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Old 05-01-2013, 10:48 AM   #1
Dogma75
 
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Default A Chunk of Flesh - a GURPS RPG Diary

A Chunk of Flesh

DISCLAIMER:
"This is a fictional work! Most characters are fictional. Some real people will appear but their actions and talks will remain fictional and have nothing to do with reality. This rpg setting is leaned on the well known "The Walking Dead" TV and comic series but it doesn't use any of the characters appearing in the two above mentioned formats!
The behavior, the language used and the political perspective don't reflect the views of my players or myself. They are used to give the game flavor, crunch and color! They are also aiding the players in their playing of the characters and adding substance to the role playing!"

WARNING:
"This diary will contain foul language, swearing, questionable behavior, maybe sexual content, questionable political content, blood, questionable moral decisions, ironic and black humor! Don't read it, if you are not up to it!!! ;-)"

Some personal words:
"Don't nail me on the cross because of wrong spellings, grammatical errors or wrong proverbs. English is not my mother tongue and it is hard to write a record about sessions that were hold in German and translate them into English. All of my players and myself too, have some very black humor and are very ironic, as you will see in the diary. I am happy if you point me to my errors. So I will learn more about the English language!
Comments are appreciated, as long as there are no rule discussions. All of you are welcomed to do such discussions in this thread. If you have a problem with the content, feel free to pm me. I will answer as soon as possible but I won't change anything. Freedom of speech you know ;-)"


Index:

1. Characters:


2. Sessions:

Last edited by Dogma75; 05-26-2013 at 03:49 PM.
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Old 05-01-2013, 10:49 AM   #2
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The Characters:

Marc Chong:
Marc is a skinny, selfish, black haired Korean. He is 22 years old, born and raised by his parents, which were immigrants, in Seattle. He is studying business economics at the university in Little Rock and is in a fraternity. He hates his parents for being second class citizens, even if they were and still are very successful and still compensate for his study and life style. In his youth he was a target of mock and taunt by his school colleagues because of his heritage and the Asian corner shop of his parents. This changed his view of life and he was, is and will take very step and short cut that brings himself forth in life. Even if that means to go over bodies.



Joline Brown:
Joline is a 35 years old colored woman. She is 1.55m tall and weights about 90 kilos. At first glance she's not much but her laughter and her voice (mainly the Tennessee accent) are winning the favors of the people as soon as they hear them.
She was born in Memphis to her parents Karl and Eva which now live with her elderly brother Jack and his family in Atlanta. She also has a younger brother, named Brody after her gramps. He studies in Memphis.
From childhood on she wanted to drive a Greyhound bus. Those love developed because of the many bus rides to her grandparents which were taken with the Greyhound bus lines.
Joline is a constant on the Greyhound line "Little Rock - Memphis - Nashville - Chattanooga - Atlanta" which she travels back and forth on her bus "Wild Bill" for 13 years now.
Joline is very self confident and can evaluate people. Others underestimate her because of her stature and her weight.
She is silver-tongued and that kept her out of many precarious situations. And if that doesn't help then there is the old wooden police baton from her gramps. Called "Big Trouble" (scratched in the old wood by her gramps) and always kept under her driving seat. This old travel companion has sent some people straight into the land of dreams.
Her biggest sorrow is her deteriorating eyesight which will force her into ending her career as bus driver sooner or later. Her biggest treasure is her 5 year old nephew Jerome the son of her brother Jack.

John George Franklin:
White trash! That is what some people would call John G. Franklin. He comes up to it. Undereducated, born and lived in a trailer park near Atlanta, his way was predetermined. Only with the goodwill of his teachers he passed high school. After school he snaked his way through life. Thievery, armed robbery, car theft and playing muscle for the Dixie Mafia. You name it, he had done it! That this wasn't the road to a prosperous life seemed clear to everyone in his environment. Even his mother! Not to him. 15 years ago he was caught by the state troopers as he beat the **** out of a young colored man who worked at a gas station outside of Atlanta. 15 years in Nashville county jail was the price he had to pay! Being a racist before he went to jail, brought him right into the arms of the Arian Nation. There he raised fast through the ranks. From aspirant to fully-fledged member in a few weeks. He was reliable to his "white brothers" and started to believe and preach the misguided doctrine of the AN. He got everything he needed, be it dope, cigarettes or "flesh" in return.
Today is the first day since 15 years that this menace to society will walk free on gods' earth again. Shortly after he was discharged his AN brother Vinnie met him. He got a gun, 500 Dollars, "working materials", a Greyhound ticket to Atlanta and the address of a leading member of the AN. And now he is waiting for the bus.
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Old 05-01-2013, 10:51 AM   #3
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A Chunk of Flesh

