WONDERLARPS

Attention all denizens of Purgatory and Perdition. Flush with his Limbo success, the Pope has declared that Purgatory no longer exists. Please gather all residual belongings and sins and proceed to the front desk for final judgment by an expert panel of saints to determine relocation to one hereafter, or the other. Infernal and divine agents will be circulating to assist with evaluation and will be available should you have need of their services. We repeat, in three hours purgatory will be closed and all residents relocated based on mandatory, final judgment.

Purging Purgatory is a Horde-style Live Action Role Playing game. In Purging Purgatory, a small handful of players will be assigned roles for the whole game. They will play the Saints, celestial beings and one lucky person will play the Pope. The rest of the players will play many characters, the masses that have been placed in Purgatory and must now be judged.

From The Gospel According to Wikipedia:

Peak oil is the point in time at which the maximum global petroleum production rate is reached, after which the rate of production enters its terminal decline. If global consumption is not mitigated before the peak, the availability of conventional oil will drop and prices will rise, perhaps dramatically. M. King Hubbert first used the theory in 1956 to accurately predict that United States oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970. His model, now called Hubbert peak theory, has since been used to predict the peak petroleum production of many other countries, and has also proved useful in other limited-resource production-domains. According to the Hubbert model, the production rate of a limited resource will follow a roughly symmetrical bell-shaped curve based on the limits of exploitability and market pressures.

Some observers, such as petroleum industry experts Kenneth S. Deffeyes and Matthew Simmons, believe the high dependence of most modern industrial transport, agricultural and industrial systems on the relative low cost and high availability of oil will cause the post-peak production decline and possible severe increases in the price of oil to have negative implications for the global economy. Although predictions as to what exactly these negative effects will be vary greatly, "a growing number of oil-industry chieftains are endorsing an idea long deemed fringe: The world is approaching a practical limit to the number of barrels of crude oil that can be pumped every day."

If political and economic change only occur in reaction to high prices and shortages rather than in reaction to the threat of a peak, then the degree of economic damage to importing countries will largely depend on how rapidly oil imports decline post-peak. The Export Land Model shows that the amount of oil available internationally drops much more quickly than production in exporting countries because the exporting countries maintain an internal growth in demand. Shortfalls in production (and therefore supply) would cause extreme price inflation, unless demand is mitigated with planned conservation measures and use of alternatives, which would need to be implemented 20 years before the peak.

Optimistic estimations of peak production forecast a peak will happen in the 2020s or 2030s and assume major investments in alternatives will occur before a crisis. These models show the price of oil at first escalating and then retreating as other types of fuel and energy sources are used.

Pessimistic predictions of future oil production operate on the thesis that the peak has already occurred or will occur shortly and, as proactive mitigation may no longer be an option, predict a global depression, perhaps even initiating a chain reaction of the various feedback mechanisms in the global market which might stimulate a collapse of global industrial civilization.

This ends our reading from the gospel

It is now the year 2033. Peak oil production ocurred in 2025. Oil prices have risen astronimically, and are now fluctuating between $15 and $20/gallon. There are food production problems because of the dependance of modern farmers on petroleum for running farm equipment, fertilizers, and transportation of goods. It is becoming harder and harder for food to get from where it is produced to where it is needed, and when it gets there it is extremely expensive. People are getting scared and trying to learn how to be more self sufficient before it is too late. Many people have converted their lawns to vegetable gardens and are raising chickens in their backyards, but for many it isn't working. Perhaps ironically, it is in third world countries that people are most well off now because they are accustomed to having to survive without modern conveniences. Though scientists are working around the clock to develop new alternative sources of renewable energy, civilization teeters on the brink of collapse.

As they tend to do in the face of hardship and great change, a growing number of people are turning to their faith in order to survive. The numbers of the devout grow by the day. The growing religious influx makes the situation in Purgatory all the more relevant. Paticularly if this is the coming of the Apocalypse.

