BleepingComputer.com: When Sun Went Out

Hi there, I came up with a story concept a few weeks back and I wanted to see if I could get some people to interact with it. I was thinking I might try turning it into some sort of dungeons-and-dragons type game or something, where players make decisions for themselves or their parties and a game-master helps determine the result and creates new events. (Sorry if I just botched the whole D&D concept, I've mainly been an outside observer of it.) Sorry for using a 2012 date, but I needed a convenient doomsday date. If this concept totally sucks, feel free to tell me, just figured I'd throw it out there.

Anyway, here is the basic pitch. You are, well, you. Just normal, stinking you. You don't have a closet full of guns (unless you're into that I guess), no amulets of teleportation, and probably lack a fully equipped fallout shelter. The following begins to set up a scenario in which one of the most taken for granted resources of human existence is instantly snatched away. It will be your job to describe the actions you plan to take in response, factoring in your own ability to handle real-world problems.
THE MOMENT
One day, all around the world, a sudden feeling of foreboding seemed to overcome every person on the planet. No matter what walks of life they came from, no matter where they lived, language they spoke, job they had, anyone who could went outside and.... waited. Airlines canceled all flights as soon as those already in the air landed, rebels and dictators forgot they had an enemy to fight, the stock exchanges were abandoned. Those few places where people were restrained from getting outside simply sat down and looked for any piece of evidence that something was happening outdoors. For nearly 24 hours the people of the world waited, stirring only to retrieve water and relieve themselves, but no one ate a bite. No one felt the least bit hungry. It was the largest collective fast in the history of humanity.

And then it happened. It wasn't gradual, wasn't a gentle transition from one state to another. It was instantaneous. At the exact moment that the day was changing from December 20 to December 21 in Chichen Itza, those who watched the skies across the western hemisphere were dazzled by how brilliant the stars had suddenly become. It was as if someone had turned on a switch in the heavens, revealing thousands of stars people had never known had existed. Many people oohed and ahhed, astonished by the sight they were beholding. Some even cheered.

But a few people knew better than to celebrate this seeming blessing from the sky. They realized the truth, that the powers beyond human understanding had not turned on a switch, but rather turned off one. They looked to where the moon had been just a moment before and beheld: nothing, except for perhaps the faintest outline (their imagination perhaps?). They realized the truth.

The masses on the other side of the world were rendered silent by the magnificence of the stars as well. Except.... there was one missing. How could they notice one missing star amongst the thousands that had been laid out before their eyes? It seemed that they all realized the awful truth in one moment. It seemed billions of people cried out in shock and fear in one single moment.

In one single moment the sun had ceased to shine upon the world. 2012 has arrived. Your turn.

In one single moment the sun had ceased to shine upon the world. 2012 has arrived.

Within minutes, the temperature on the surface of the Earth dropped to 400 degrees below zero.

Every living thing died.

End of story.

hate to say it, but I kinda fail to see the point of this game, because like heavydude has pointed out-the whole planet would freeze and kill everything on it. And not just everything on the surface-even those in the deepest underground shelters with their own generators and heat would be lucky to make it a week in those sub zero temperatures. Scientifically, the earth has the perfect orbit-any farther from the sun, and we would freeze to death, any closer and wed fry.

OK, amendment to original scenario then. (Insert phenomena/aliens/whatever) have surrounded the sun with an electromagnetic filter (or insert favorite sci-fi gibberish here) which allows all energy and light to pass through it EXCEPT light in the "visible spectrum" which humans use to see. Short version: flip off the light switch, leave the heater on.

The moment that the light in the visible spectrum went out, every living thing on Earth was rendered unconscious for 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

There was great disappointment when they woke up and realized they had not had a glimpse of the future, but simply had been replaying their favorite Internet memes in their heads.

Meanwhile, Energizer & Duracell fell into the throes of massive corporate warfare as to whom would prevail in the global forefront.

As the geopolitical landscape became more chaotic throughout the industrial world, the third nations of the world shook their heads and said, "Seriously, you act like half your nation has never been on the brink of starvation before."