End of April 2013

"It were rough ten days, filled with pain and sorrow, since the Bombing of the Boston Marathon. An outcry went through the USA and the rest of the world. Grief, agony and mourning are still dominating the minds of the people. The tensions of the local and federal law agencies are still high and feel able. Even given that one of the terrorists is dead and the other is in custody and the immediate threat seems diminished!
A shocked ambassador of the Czech Republic tries to convince a minority of the US people that his motherland is an European Christian country and a member of the Nato and not Chechnya, where the family roots of the two terrorists are, which is a part of the Russian Federation.
But "Spring is coming" and everything is changing. The cold winter days are gone and the temperature is again rising over 20 degrees Celsius. The humidity is high here in the Southern States and life goes on. Some are going to work again, others see the first light of the day without bars that break their views and others are looking for opportunities at the cost of others. Change is coming."



1. Soulfood

April 24th 2013

8 o'clock in the morning in Little Rock, Arkansas. Joline made a last round around her bus and checked everything. All seemed alright. "Wild Bill" was good to go. The ice chests were fully stuffed with soft drinks and sweets, the bus was cleaned, motor oil and gas checked and refilled. Even the old A/C ran smoothly.
All right baby, let's roll - she thought. She let herself fall into the driving seat, turned the ignition key and "Wild Bill" came to life with a roaring, gurgling sound. She closed the doors and the bus got into motion. Immediately she could smell the linoleum carpets, the fabric of the seats and the smell of the diesel that came straight through the A/C. Home, sweet home
She drove the bus out of the depot and on to the bus stop. There she stopped right beside the waiting passengers. It were 14 of them. The first three were old friends and regulars customers of the Greyhound bus lines. Dave, an old insurance salesman, Cynthia who visited her mother in Atlanta once or twice a month and Dick who was working on a five days shift at a local security firm. The others were new faces. Most of them colored, but there were also a red haired white woman and a white haired Latino. Behind them came a skinny Asian boy running.
She opened the doors and Dave started to get in, as the Asian boy forced his way through the opening and waved a ticket before Joline's eyes. She winked and the Asian boy wanted to move on. "Back in line" the Asian starred at her interrogatively but didn't move back and wanted to go further on. Jolene grabbed under the driving seat brought the baton forth. "Back in line boy".
The Asian kid looked shocked at the baton and then at her. He seemed disbelieving. "Back in line", Joline said a bit more harsh this time.

What the ****, Marc thought. He looked at the black woman and at the black wooden baton which blocked his way in the bus right at the levels of his knees.
What does this bitch want? An underprivileged black woman! She was only a bus driver and he was a student of business economics. O my god...He looked at the baton and he saw that "Big Trouble" was scratched in the black wood at the tip of it. He swallowed hard. He was angry. He had paid, his parents had paid for this bus ticket. "GET BACK INTO THE LINE BOY", her voice was icy and hard. Marc swallowed again, lowered his gaze and moved back out of the bus, back into the line like a dog with a drawn-in tail. Humiliated again, he thought.
(The player of Marc was quite surprised that the player of Joline was that direct ;-) )

Before him the line moved on. The first three persons were greeted heartily and warmly, the others professionally and courteously. He was last. Then he stood before the bus driver. The name tag said Joline. "Good morning boy! Ticket!" Now he felt humiliated. Everybody seemed to look at him! And his favored seat back in the bus was snatched away by this old Latino guy. He showed his ticket moved to a free place on the left tier.

With a fizzy sound the doors closed. A quick vibrancy went through the bus then the big chunk of steel got into motion. Joline steered the bus free from the bus stop and onto the street. Then she grabbed the transmitter.

