academic exception. More likely you've suffered travel woes, or perhaps spent an extra day at that music festival. Everyone knows the first week or two are for class shopping anyway.

What We Could Use:
We're actually pretty well balanced across the various backgrounds and cliques right now. Could maybe use another Jock or a couple more New Moneys, and we've still got plenty of No Moneys. We do have significantly more girls than guys though, so I'm going to encourage more male characters than female at the moment.

As usual, if you really had your heart set on one of the currently-full backgrounds/cliques, you can still give it a go. We'll always consider good characters, and even if the answer's a no for now, we're happy to work with you on another idea and/or shelve it for later.
This message was last edited by the user at 21:51, Sun 24 Mar.

What's Going On In-Game:
Lunchtime! Wander around campus, get to know one another, hook up, plot shit, start shit. Characters joining the game are a little late to the party, but not so late you need a good cover story. Maybe your private jet got grounded for maintenance and you had to fly first class, like some bougie wannabe. Maybe you just decided one more day at the alpine spa was in order.

What We Could Use:
We're pretty well balanced backgrounds/cliques-wise, but the gender ratio is a bit girl-skewed. Could use 2-3 more guys. Also maybe another Jock, a couple New Moneys. Merit Admits are probably still pretty full up. But if you really had your heart set on one of the currently-full backgrounds/cliques, you can still give it a go. We'll always consider good characters. Even if the answer's a no for now, we're happy to work with you on another idea and/or shelve it for later.

EDIT:
We're almost full! We'll be capping the cast at 20 and we are now at 19. Given the gender ratio, our last character will need to be male. If you have a great idea for a female character, don't despair - drop us a line and we'll put you in the wings. If we lose characters to attrition you'll be the first in line.
This message was last edited by the user at 19:43, Thu 04 Apr.

What's Going On In-Game:
Afternoon classes are ending in the next few days, so you'll probably be in time for the dinnertime/nighttime timeblock. Great opportunity for shenanigans. Characters joining the game at this point are a little late to the party, but not so late you need a good cover story. Maybe your private jet got grounded for maintenance and you had to fly first class, like some bougie wannabe. Maybe you just decided one more day at the alpine spa was in order.

Next time jump will probably take us to end-of-summer festivities. I'm thinking some sort of off-campus trip is in order, potentially to 2-3 different possible locations to spread our rather large cast a bit thinner.

What We Could Use:
I'm capping this game at 20 characters, and right now we have just one spot open for a male character. In terms of backgrounds, New Money is probably most preferred, but we're well-balanced enough that I'll consider other options as well. And in terms of cliques, Nerds or Gunners are probably most needed.

If you have a great idea for a female character, don't despair - drop us a line and we'll put you in the wings. If we lose someone to attrition you'll be first in line.

What's Going On In-Game:
We're in a dinner/nighttime block with plenty of subplots going on. Students are free to wander the campus and get into trouble. Or, y'know, just have a chill night.

Characters joining the game at this point are a little late to the party, but still not so late you need a good cover story. Maybe your private jet got grounded for maintenance and you had to fly first class, like some bougie wannabe. Maybe you just decided one more day at the alpine spa was in order.

Next time jump will probably take us to an end-of-summer vacation with a choice of three venues: city nightlife, beach vacation, or rainforest escape.

What We Could Use:
Right now we have just one spot open for a male character. In terms of backgrounds, New Money is probably most preferred, but we're well-balanced enough that I'll consider other options as well. And in terms of cliques, Nerds or Gunners are probably most needed.

If you have a great idea for a female character, don't despair - drop us a line and we'll consider it, or at least put you in the wings. If we lose someone to attrition you'll be first in line.