conversations.from: system
conversations.value: *No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's ... Yet across the gulf of space...intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.* - HG Wells
  
  **Victorian survival horror** Based on the classic HG Wells science fiction novel, this game will follow the struggles of  a small group of survivors over the full course of a Martian invasion of England, from the arrival of the first Martian spaceship to the final destruction of the Martian invaders by (spoilers!). The players' goal is to stay alive and sane for as long as possible. 
  
  Will you be alive when so many are dead? 
  
  Will your mind survive the horrors you witness?
  
  
  
  **Beginners welcome**
  
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've given your life to the Service, fighting in every condition from Arctic to tropical. But what has it accomplished? Was it worth it?
conversations.prefix: Soldier:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Whether as muckraker for a local broadsheet or a reporter for the respected *Times*, your passion is ferretting out news and broadcasting it to the world.
conversations.prefix: Journalist:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: As a medical professional, your duty is as a healer - even though you're painfully aware of the limitations of Victorian medical science. 
conversations.prefix: Physican:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As a member of the upper classes, you are accustomed to power, status and wealth.  *Of course* you want that to continue.
conversations.prefix: Aristocrat:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your passion is knowledge. Either in a great university or your own attic laboratory, your experiments and observations make life worthwhile.
conversations.prefix: Scientist:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: "Trade is the lifeblood of a nation." - but it's the haggling, accounting, luck, and hard work of the merchants like you that actually keep the lifeblood flowing. You live for the days that you make a good deal.
conversations.prefix: Shopkeeper:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Up before dawn and toiling until well after dark, you keep a household together through hard work, skill, and improvisation. You take satisfaction in a job well done. 
conversations.prefix: Servant:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are widely-read in the classics, history, and science, and speak more than five languages. Your tutors still speak well of your scholarship.
conversations.prefix: Well-educated:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Whether it's from a lifetime of hard work, or just sheer determination, you can keep going when all around you are collapsing from exhaustion or disease. 
conversations.prefix: Enduring:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are physically strong, able to lift heavy weights, bend bars, and break boards in half. 
conversations.prefix: Strong:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your insight and acumen are unmatched. There's always an angle and you will find it. 
conversations.prefix: Cunning:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're light on your feet and have been known to juggle knives. Your dexterity has come in handy on more than one occasion.  
conversations.prefix: Agile:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're good-looking and you know it. Combined with your easy charm and ready wit, you've had more than your share of admirers - of every gender. 
conversations.prefix: Attractive:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your keen mind and natural curiousity lead you to notice things that others don't, and draw conclusions that others miss.
conversations.prefix: Insightful:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're not *really* afraid of everything - you just have a healthy appreciation for danger and for the importance of staying away from it at all costs.
conversations.prefix: Cowardly:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Either by birth or bad luck, you have a persistent illness or injury that slows you down or even renders you incapable on occasion. 
conversations.prefix: Poor health:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Customs and traditions and rules are what keep society together. There's a precedent for every occasion, and you are wise to follow it. 
conversations.prefix: Hidebound:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Money money money!  You want it, and you want it *all*. 
conversations.prefix: Greedy:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're prone to drop things, trip over things, and occasionally bang into things.
conversations.prefix: Clumsy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You always weigh all available evidence before making a decision - but there's never quite enough evidence, is there? 
conversations.prefix: Indecisive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Never say die! Also, never say retreat! And don't even think of saying "let's think this through, first". 
  Hesitation is for cowards!
conversations.prefix: Foolhardy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You need to get back to your family and make sure they are safe.
conversations.prefix: Family:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've been alone too long - where is your true love? Perhaps the Martians will bring you together!
conversations.prefix: True Love:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your exploits during this crisis will make you famous and adored by the masses. 
conversations.prefix: Fame:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What's so great about Great Britain? Maybe if it were gone, something new and better could be built!
conversations.prefix: Brave New World:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Horsell Common is a large wooded area near London. This sandpit is where the mysterious cylinder landed.
conversations.prefix: Horsell Common Sandpit:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You, personally, are going to get through this nightmare alive. Whether or not anybody else does, is up to them.
conversations.prefix: Survive!:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You want to learn as much as possible about the Martians.
conversations.prefix: Science!:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are at the heart of the biggest news story of all time. You will document it all for your readers. 
conversations.prefix: The big story:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Assistant to the Astronomer Royal, Henderson has been working with the clearing crew all day and is obviously exhausted. 