"Dear passengers I am pleased to welcome you on the Greyhound bus line Atlanta via Little Rock - Memphis - Nashville - Chattanooga . My name is Joline and I will be your driver for the next two days. You can buy cooled soft drinks and sweets by me. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Our first stop will be Memphis. Planned arrival in Nashville is 6 p.m.. There we will stop for the night! "

The bus moved trough the fluent traffic and Joline switched the radio on. She chose a station were gospels and R&B were played. The music was not too loud, so that the passengers could speak with one another without any problems.
After a few minutes she took a shortcut, drove a few minutes farther until she came in a upper class neighborhood and turned the volume down.
She took the mic of the intercom and began to speak.
"If you look to the right you will see a red bricked house. This is the house were the Clintons used to live long before Bill became the president of our god blessed nation! As we all know Bill Clinton moved into the White House where he enjoyed quite a lot hot cigars in the Oval Office!"
(Joline's player got us all laughing with that...)
The passengers erupted with laughter. Joline turned the volume up again and drove the bus back to the original route.

They left Little Rock and drove onto the Interstate 40. The passengers bought sweets and soft drinks, conversations between the passengers were held, some slept others like Marc used their smart phones or laptops to surf in the internet or do some work. The bus ride ran smoothly.
A few miles after Brinkley was Joline made a short break so that the passengers could stretch their legs and use the toilets at the gas station.
They drove and about a hour later they reached Memphis. Joline again changed the radio station and the music of the King came through the speakers.
At the Greyhound bus stop in Memphis several passengers left the bus and other paid for a ride to Nashville, Chattanooga or Atlanta. 3 passengers attracted Joline's attention. A white and very young skinhead, clothed in the trademarks of his kind and two young black boys wearing the typical hip-hop outfit that was so popular with the fans of this music style. They badmouthed each other on the bus stop and Joline had to say some direct and hard words to stop the three from taking some more mean measures. She also learned that the skin was called Andrew. He was unconfident and ashamed that he was safed by a black woman. He showed his ticket and search for a free place which he found near the old Latino.
The two black youngster bought their tickets and took places in the middle of the bus on the right tier.
The travel went on. They left Memphis and got again on the Interstate 40 the bus was eating miles on the way to Nashville. The old A/C battle the temperature and the humidity but it was losing the battle. The warmth and moisture of the day fought its way into the cabin of the Greyhound bus.
At 2 pm the bus left the interstate and drove into Nashville. Country music blared out of the speakers.
Marc was so annoyed that he used his headphones to enjoy some more modern music. He compared country music to mental torture!

At half past 3 the bus stopped at the bus stop. Joline was on time as ever. Only one white guy with sunglasses was waiting there in the heat of the day. He wore a black woolen cap and a red and white checkered flannel shirt. It was really hot outside and you could see it from big, dark sweat stains under his armpits.
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Old 05-01-2013, 10:52 AM   #4
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For nearly two hours John had waited for bus. Before that he had a drink with Vinnie, another member of the Arian Nation, with whom he had sparred a cell at Nashville county jail. Vinnie gave him some stuff. Money and a gun too. The brotherhood looked out for its members. Also he got an address from one of the higher guys in the hierarchy which would hire him. Good start. Very good start after being so long in prison. Only thing that he hadn't got and would want in the near future was a woman. A real one, not one of the rouged fags from prison. He lighted a cigarette and took a huge drag.
A few minutes later the bus stopped right before him. The doors opened with squeak and Frank felt the soft squeeze of the cooled air which fled the cabin of the bus. Oh man that felt so good...
He took another drag at the cigarette, let it fall down on the ground and put it out with the heel of his boot. He exhaled the smoke and looked up...to see that a black woman was the driver of the Greyhound.
What the ****...He starred in disbelief...he looked at the ticket in his hand and then up again at the fat female ******...In no way he would travel in a bus driven by a ******.

"Mister, mister", John looked up at the black woman who gazed at him. "will you come in and travel with us or do you want to wait for next bus? But then you will have to wait 'till tomorrow. Same time, same place, same line, other bus and another driver!" Her words dripped with Tennessee accent. John looked at his ticket again, then he thought about the guy in Atlanta...work, a good start...500 Dollars wouldn't last long...not when he bought himself a night with a whore...and some booze...and cigarettes and a hotel room...He breathed in hard, looked back at the female ******, pulled himself together and went into the bus.

This guy means trouble, Joline thought to herself, she would have to keep an eye on him. The man showed her his ticket without a look or a word to her.

