The New World
From Brass Goggles
The New World is set in 1901 America and details the adventures of a small band of newfound friends that undertake the task of saving America from a mysterious conspiracy.
The game began in Bristol as various Europeans queued to board the last open immigrant ship to the USA. Once aboard, they quickly build friendships so as to have some company in their new lives abroad.
Contents |
Characters
Falko Hendrick Hoogenboome - 18. Falko grew up in a troubled home and got a job as a metalworker in a factory to keep him out of the house. Following the death of a friend, he decided to leave Amsterdam to start his own life in the United States of America.
Fergus O'Flaherty - early forties. Fergus has had a hard life so far; the family evicted from their County Clare farm during the worst of the Potato Blight, The deaths from influenza of all but Fergus and his younger sister Deirdre, their poverty-ridden existence in Dublin, and their final split just before Deirdre's departure for America. Fergus knows only that she was supposed to have gone there -- after she left Dublin there was no word from her ever again. They had agreed to look for one another in New York, but that hope has been dashed, now, by recent events. Fergus left Ireland finally, for England, where he became apprenticed and learned the trades of both a blacksmith and a carpenter; he worked as both and also maintained a steam traction engine for his Master, so far identified only by the surname "Gill."
After being 'impressed' into the local military Levy as a fifer, of all things, he was shipped off to Africa, where he served in both the Islandwana (Zulu) Campaign, and on the side of Britain during the Matabele Rebellion, achieving the rank of Colour Sergeant, before his unit was disbanded, and he and his fellows were furloughed, then summarily discharged (albeit honorably). He returned to Master Gill, and worked for him for several more years before leaving for Bristol with Gill's blessing, and boarding the ship for New York.
The Story begins
The ship in Bristol
-Falko stands in the queue and observes the world around him while he waits to board the ship.
-Alexandre sees Falko in front of him (the two do not yet know each other) and pledges that the world will know his name someday.
-Vincenc (Cenek) sees Falko and Alex and decides to slip into the queue where they are and briefly introduces himself to Alex.
-Julius, a few spaces behind Alex, is slightly disapproving of the younger Cenek's manner and cautions him while moving Cenek behind him in the line so as to avoid potentially missing the boat.
-Rosalia, doing her best to avoid being seen by the search party she is convinced her father has sent, accidentally collides with Cenek and Alex.
-Luke notices the happenings further forward in the queue and has some brief thoughts about them.
-Arx pickpockets a ticket and moves in line with the others.
The group begins to talk and become acquainted with each other.
-Fergus boards the ship separately from the group.
-Falko escorts Rosie to her room before finding his own, which he shares with Alex.
They split off into separate conversations as they converge on the deck. Alex says his goodbyes to England. Fergus goes to the mess hall to eat. The others eventually do so as well. Arx and Cenek arrange a deal whereby Arx robs various cabins and they split the wealth between them. Luke and Fergus begin talking, which introduces Fergus to the group. Most of them hold discussions about their plans for their future in America. Rosie and Falko hold a conversation on the deck, during which they admit some feelings for each other and they decide to have a relationship.
Once everyone has dispersed again somewhat, a gunshot is heard from the deck. Upon further investigation it is revealed that one man is lying wounded on the deck, having been shot by a kitchen crew member, while other kitchen crew attempt to negotiate and apprehend the shooter. The shooter commits suicide and both he and the wounded passenger are taken to the kitchen rather than the medical bay.
The end of the voyage
A time jump takes place. Upon investigation by Falko it is revealed that the wounded man was never seen again and was killed because he discovered something he should not have known which the kitchen crew know. The events on the deck after the shooting are revealed to be a charade and the shooter was in fact sacrificed to keep the information secret while avoiding arousing too much suspicion. It is also revealed that, as the entire ship essentially bore witness to the shooting, the kitchen staff plan on destroying the ship in New York harbor by overloading the boiler.
-The group hold a meeting where they decide to get off the boat by stealing a tug, which they would then use to hijack another small ship after 'accidentally' crashing the tug to avoid being caught as they dock. They split into 4 groups. Rosie, Falko and Alex are to steal the tug boat, Luke and Julius are to find the ship's logs and papers in the hope that they may have some further information, Cenek and Fergus are to tamper with the boilers so that they cannot be overloaded and Arx is to find disguises and outfits for them all so they can blend in upon arrival in New York.
-Rosie, Falko and Alex decide that Alex will head to the deck where he will create an argument to help draw away crew from the tugboat station so that Falko and Rosie have less crewmen to apprehend in order to obtain control of the tug.
-Fergus and Cenek go straight to the boilers where they make them impossible to overload intentionally.
-Julius and Luke burn the documents of the group to make them untraceable and steal the captain's logs.
-On the deck, Anna notices Alex, who is posing as a rich gentleman, and decides she should pickpocket him as he seems wealthy.
-Rosie and Falko overrun the tug crew and kiss on the deck on the tug while they wait for the others.
The group eventually all make it to the tug, minus Arx, and set off. They 'accidentally' sever the rope from the tug to the main ship. They spot a private yacht out in the harbor which they decide will be the ship they will hijack. The team pull up along side it and jump aboard.
-Fergus is the first aboard, where he secures the steering room.
-Cenek joins Fergus in the steering room where he takes control of the yacht.
-Alex is next aboard, he apprehends the men who have reacted and gone to the deck.
-Falko jumps aboard and makes for the first of two crew cabins. He apprehends the men inside but is shot in the left shoulder in the process.
-Rosie finds Falko in the cabin where he is conscious and stable.
-Fergus begins treating Falko's wound.
-Julius sets the tug on a course that will have it crash into some rocks. He jumps overboard and begins to swim toward the yacht but soon finds himself exhausted and about to drown.
-Luke stays on the tug the longest to keep it balanced while the others board. he apprehends the men in the second crew cabin.
-Alex jumps overboard to help Julius but soon finds himself close to drowning as well.
-Falko has a short hallucination where he sees what he thinks are angels. He disregards it as him being in shock. He is soon stitched up.
-Anna raids the owner's lavish cabin before finding Falko and Rosie. She and Falko have a short argument about her way of life and it's unsuitability for the new life the group still wishes to start together.
-Fergus saves Alex and Julius from drowning and sets about warming them up while Luke finds some blankets.
-Falko finds some more respectable clothes so as to disguise himself in the owner's cabin.
The group finally reach the dock where Luke reveals he has a way of wiping the memory of the crew members Alex pacified. The crewmen's memories are subsequently wiped to protect the identities of the group members.