conversations.prefix: Henderson:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The monster has unleashed some sort of weapon, an almost invisible but highly potent ray of heat. It’s turning towards you!
conversations.prefix: The heat ray:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Before he died, Henderson gave this sealed document to Dan, with instructions to keep it safe.  It details a German plot!
conversations.prefix: Sealed document:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The heat ray has set the woods alight.
conversations.prefix: Forest fire!:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Armed with his trusty shotgun and "no nonsense" attitude, the trusty Roberts patrols the bounds of Lord Lytton's estate, watching for poachers and other no-good types. 
conversations.prefix: Gamekeeper Roberts:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The manor house has collapsed, with only a few pockets where the arches have held up some of the brickwork. You are trapped!
conversations.prefix: Trapped in the rubble:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A beautifully-made Victorian hunting piece. After use on the Martian, it has no ammo.
conversations.prefix: Shotgun:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're scratched, battered and sore. Every so often the pain makes you hesitate, but you can usually force yourself to keep moving. You need to be careful to avoid infection.
conversations.prefix: Cut and bruised:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You get a good firing position and let the Martian have it - both barrels!
conversations.prefix: Shoot the creature:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An alien machine, a giant tripod a hundred feet high, is walking towards you. It must have a heat ray on board!
conversations.prefix: Escape the tripod:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This railroad bridge across the River Wey looks very different than yesterday! Can you cross it?
conversations.prefix: A bridge too far?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: These rough-looking fellows have a shotgun and look ready to use it. 
conversations.prefix: Looters:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: An older Victorian hunting piece.
conversations.prefix: Old Shotgun:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A bag full of bread, cheese, meat, onions, and other items.
conversations.prefix: Food:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A set of tables on the edge of the village where you pause and talk.
conversations.prefix: The village meeting:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You gather around a table and eat a hasty meal, arguing all the while about what to do next.
conversations.prefix: Village meeting:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The first wave of refugees are circling the village - and you're getting shoved back against the buildings.
conversations.prefix: Oncoming mob!:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: William Krebbs' beloved Nell, fleeing from London.
conversations.prefix: Nell (Krebbs only):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Among the mob, you see an injured man being carried by three others. 
conversations.prefix: Injured refugee:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are occasionally dizzy and frequently absent-minded. It's safe to sleep, but not to operate heavy machinery (assuming you find any). You need as much rest as possible, but you're not going to get it. 
conversations.prefix: Concussion:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: It's time that Dan handed that letter over, and Ogilvy is the obvious candidate.
conversations.prefix: Convince Gentleman Dan:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: One of the buggies has been abandoned in the crush - it would be perfect for moving Krebbs safely. Can you get it unstuck and calm the horse? 
conversations.prefix: Get a horse!:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Tony has been saving people left and right all day -- what's gotten into him?
conversations.prefix: Tony's Lesser Nature (Tony only):
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your name carries power because your family has all the wealth in the world. And you stand to inherit it all, should tragedy befall family.
conversations.prefix: The Heiress:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: There's a price on everything and your bottomless pocket ensures whatever you want, you have. 
conversations.prefix: Wealth:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Nothing is ever denied to you and so you constantly seek new amusement, mostly, by being endlessly curious about the world around you. 
conversations.prefix: Curious :
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You need to prove you're more than the name and more than the money. You're worth something all on your own. 
conversations.prefix: Find Yourself:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The Gentleman’s sport. Earning a living by taking on all comers, you’re looking for that one big purse to set you up for life. 
conversations.prefix: Pugilist:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your keen eyes and ears are always on the alert for enemies and other dangers. You are an excellent  lookout, and are used to staying awake for long stretches of time on guard duty.
conversations.prefix: Alert:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You crawled into a gin bottle a long time ago and haven't come out since. If you don't keep alcohol flowing through your veins, you'll go into severe withdrawal.
conversations.prefix: Lush:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If this is the end of this green and pleasant land, you have only one chance left at redemption.  Perhaps the only way to give meaning your life is to lose it so that another can live.
conversations.prefix: Self Sacrifice:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You have recently returned from fighting the Dutch Boers in South Africa, marking the end of a lifetime of service to Queen and Country.  Scarred and shaken, you struggle to find meaning in civilian life.
conversations.prefix: Boer War Veteran:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You attend a very prestigious medical school. Both parents are successful doctors, raising you to both be a brilliant doctor, but also a creative thinker. 
  You enjoy reading and have read hundreds of books on multiple subjects. 
  
conversations.prefix: Medical Student:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You can think fast on your feet, coming up with ideas on the fly. You notice the small things in the world around you, and can use them in ways many don't think of. 
  