Johns gaze swept over the other passengers. Only 2 other whites, a female with red hair and a young not very confident looking skinhead and an old Latino were in the bus. The others were colored folks. A true nightmare for an AN member like him, John thought. But sometimes you have to take it how it was. Greater goals tended to have some sour apples on the road...

The motor of the bus roared to life. John saw that there were two free seats in the middle of bus on the left tier. He moved over and let himself fall into them. He made sure that those two place were his. He placed his backpack on the free one. From his left side came some damped hip-hop music and typical Nashville country came softly out of the buses loudspeakers. He looked to the left and saw two colored youngsters which heard music very loudly. He was more than annoyed. But it seemed that they didn't nor wanted to notice that their music was way too loud! He kept to himself and didn't want to cause trouble. Just a day and then he would be in Atlanta. Away from this black trash...But he memorized the face of the two...You'll never know when you meet someone again...

A few minutes before 6 pm they reached the Greyhound station in Chattanooga. The bus stopped and Joline addressed the travelers briefly. An old black man came in, hug and kissed Joline on both cheeks , clothed in the typical uniform of the Greyhound lines and began to speak to the passengers.

"Welcome to Chattanooga station. My name is Andrew and I am the headman of this nice and cozy place. The bus will stop for the night and the tour continue tomorrow morning at 8 am. You have the options to buy a dinner for 10 Dollars and breakfast for 5. All you can eat. You can rent a bed in the dorm room for 10 dollars and use the bathroom facilities or you can charter a room for 25 Dollars. You can book and pay at Joline! I wish you all a good stay in the name of the Greyhound bus lines and myself."

One passenger after another booked and paid rooms or beds, also dinner and breakfast or entire bundles. Marc took the room, dinner and breakfast, Frank only paid for the food...
The two young black boys asked Joline about a good club, got a recommendation and a card from a good taxi driver.

Joline got an invitation for dinner from the headsman. After the last passenger left the bus Joline started to clean and check it. After 30 minutes of work and quite some dirt and trash cleaning where the two colored youngster sat - she reminded herself to say something to them the next morning - she locked the bus and went over to the main building. There was still life at the bus station. The air was cooler but still and a soft breeze went over the place. 5 other buses had stopped for the night and several others started their journey right now.

Marc stood in the row before the open kitchen. It smelled wonderfully. Mostly black folk worked here. Some whites washed the dishes and cleaned the floor. The row moved forward and then it was his place to order something. A really big guy stood behind counter. His name tag said that this mountain of fleshed was named Bob by his parents. "Good evening." he said to Marc. "I want this burger", Marc pointed to the burger. Bob was perplexed but caught himself fast. "The burger", he showed his token to Bob, "I want that burger" , Marc said and pointed at it again.
Bob leant his head slightly to the left side and watched Marc thoroughly. "Didn't ya mama taught you some manners? I said good evening and you should respond with 'Good evening' or 'hello Bob!" the colored cook said to Marc. Now it was Marcs place to be perplexed. "Yes, yes she taught me, now give me the burger!"
Bob still looked at him, "Good evening Bob, the food here smells real good and would like to have one of this wonderfully burgers." The Georgia accent was bit hard to understand for Marc but he managed it. He swallowed and then he did repeat the words of Bob. The cook smiled as he put one of the large burger on a dish. It was a warm smile, "you want some fries also. They are made from fresh spuds. Made after recipe o'my gran." Marc took also some fries and then went over to the shelf with the soft drinks. He took a bottle and went over to a table were the white which joined the journey in Nashville sat.
Both nodded to each other and Marc saw that the white man had only two spare ribs, large but still only two without trimmings, on his plate.

John was angry, not only did some ******s cook here Bob had also touched his plate and had spoken to him. Told him something about food that was made with soul and love...unbelievable.

Then there was some commotion in the dining hall. John and Marc looked up as several other of the guests. The big guy, Bob was standing before Joline and the guy the called himself Andrew and placed some plates before them. There was some talk about soul and it seemed that Bob flirted with Joline. John stared in disbelief...negro courtship while he was eating...his cervical artery started to pulse. Marc saw it and nearly choked on his burger...

Joline sat at the table as Bob came over with 4 plates on his two muscular arms. As always he smiled over both ears as he saw her. She knew Bob since three years when he started to work as cook for the Greyhound station here in Chattanooga. And since then he flirted with her. Since then he was totally nuts about her. Every time she stopped for the night in Chattanooga he made some very obvious offers.
Bob placed the plates in front of Andrew and Joline. Then he looked deeply into Jolines eyes. "You know that this is made with love Joline. Love and and heart and soul." He sounded like Barry White in that moment and you could almost hear the sighs of the other colored women at the surrounding tables. "It's my best cooking today. Spared for you and only for you. Coming from my soul. You could call it Soulfood!" Now you could hear the sighs of the other women. Joline grinned. "My shift ends in half an hour. Why not go for a drink together Joline and then we do something for our souls..." Bob said more silently.
Joline thought about it, she was really tempted. "Bob you know that I have a long drive to muster tomorrow and so I have to decline. Sorry about that."
Bob smiled. He was used to Jolines answer. It was always the same. He turned and walked away, back to the kitchen. Doing this he shook his hips a bit what brought some whistles from the other women forth. He looked back and looked again at Joline, "You know Joline that this is your chunk of flesh. Enjoy your meal!"

The evening came to a conclusion. Marc got some more food, John overcame his racist tendencies because the food was too good and much better then in Nashville county jail and Joline went to bed. Alone!
John went outside to relish in his newly won freedom and Marc went to his room and fell asleep shortly after that. John slept in a lone corner of the waiting booth.

This was the first part of two from our first session. Yesterday was the second! I will update it as soon as possible but I am English is not my mother tongue, so it will take a bit time - Dogma75

Last edited by Dogma75; 05-01-2013 at 11:28 AM.
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Old 05-01-2013, 03:57 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogma75 View Post
WARNING:
"This diary will contain foul language, swearing, questionable behavior, maybe sexual content, questionable political content, blood, questionable moral decisions, ironic and black humor! Don't read it, if you are not up to it
Then it is probably going to violate the forum rules, you may wish to censor or post it elsewhere. Personally I put my campaign summary in Google docs.
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Old 05-01-2013, 08:46 PM   #6
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Then it is probably going to violate the forum rules, you may wish to censor or post it elsewhere. Personally I put my campaign summary in Google docs.
So far, he's kinda pushing the limit, but I don't think he's crossed the line. I grew up in the Bible Belt, and I found it an interesting read. An outsider's perspective on aspects of U.S. society can be pretty interesting -- surreal, maybe, but interesting.

With that said, I can give a few words of advice. I hope you find them constructive, and perhaps you can find them insightful enough to help with the campaign's verisimilitude.

1. Watch the use of the word "f*gs" when referring to homosexuals, in your posts, Dogma75. It's not quite as offensive as the "n-word" (which you wisely censored), but it can upset people. Best you censor it, too.

2. That said, Franklin's use of them as described in his internal dialogue is pretty solidly realistic, since he's a skinhead. However, the character will know that actual use of them in conversation that can be overheard is a bad idea -- even in southern states.

It'd get Franklin noticed, and in the sorts of neighborhoods that hold most bus stations, the use of the "n-word" will very likely get him into a fight. He's a stranger in town, and all alone, and that fight would not go well. It could easily involve knives and/or broken bottles and odds of three-to-one against him, and would very likely end in a stomping.

3. Point of information: Most bus drivers in the United States do not handle cash transactions, of any sort. Tickets are purchased in the bus terminal, and snacks are either prepared at home or purchased from an (overpriced) snack shop in the terminal, or a nearby convenience store. Driver's will carry some spare change for a soda-pop vending machine, but will seldom carry more than $20.00 in "folding money" (if that).

The presence of the character, Franklin, demonstrates why. If Joline carried more money than that, she'd might wind up robbed and even shot, so most bus lines (even urban transit lines) don't allow drivers to handle cash. If she has snacks for sale, she's likely running her own little side-business, which would also help explain why she's got the night-stick. The fact is, though, Joline's putting her job at risk.

4. The United States doesn't really have a "second-class" of citizens. Any legal immigrant to this country enjoys full protection of the law, and can own businesses, purchase homes, attend public schools and work for any employer (guest workers, here on a work visa, have more restrictions, but that's not what you described). About the only thing legal immigrants can't do is vote or hold elected office. Moreover, immigrants from east Asia are widely seen as hard-working (almost to a fault) in both academics and business, and most Americans treat them with considerable respect.

About the only "hassle" Marc Chong would have ever gotten was from the kids in his school, who might have resented the fact that he always made good grades. The only way he would've been on the receiving end of taunts about his heritage, or his parents' corner-store business, is if it were located in a poverty-stricken inner-city neighborhood. Some of the locals might have resented the success of the recent arrivals to "their" neighborhood.

If that was the case, and his parents really were successful, they'd have sold the profitable business and opened one in a better neighborhood. That's fairly typical of successful immigrants, in the United States, especially since they'd make more money, anyway.

Of the three characters, Chong is the one that seems the most unrealistic, for those reasons. The chip he's got on his shoulder doesn't come across as right, unless his childhood was far more troubled than indicated.

5. I've already mentioned the main problem with Joline's character. Other than the fact she's playing fast and loose with company policy, though, she comes across as pretty believable, for a lower-middle-class blue-collar worker from a working-poor southern black background. For such a person, a steady job as a bus-driver would be pretty good.

As for your portrayal of the campaign setting, you got most things surprisingly right, but some things are just jarringly incorrect. :)

1. Most inter-city bus stations are found in the cheapest (worst) neighborhoods, near the core of the communities in which they're located. Bus lines in the United States struggle to compete with low-cost airlines, and cheap trains, so they cut costs wherever possible. As such, they do not own nice facilities, and the few services they offer reflect that corner-cutting philosophy.

Few bus stations even have a cafeteria, much less a restaurant that serves good food. The cafeterias will be grease-pits that offer patrons little more than heartburn. Most just have vending machines.

Also, bus stations remain open to the public 24-hours a day, and have public restrooms. However, those restrooms are not attended full-time, and only cleaned by a janitor during the daylight hours. As such, bus stations are frequented by drug addicts and other derelicts, mostly who just want a place to sleep out of the rain. Bus stations usually smell faintly of urine, disinfectant and mildew (especially in the humid southern states), and nobody who can possibly go anywhere else stays in one, for long.

Given that, the "dormitory" you described resembles the sort of hostels found frequently in Europe, somewhat uncommonly in the United States, and never as part of a bus station. Grayhound would not operate such facilities. They'd be nightmares of legal liability and would make the stations even worse bum-magnets than they are, already.

2. Since bus stations are located in cheap (and frequently downright bad, or dangerous) neighborhoods, the local amenities will reflect that reality. They'll have one or two locally-owned motels, nearby, that cater to transient travelers who can't afford to stay the night at the Motel 6 -- which will be the nicest place within a few blocks. A night at Motel 6 usually costs $35-$40 per night for a double-occupancy room, and includes a "continental breakfast" (pastries and bad coffee). Any locally-owned motels will be either (rarely) much nicer than that, and more pricey, or (frequently) much worse than that, and possible havens of criminal activity.

Grayhound will have a corporate account with the Motel 6, and that's where Joline will spend the night, as will most of the passengers, including Chong. Franklin could very well spend the night there, as well, since it is pretty cheap, he probably wants to lay low, and he can watch porn all night for just a few extra dollars tacked onto the bill.

3. The friendly restauranteur who cares about his work and cooks up a mean plate of food probably does not work in station restaurant (which probably doesn't exist, anyway). The stations will have a few fast-food chains close by (Mickey-Ds, Burger-Thing, Carl's Jr. or Wendy's for burgers, maybe a Popeye's or KFC for chicken), and the younger passengers will eat at those.

The older passengers (and Joline) will know of at least one or two locally-owned "greasy-spoon" restaurants or diners, close by. The food will be greasy (hence the nomenclature), but that could mean either "awfully" greasy, or "greasy-goodness."

If there's a "greasy-goodness" diner or restaurant close by, especially one owned by a black proprietor, Joline and the regular passengers (especially the elderly ones) will know all about it, and may consider dinner, there, one of the highlights of the trip. It's hard to beat a plate of pork-chops, collard-greens, pickled beats and mashed-potatoes 'n gravy (or chicken 'n dumplings, with green beans and wedge-cut potatoes) served up by somebody who knows what he's doing. Especially if it's followed up with a hefty slice of sweet-potato pie!

However, Franklin would never have gone to such a place (once they pegged him, the service would have been lousy, anyway...), although Chong might have were he a bit more adventurous and less self-possessed.

So, Joline and the regulars would head off to the soul-food place with the good cook, eat a nice dinner, and then go to bed early at the Motel 6. Franklin and Chong would eat at one of the fast-food joints, stoke up on high-calorie junk-food, and then go back to the same motel. Franklin may stop at a liquor store (there'll be one, within walking distance).

The two black kids probably would wind up in a dive, as would any poor single mother traveling with children. Chong might find a decent Internet connection (extra charge on his bill), and Franklin would fall asleep in front of the television. Sirens would be heard at least once during the night. The wake-up call would come at 6 a.m., and the passengers would grab a pastry in the lobby just after they paid the bill.

They'd stop at a 7-Eleven or something similar to get snacks for the trip, and be on the road by 7:30-8:00 a.m. The passenger list will have changed, somewhat, as new people bound for Atlanta got on, and maybe one or two remained behind, as this was their destination.

4. As far as passenger demographics go, you had that nailed. Most people who take Grayhound buses are fairly poor. They're either from families below the poverty line, or older folks on fixed incomes willing to trade the time of a bus trip for the cost of a plane ticket. In the southern states, a fair number of the passengers are black (be careful of the use of the term "colored") or Hispanic, or poor whites. Soldiers on leave ride the bus, too. College students usually don't take buses, as the students frequently either have cheap cars, themselves, or they know somebody with a car who would be up for a weekend road-trip.

Still, Chong's presence isn't that unusual, if he has someone who can pick him up once he reaches Atlanta.
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"Some days, I just don't know what to think." -Daryl Dixon.

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Old 05-02-2013, 12:20 PM   #7
Dogma75
 
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Default Re: A Chunk of Flesh - a GURPS RPG Diary

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So far, he's kinda pushing the limit, but I don't think he's crossed the line. I grew up in the Bible Belt, and I found it an interesting read. An outsider's perspective on aspects of U.S. society can be pretty interesting -- surreal, maybe, but interesting.
Thanks for the post thsiggins. I worked as a freight agent for a long time (import/export) and had a lot to do with folks from many, many countries (including the USA).


If you hear what some of them think or have to say about Germany, then all Germans would wear "Lederhosen", go to the "Oktoberfest" and everybodies dearest meal would be our "Brezeln". I could name quite some other surrealistic things but that would blow up the frame of the forum.

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With that said, I can give a few words of advice. I hope you find them constructive, and perhaps you can find them insightful enough to help with the campaign's verisimilitude.
I am always open for advice. Feedback is always eligible. I will use the numbers only to answer otherwise I am sure the word limit would be reached..

1. & 2.
As the mods told me the censor software did take good care of it ;-). And as said, it's not the personal view of my players or myself, it's the character.
Also it is quite interesting to see how an open-minded person plays a racist as the player of Franklin did. We here in Germany have our "fair" share of "racists & Nazis" and they are an awful lot of people...
The player of Franklin didn't even try to say anything racist emphasized or made a sign or something. He knew that the results would be fatal for a guy which came straight out of prison. The reaction should and would (of the law agencies) the same in the USA as in Germany I think. Back into prison!!!

Franklin would also in a fight here, but there are spots in Germany where a foreigner or a coloured or black haired person like me could get real problems...

3. I thought of that but we wanted to get more chances to play and roleplay the characters and decided that it would be so. It's about fiction and fun. ;-)
The points you mentioned are totally clear!

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4. The United States doesn't really have a "second-class" of citizens. Any legal immigrant to this country enjoys full protection of the law [...] and most Americans treat them with considerable respect.
That's differs from the documentations, books, film etc what I'v read and saw. It is interesting to get this point explained. Imho we here in Germany have some ppl from social classes that look down on immigrants! And even the immigrants look down on other immigrants. That's not the majority but you could and can see it, if you look more precisley. Even my grandparents (both sides) felt that after they fled to Germany after "The third Reich" lost the war and they were Germans...

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About the only "hassle" Marc Chong would have ever gotten was from the kids in his school, who might have resented the fact that he always made good grades. The only way he would've been on the receiving end of taunts about his heritage, or his parents' corner-store business, is if it were located in a poverty-stricken inner-city neighborhood. Some of the locals might have resented the success of the recent arrivals to "their" neighborhood.
I thought that after I described it as a corner shop it would be clear that it is in a poverty-stricken neighborhood. My fault, sorry for that. Also I should have thought about selling the old one and buying a new shop.
After your explanations I see now that Marc really has the weakest background of the player characters! Thanks for the eye opener!!!


5.
I know that the company policy was a bit of a problem but the player played Joline so good that I didn't wanted to slow him down or regulate him.

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As for your portrayal of the campaign setting, you got most things surprisingly right
Thanks ;-)
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, but some things are just jarringly incorrect. :)
That was clear the moment I decided to play in this region... ;-) I can't know everything and then there is the fact that I a) was never in the USA b) I am not born in the South although the South was always the most interesting part of the country! Alone your civil war history is quite enthralling!

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, but some things are just jarringly incorrect. :)
:

1.& 3. I thought about your point but I wanted to make it funny and colorfull and lively. It was about giving a bit of a feeling but a not to bad feeling. I also thought that (I think it would be so) only the drivers change and the bus would travel on / continoue the journey. The player of Franklin did decide to go in and was temped to went out again...;-)

2. I tried to get grip on the prices and then I just took German prices and lowered them considerably. Hmm that wasn't quite enough...;-)

I will remember the point with the restaurants. thx again!

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4. [...] a fair number of the passengers are black (be careful of the use of the term "colored") [...]
First of all I have to apologize for the diction. Didn't mean to offend anybody here. If anybody is offended, pm me or write it here, I will gladly change it.
Just a few words so that you undertand why I used the word.
In Germany it is considered rude to use "black" as a description for black people. They even changed some old stories and a nursery rhyme because they used the word "black". Here we say "Farbige" (colored) and that is the socially correct form. I did a voccational training the last three years and even in the subject English they used colored instead of black...
It's a typical culturel missunderstanding.

How about the spelling and grammar tshiggins?

Last edited by Dogma75; 05-02-2013 at 02:58 PM.
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Old 05-02-2013, 12:49 PM   #8
sir_pudding
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Default Re: A Chunk of Flesh - a GURPS RPG Diary

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The player of Franklin didn't even try to say anything racist emphasized or made a sign or something. He knew that the results would be fatal for a guy which came straight out of prison. The reaction should and would (of the law agencies) the same in the USA as in Germany I think. Back into prison!!!
It's not a crime to be racist. You can say racist things, display a swastika or a confederate flag* or whatever in this country. He can't go "back into prision" for just being a racist.

*Even on this forum. This is become so commonplace as a symbol of "southern culture" (especially in the part of the country your game is set in) or whatever that many people don't understand why others are offended by it.


Quote:
That's differs from the documentations, books, film etc what I'v read and saw. It is interesting to get this point explained. Imho we here in Germany have some ppl from social classes that look down on immigrants! And even the immigrants look down on other immigrants.
There's certainly casual and even some institutional prejudice in this country based on race or nationality. Most places in this country will have people that are prejudiced against immigrants from Latin America, and it's hard to escape some prejudice against black people in most of the country (or by black people against white people and Asians ect.).
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Old 05-02-2013, 12:57 PM   #9
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Default Re: A Chunk of Flesh - a GURPS RPG Diary

I didn't meant "for just being racist" sir_pudding, I meant for displaying the swastika or doing harm to people. The swastika, the "Hitlergruß" or the "Reichskriegsflagge" are forbidden in Germany and the use and the display will be punished!

sir_pudding it's always the same. If there is a social class that doesn't drive so well then a part of them will search and find a guilty party. Be it politicians, other social classes or immigrants. It's the same everywhere. Sad but true...
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Old 05-02-2013, 01:01 PM   #10
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Default Re: A Chunk of Flesh - a GURPS RPG Diary

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I didn't meant "for just being racist" sir_pudding, I meant for displaying the swastika or doing harm to people. The swastika, the "Hitlergruß" or the "Reichskriegsflagge" are forbidden in Germany and the use and the display will be punished!
That's what I'm saying. Unlike Germany it's totally legal in the US to display the swastika. The Confederate Flag used to fly from government buildings in the South until fairly recently (and maybe still does, I'm not sure). These things are totally legal, and for the most part socially tolerated (I got in trouble once for refusing to serve somebody in a retail job because he was covered in skinhead tattoos).
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