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Sex and Intrigue on the Orient Express

xavierrol

xavierrol

Old Dog, New Tricks
Supporter
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Location
Ohio
I'm looking to create a setting where people can create characters of varying style and complexity and insert them onto the famed Orient Express along the characters of others. This will be the route from Paris to Istanbul for our purposes, though some characters could start from London. Encounters can range from simple sexual liaisons, to international espionage. Perhaps even murder (though I would likely create a character or two as victims rather than you kind people killing each other off). The nature of a train trip allows for characters to come and go which lends itself well to the nature of group RPs from my experience.

I am leaning towards having it take place in the 1930's so lots of potential geopolitical stuff and no cell phones. I don't have a lot of rules or anything at this point but am mainly looking to gauge interest. I believe the trip took about six days, so could be of limited duration but if we find we like it, we can always head back in the other direction to keep things going or even introduce different characters to freshen things up.

WL_ORIENT_EXPRESS.jpg
 
Ooh, I found myself a gem here! I got four words for ya: From Russia, With Love.

That said, I was hoping that we could nudge the year forward just a tad? Or is that a problem if we end up in '41, in the middle of the Blitzkrieg across France? Cause I wanted to play as an American with a "double life", and they didn't really get into that until 1941, but a Brit could serve as well.
 
desperado1089 said:
Ooh, I found myself a gem here! I got four words for ya: From Russia, With Love.

That said, I was hoping that we could nudge the year forward just a tad? Or is that a problem if we end up in '41, in the middle of the Blitzkrieg across France? Cause I wanted to play as an American with a "double life", and they didn't really get into that until 1941, but a Brit could serve as well.
Click to expand...
According to Wikipedia, the line was actually shut down from 39-45 ☹️

Source
 
I've been toying around with an idea for a character that I haven't quite yet managed to fit into any scenario, not even of my own device, but considering the reference to Agatha Christie in the title (if that is what it is) and the mention of a possible murder, international espionage and all such things I think this might be a good setting to take my version of a young Jane Marple for a spin.

In my version she is in her mid to late 30s and a field operative (of sorts) for MI6, gathering intelligence all over interwar Europe. (I can flesh out more details if this sounds interesting.)

And just to be clear, I am not really looking to create any kind of alternate version of Christie's Murder on the Orient Express but simply stepping off the correlation to take my Marple for a test drive and see what if anything that might lead to.
 
desperado1089 said:
That was gonna be my idea. Partners, perhaps?
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I see my Jane Marple working alone but perhaps a sort of collaboration between the UK and the US. I am fairly certain the US had operatives of some sort in Europe between the world wars, not CIA or OSS per se (since netither existed at the time) but a similar organisation. I'm not actually sure if there was an equivalent before them but YC could be working for the US state department.
 
Well I was gonna have my guy be another MI6 operative lol. But this is what the OP was talking about when they said that secret aspects of our characters should remain so.
 
desperado1089 said:
Well I was gonna have my guy be another MI6 operative lol. But this is what the OP was talking about when they said that secret aspects of our characters should remain so.
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So two MI6 operatives on independent missions unaware of each other (At least initially) is that what you are suggesting?
 
Without further ado...
7894c9f8f9e5b8ddbc760afbf7fdecc8.jpg
Name: Charles Walsh
Age: 35
Bio: Charles is aboard the Orient Express after setting up an office for his import/export business in Istanbul. He is single, unmarried, and has a rather no-nonsense look about him, which, according to the men and women at Regent's Park, where the company is based, makes him a forceful business negotiator.

F-list in signature.

MsBloom said:
So two MI6 operatives on independent missions unaware of each other (At least initially) is that what you are suggesting?
Click to expand...
Or they are aware of each other, it's up to you really.
 
desperado1089 said:
Or they are aware of each other, it's up to you really.
Click to expand...

I doubt an organisation such as MI6 holds office parties for their operatives to meet and greet but I imagine my Jane Marple as having been in the business of international espionage and operations since the end of WW I one might perhaps assume that the two has run into each other before.
 
Traveler said:
What a great idea! Almost a spy vs. spy but they're on the same side! How fun
Click to expand...

I most certainly think it could be. Let's not forget that trust is in short supply in that line of work. Anyone could be a double agent, especially if one has financial business interest in a foreign country with whom the UK was at war less than two decades before.
 
desperado1089 said:
It's a cover story.
Click to expand...

I realise this but think of it as a back up plan to keep an eye on those he associate with. And if I may brainstorm a bit on the story between our characters. Charles Walsh could be setting up office in Constantinople (recently renamed Istanbul in the timeline of the roleplay) in a slightly more official capacity as some form of ambassador trying to mend relations between Turkey (The Ottoman Empire) and the UK. Jane Marple is on a much more clandestine mission with no official function, thus able to gain access to information without drawing attention to herself the way a businessman might.
 
@desperado1089 On a completely different note it is actually sort of funny that you went with the Sean Connery version of James Bond for your faceclaim since there is actually a connection between Miss Marple and Mr Bond, (or rather Mr Fleming).
 
@MsBloom as always, a pleasure to see your interest.


desperado1089 said:
Without further ado...
View attachment 14379
Name: Charles Walsh
Age: 35
Bio: Charles is aboard the Orient Express after setting up an office for his import/export business in Istanbul. He is single, unmarried, and has a rather no-nonsense look about him, which, according to the men and women at Regent's Park, where the company is based, makes him a forceful business negotiator.

F-list in signature.


Or they are aware of each other, it's up to you really.
Click to expand...

@desperado1089 I feel like I've seen him somewhere before... Nice choice for the role. For some reason I was thinking this trip is starting in Paris but it is really kind of arbitrary. So we can discuss it, it may well make sense to start in the east and head towards Europe. Otherwise I think he seems very suitable. I don't think 1941 would work for reasons already mentioned above, I'm leaning towards 1936 but am willing to discuss up to 1939 if someone wants to make a strong case for it.

If I've missed anyone, give me a poke. I'm going to get a character and OOC thread together as it seems we have enough interest. I'd still like to see character concepts here before posting in character profiles. I think I have approved everyone that has posted so far, but let me know if I've missed you.
 
Nice choice! I'm having some computer issues here, in case I'm a bit slow coming up, but...the spy stuff could also work as my guy is a foreign spy as well.
 
Just a quick formality before getting started. Is this the route we will be going:
Paris - Strasbourg - Karlsruhe - Stuttgart - Munich - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade -Sofia - Constantinople (Istanbul).
(I think this is the route it took in the 1930s but I'm not entirely sure.)
 
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