conversations.prefix: Creative thinking:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Having lost many around you, you desire to lose no more, and have vowed to save everyone you can. 
  While at your own cost, you are willing to try the ones around you. 
conversations.prefix: Savior:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You notice the small things in the world around you, and you are able to come up with ideas quickly and on the fly. 
  Using the world around you in ways many don't think of.
conversations.prefix: Quick Thinking:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A veteran of the Spanish American War, you are now enjoying a posh assignment as a member of the Marine detachment at the American embassy.  As a military liaison officer, your duties include interacting with your British counterparts and attending swanky receptions at the Court of St. James.  Little did you know that this pleasant little shore duty was about to go topsy-turvy on you.
conversations.prefix: US Marine:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You are loyal to your Corps and your flag.    Part of your code is defending the defenseless.  In the present crisis, that loyalty will transfer beyond flag and border, and you will soon see your loyalty as extending to the whole of the the human race.  
conversations.prefix: Semper Fidelis:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your beloved Nell is out there somewhere in this unimaginable hell.  You have no chance of finding her...*saving* her...if you don't survive yourself.
conversations.prefix: Survive for Her:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Your British hosts have been lulled into a smug complacency that comes with having been the world's greatest power for over a century.  You, on the other hand, see the 20th Century as the dawn of a new age.  America has fulfilled her manifest destiny in North America.  Now, it's time to take her rightful place on the world's stage.  You are full of optimism, enthusiasm, and the "we can fix anything" attitude so common to you Yanks...and rather tediously annoying to Europeans.
  
  Besides...how can you *possibly* be over confident in the face of what's happening *now?*  
conversations.prefix: Over Confident:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Being impulsive sometimes works to your advantage.
  
  Other times...not so much.
conversations.prefix: Recklessly Impulsive:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Some call it grace under fire, levelheadedness, or keeping calm. You just call it being an Englishman.
conversations.prefix: Stiff Upper Lip:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The great house at your family's estate is possessed of as fine a library as can be found anywhere in England.  As there is often little else of a person of your class to do--when not riding after the hounds, entertaining, or socializing--you are quite well-read.  Of particular interest to you are the sciences...that which your father Lord Kensington still refers to as the "natural philosophies."  One vulgar indulgence of yours is a periodical from America called "The Atlantic."  It often has articles in it from the astronomer Percival Lowell, a particular favorite of yours.
conversations.prefix: Thoughtful and Well-Read:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: When it comes to the legendary British Stiff Upper Lip, none are stiffer than those possessed by the Kensingtons.  As a Kensington woman, you are expected to maintain your outward serenity and stalwartness at all times...but there *are* times--far too many--when that upper lip of yours simply betrays you.
conversations.prefix: Emotions:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You and your husband represent the pinnacle of the long climb of the British Nation...from the fateful day when William the Conqueror forged a new kingdom until this day, the dawn of a new century where the British Empire spans the entire globe.  *Pax Britannia* shall *NOT* be ruined by something as horrid as the vulgar squid-like creatures.
conversations.prefix: The Status Quo:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's a man's world.  That affords a clever woman plenty of time to quietly observe the people, events and places around her.  The conclusions she reaches may not be of interest to the smug occupants of a gentleman's club, but the insights she gains are nonetheless valuable.
conversations.prefix: Observant:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Well, maybe not *everything,* but it counts for a great deal.   And it remains the duty of the *upper* classes to remind the *lower* classes of this fundamental fact whenever the  need arises.
conversations.prefix: Class is Everything:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A member of the household staff of Lord Lytton.  You assist the butler Mr. Cowling in a variety of tasks.  Your job requires you to be alert, observant, competent, and prompt...and utterly invisible when the situation so dictates.
conversations.prefix: Footman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Listening, anticipating, reacting, excelling...you have developed the skill set which allows you to assess a situation and anticipate what action needs to be taken.  You also have developed rather extraordinary listening skills.  You read in your spare time, and are rather a quick study.
  
conversations.prefix: Astute:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: All this running about, screaming and fleeing for one's life from creatures hailing from beyond your world...*nothing* has prepared you for such things.  Not even that rather odd group of Frenchmen who came to stay with Lord Lytton last month.
conversations.prefix: "I am but a Footman!":
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You just always *assumed* that things would remain as they are, as they *had been* since before you were born.  The old Queen was on her throne, the Lyttons were in their great house, you were in the servants quarters.  All very predictable.  All very comfortable.  All that seems to have changed.  What does this mean for a young man in your particular station in life?  
conversations.prefix: Perhaps there's something more..?:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Well...not *quite that,* perhaps.  But as a servant employed in Lord Lytton’s service, you certainly *do* know your way around the great house!
conversations.prefix: "To the  Manor born":
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: “This is my rifle.  There are many like it, but this one is mine.”
  OK…it’s not his rifle.  It’s not even a *rifle.*
  It’s a shotgun.
  But you get the idea.
  The Marine *definitely* knows how to shoot!
  
conversations.prefix: Marksman:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Sometimes you are astute with an admirable ability to see things clearly and think on your feet.
  
