This game was to be brought to you by A724312. UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAS HAD TO BE CANCELLED, AND THIS ENTRY WILL BE DELETED SOON. SORRY ABOUT THAT...

The Story

The story starts one sunny afternoon in a new millenium on Bondi Beach, Sydney.

Two large men in dark suits stand gazing out across the curve of the beach, the noises of the cafes and traffic drowning out their intense conversation. But to those watching, their hunched shoulders tell of fear, and the sweat on their brows does not come from the heat of the day.

Both the men are broad-shouldered and weathered. Their hands are brown and hard, and yet these men are afraid. The older of the two looks around before repeating the question:

'Did you get it? Come on man, tell me what happened!'

'I didn't get it, alright,' the other man mutters angrily, 'and you know what happened.'

'Don't tell me you got busted. Ah man, where are the cops? You got a wire on or something?'

'No, it wasn't the bl***y cops. It was the bl***y motorbikin' superheroes! I got away clean, I reckon.'

'Ah no. Not them. Not them again," the older man nearly screams in anger, forgetting his fear for a moment, and then checks himself.

He glances around once more, then leans closer to the younger man.

'So ... What are we gunna tell the boss? ...'

Welcome to the game in which you get to play a motorbiking superhero.

For the latest scene in the story, click here.

If you'd like to play, and haven't made up a character, start a conversation below with your character's name as the title.

If you'd like to know how to play, read on.

Role-playing

Those familiar with role-playing games can probably skip a couple of paragraphs...

When you join the game, remember you are taking on a character, and this is just a game. It takes the form of a participative story, and the scenes in the story are set by the storyteller. What happens in each scene is also up to you.

Post to the conversations as if you are that character. Remember the skills and powers your character possesses, and try to react to the game environment as if you were that character. Experience points are awarded for good role-playing!

It's OK to post in third person. This is an example of how the game might go:

*****************************************

(The Roadblock. Action Scene 1. Turn 3. )

----

FlyBoy:

*Sees the roadblock as he flys around the corner. FlyBoy sits the VTR up, takes his hands off the bars and uses his super-power to leap forward and up, and lands 20 or 30 metres past the roadblock.*

ROLL:75

*Looks around quickly, getting ready to run*

----

Smith:

*Right on Flyboy's tale, sees him jumping! Slides her bike to a halt, trying to stop before she hits the cars blocking the road or Flyboy's bike*

ROLL:23

----

Storyteller:

The Roadblock. Action Scene 1. Turn 3.

ROLL:25

*Flyboy, you hear the sound of your bike hitting the road and sliding forward to a grinding halt. As you hear this, you realise that you've leapt over the heads of about 4 suit-wearing gangsters. And they're armed, too. They are still in a bit of shock after seeing your amazing jump, but they are starting to point large handguns in your direction.*

*Smith, you manage to stop just before you collide with the bonnet of the holden commodore. Flyboy's bike stops its slide to your left, less than a metre away. You see the men on the other side of the car turning towards Flyboy. And the guns...*

NOW TURN 4

----

************************************

The Rules

1 - In case of argument, the storyteller has the final say.

2 - Of course, it could take a while for this to happen. Please don't expect your posting to be answered immediately. Time and technology limit this form of game.

3 - The story is not intended to be a child's tale, and your character may face all nature of perils, including possible death. That aside, please remember that this site is moderated.

4 - If your character does die, you can make up a new one.

5 - Depending on the number of players, you may not be able to start the game straight away. Please don't post in the game conversation until you have been invited to join the game.

What does ROLL mean?

A ROLL is an imaginary roll of dice to obtain a percentile score.

To perform an action succesfully during Action scenes, pick a number between 1 and 100, and report it using ROLL:nn.

The storyteller will roll real dice and report the result. The closer you are to the storyteller's roll, the more chance you have of being successful.

Superpower actions are generally always successful (which is why Flyboy was able to leap off his bike).

Creating a character

Your character is a member of a loosely-based network of motorcycle riding superheroes. You may have group goals, or your own, and it's up to you to decide how to achieve those goals (within the limits of the rules).

Your character can be of any profession, and will be able to use the skills and knowledge of that profession. And you can also ride a motorcycle.

You begin the game with a cycle and whatever you can carry on it. If you feel the need, you can have a home or other sort of base.

What makes you even more special (than riding a bike does) is your super-power. You get to choose one super-power. If it sounds reasonable (ie. won't unbalance the game (and see rule 1)), then you get to use it.

The storyteller may impose a cost to a super-power. The cost might be anything from bouts of dizziness to a particularly strange purpley-green skin-colour. It depends on the super-power you have chosen and the whims of the storyteller. The more powerful your power, the more likely it is that there will be a cost...

You will be awarded experience points during the game (you start with zero). Later, you might be able to develop other skills, or even another super-power or two. Experience points are awarded for good role-play, use of skills and knowledge and achieving goals.

Character sheets

To create a character, start a conversation below with your character's name as the title.

List in the post:

- Your super-power

- Type of motorcycle

- Profession

- Anything important you might be carrying (like a weapon or alcohol or kryptonite).

- And anything else you think it might be good for the storyteller to know. This can include, for example, your background, the location and type of your base, or even what you look like.

Playing the game

The game is turn-based. This means that each posting is considered a turn. Please wait for the storyteller to announce the start of a new turn before posting another action or role-play.

During "action" scenes, like the one above, please limit your post to describing what you do in just a short time, say under 30 seconds.

Don't assume your actions are automatically successful, or try to describe the actions of others. The principle is reasonableness: If you throw a boot at someone, and don't intend harm, then you can describe the boot bouncing off their solid skull. Experience points are awarded for good action play.

During "role-play" scenes, you can post more, but be considerate of other players and the storyteller, who are also part of the story.

Using powers and engaging in combat just requires a bit of thought. Simply describe what your character does and the storyteller will describe what happens as a result.