There are two types of sin according to the Roman Catholic Church. There are Mortal Sins, which are so serious as to cut the sinner off from God's graces entirely, usually a direct violation of one or more of the 10 Commandments, and ensure a one way ticket straight to Hell. For something to be considered a Mortal Sin, the sinner must be completely aware that it is a grave matter, and commit the sin with full knowledge, choice, and consent. If these conditions are not met, it is a Venial Sin. Venial Sins are everything else. The sins which have landed these poor souls in Purgatory are most assuredly all of a venial nature; the system is set up to screen out the more serious Mortal Sinners upon death, and that system has never failed.

Here in Purgatory, we specialize is preparing souls for admission to Heaven. Some souls are not sufficiently free from sin and its consequences to enter the state of heaven immediately, nor are they so sinful as to be destined for hell either. Such souls, ultimately destined to be united with God in heaven, must first endure purgatory - a state of purification. In purgatory, souls achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

There are many ways we purify souls. We pride ourselves in tailoring purification methods to match the sins and the sinner. And so, we do not limit ourselved to purification by fire, but by many means of punishment, carefully selected by our highly trained staff to perfectly compliment and cleanse the sins and thus purify our clients.

Please proceed in a calm and orderly fashion to the Judgement area, where a panel of Saints and their staff have been assembled in order to offer you the ultimate in fairness. In order to ascend to Heaven, you merely have to convince the Judges that your sins have been purified through your suffering here in Purgatory, and you have achieved holiness and therefore are deserving of your place in Heaven.

And now, introducing, our panel of Saints!

St. Joan of Arc, a 19 year old maiden who successfully lead an army to try to liberate France before being captured by the enemy and burned at the stake for heresy on trumped up charges. She is known far and wide for her righteousness and holiness.

St. Thomas Augustine of "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet" fame. A great sinner in his youth who went on to overcome that and become a Saint in his old age, and one of Purgatory's founding fathers. He should be an inspiration to everyone here.

St. Peter, who devoted his life to the organization of the newly formed Catholic Church, and has held the keys and controlled the Gates To Heaven for almost as long as anyone here can remember, which is a really really really really really long time.

And helping to keep things organized and moving along we have the Archangel Gabriel. Obey him as if he had a direct line to God... because he does.

After Judgement, you will be directed to your destination. Please fasten your seatbelt, enjoy your trip, and have a well deserved eternity.

Keep it simple

The combat system for this game is very simple. Your character has a statistic called power. If you are fighting with someone else, you compare power levels. The higher one wins. If someone wants to hold back, lose a fight or hide their power level, the comparison can be made by a GM.

The +50 battleaxe of BS
There are a few item cards that will give a character a bonus to fight, usually in certain conditions. This is simple addition. If you want to write it out on your character card, feel free to do so like this; (Power 100 when deceitful, +50 battleaxe of BS)

Let's all join in
Group combat is a simple matter of adding all involved power levels. No more than 10 characters can attack at once. If everyone in Purgatory decided that the Angel Gabriel needed a beating, they better find people power 60+, because Gabriel is level 600.

Combat resolution
We are in Purgatory, so no one can die... ...again, that is. Even if you have been transported here alive from Earth, that rule still applies. If one side has twice the power of the other, they can elect to knock the weaker into unconsciousness. Otherwise, you can hurt them, hold them or tickle them. If, through some miracle, you have four times the power of the weaker party, you can expunge them from all existence.

So, here is a damage card summary:
You < Them = You lose, hopefully not by much
You > 1x Them = You win, but they are still conscious
You > 2x Them = You can knock them out
You > 4x Them = You can destroy their eternal soul

Have Fun!

Infallibility has been granted to the following Divine Agents; St. Joan of Arc, St. Peter, St. Thomas Augustine, The 4 Archangels (Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel) and, of course, The Pope. More recent Popes trump older Popes in infallibility, with the current Pope at the top of the heirarchy (or anarchy, as the case may be.) All decisions are correct and final, until a new decision is made, which is correct and final, even if it negates the old correct and final decision.

Of course, all Demons are infinitely fallible, and should never ever be trusted.

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