  This, apparently, is **not** one of those times...
conversations.prefix: Easily perplexed (sometimes):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Violence?  That's in your job description.
  
  The mere *threat* of violence?
  
  Oh, please...
conversations.prefix: Used to Violence:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Morphine:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The hand is quicker than the eye! (Sometimes even resulting with the hand making forceful contact with the eye.) 
conversations.prefix: Don’t look now...:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: If you are not known for being brave, sometimes appears in you the stimulus for acting, no matter the danger, your pride demands to you to act.
conversations.prefix: Cold blood:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The hero gets the girl in the end.  That's the way these stories are supposed to work.
conversations.prefix: How it's supposed to be:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: When her ire is up, somebody or something is going to regret it, whether deservedly so or not.
conversations.prefix: Not to be Trifled With:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You feel proud of your beloved country and whoever thinks the contrary or don't act according its interets don't deserve your respect.
conversations.prefix: British nacionalist:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A poisonous black dust is swirling towards you. You must escape it!
conversations.prefix: Escape the Black Dust:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Henderson's letter is written in an old code, a series of symbols that Lady Marjorie remembers from her extensive reading.
conversations.prefix: Crack the Code (Lady Marjorie only):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A sprightly girl of perhaps twelve years age, daughter of Captain William Wyndham, a merchant captain.
conversations.prefix: Mary Wyndham:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The black dust didn't kill you - but has left you nauseated and occasionally dizzy. Hopefully, it won't get any worse. 
conversations.prefix: Poisoned:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You race through the streets to the pier, arriving just in time to scramble on board, literally moments before the gangplanks are simply heaved overboard. The packed ship moves agonizingly slowly, struggling to get away from the shore. 
conversations.prefix: Get to the dock!:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  As Albert reaches the deck, he glances back to see a boy limping after them, heading for the ship. 
conversations.prefix: The Boy (Albert only):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The accumulated stress, fatigue, and wounds are finally too much. Your senses reel as the world seems to close in around you and all sound is muted.
conversations.prefix: Despair (for Krebbs):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The accumulated stress, fatigue, and wounds are finally too much. Your senses reel as the world seems to close in around you and all sound is muted.
conversations.prefix: Despair (for Albert):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The accumulated stress, fatigue, and wounds are finally too much. Your senses reel as the world seems to close in around you and all sound is muted.
conversations.prefix: Despair (for Lady Marjorie):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The accumulated stress, fatigue, and wounds are finally too much. Your senses reel as the world seems to close in around you and all sound is muted.
conversations.prefix: Despair (For Tony):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The accumulated stress, fatigue, and wounds are finally too much. Your senses reel as the world seems to close in around you and all sound is muted.
conversations.prefix: Despair (for Dr Brown):
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Its been a rough and stressful past few days. They've been filled with horrors and unimaginable creatures. But now they adrenaline rush that has been fueling you the last couple of days is wearing off and fast. 
conversations.prefix: Fatigue:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You realise that in life there is more apart from money, goods or Status. People deserve to be treated like equals.
conversations.prefix: Helpful:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: How much more of this is a bloke supposed to take?
conversations.prefix: Overwhelmed:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You never imagined you'd have to be taking care of your wife in the middle of *any* war zone, let alone an interplanetary war zone.
conversations.prefix: Keep Nell Safe:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: That knock on the head is still affecting your ability to reason clearly.
conversations.prefix: Still a little Foggy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Sometimes events are so overwhelming that you lose--however temporarily--the capacity for independent thought...or at least cogent thought.
conversations.prefix: Overcome:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Against the odds, you have survived through a series of trials and traumas which would have been utterly imaginable to you just a few days ago.  
  This is no time to throw in the tea towel!
conversations.prefix: Don't Quit Now!:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Being in a battle thrills you.  It's best being in the thick of the action, but even here--on the periphery--is better than being out of it entirely.
conversations.prefix: The Thrill of Battle:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: How will this end?
conversations.prefix: What Now?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This is simply *not* the type of thing an Englishman will take lying down...
conversations.prefix: A Growing Determination:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: They *have* to win.  They simply *have* to!
conversations.prefix: My Uncle's in Her Majesty's Navy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Life is difficult and you need to work hard to achieve respect. Your father taught it for business, but why don't use these principles for your survival?
conversations.prefix: Don't fall apart: