The April 2022 Post Apocalyptic World Superdraft

[Pariah]

It all started innocently enough. It was just another little war in Eastern Europe, happens all the time. But in this case, the ‘president’ of the invading nation decided that if he couldn’t have his prize, nobody would. He ordered the release of all kinds of weapons of mass destruction - chemical weapons, biological agents, dirty bombs, even a tactical nuclear strike. Retaliatory strikes quickly followed, and then strikes in retaliation for those strikes. Allies got involved, and then allies of allies. In less than 48 hours, the world’s human population was reduced by something like 95%.

 

Now, twenty years later, the world is a mess. Large parts of the continental landmasses have been turned into radioactive glass. Governments and nations are a thing of the past. The looming crisis of global warming was successfully averted and replaced by nuclear winter. Now, wandering tribes of survivors navigate the snowy wastelands that extend nearly to the equator from both poles. Death, starvation, disease, and suffering are rampant. Cities are largely deserted, as large population centers serve as little more than easy targets. Technology exists at something like 1920s levels; anything more advanced was wiped out by EMPs. 

 

Strangely enough, the bizarre combinations of radiation, microbes, and exotic chemicals have given some people abilities far beyond those of mere mortals. Many of these people have made themselves warlords, exerting their power to secure the loyalty of small groups of followers and control some piece of still-liveable territory. Others have used their gifts to gather and protect survivors who lack the means to defend themselves. Many of these have aspirations of reaching the equatorial regions, where it is hoped that conditions exist that will allow civilization to be reborn.

 

Welcome to the future.

 

--

 

This is a shared world Superdraft. Each player will draft characters and other picks as detailed below. Players are welcome (and even encouraged) to link their casts and stories to those of other players. Will your team work to exploit this ruined world, or to save it? It’s up to you.

 

Specifics of the Superdraft are as follows:

 

1. In lieu of a location, your first pick will be a Resource. In this world, important stuff is hard to come by. Anyone sufficiently resourceful - and lucky - can probably scrounge together enough food, water, and simple fuel (wood, flammable trash, cow chips, etc.) to get by. Anything beyond that, however, is going to be hard to come by. Each group will have control of one such Resource. Examples might include gasoline, penicillin, copper, sugar, etc. Remember the technology restriction above when making this pick. Resources are exclusive. After the Resource is picked, all other picks may be made in any order.

 

2. You will draft five Protagonists fitting the following roles:
a. The Leader: This person is the one in charge, whether by superior power, smarts, sheer force of personality, or whatever.
b. The Second in Command: This person is next in command. Perhaps this person is the Leader’s best friend…or maybe they want to depose the Leader and take the job themselves. You decide.
c. The MacGyver: This is the person who makes things, fixes things, and basically keeps everything running. 
d. The Soldier: This is the combat specialist. They live to fight. The other team members may be capable fighters as well, but this one is the pro.
e. The Diplomat: Occasionally, the different factions may wish to avoid violence for whatever reason. This person is the one the group will turn to in such circumstances. 
As many as three of these characters may have superpowers. None of them are required to have powers, but up to three of them may.
All character picks are exclusive. All the usual rules about selecting characters are in effect here. If you have questions, feel free to ask.
Every group is assumed to have a contingent of nameless ragtag fugitives hanging around with them. Feel free to make use of these as you see fit.

 

3. All groups are assumed to have mundane means of travel - horses, jeeps, reindeer-drawn sledges, trucks with machine guns bolted to the roof, etc. Each group will also have one Unique Mode of Travel. Any mode of travel possible under the aforementioned technology restriction is acceptable. The Mode of Travel may be a single large item or a small group of smaller ones. Modes of Travel are exclusive. How your group obtained this Mode of Travel could make for an interesting story.

 

4. While antagonists are easy to come by in a setting like this, each player will select two specific Antagonists as follows:
a. The Archenemy: This is the major antagonist to the group. Why does this person hate you so? You tell us.
b. The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: Choose a person or small group to support the actions of the Archenemy. Why they support the Archenemy is up to you.
These picks are exclusive, although players who choose to blend their stories may share Antagonists if they wish.

 

5. Options: Use these for anything else you need to fill out your story. You may choose up to three of them. Options are exclusive unless there’s a compelling reason for them not to be.

 

In short, these are your choices:

• Resource (First pick): 
• The Leader: 
• The Second In Command: 
• The MacGyver: 
• The Soldier: 
• The Diplomat: 
• Unique Mode of Travel: 
• The Archenemy:
• The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks:
• Option #1: 
• Option #2: 
• Option #3: 

 

The draft will begin Monday, April 4th at noon Eastern Daylight Time. (Consult a reputable search engine if you’re not sure what time this is where you live.) You will make one selection each day, including the weekend of April 9-10. The last scheduled date to make picks will be Friday, April 15th. The poll will be posted on or about Monday, April 25th.

 

Any additional questions? Let’s hear them.

[Pariah]

Reserved for rosters.

Player: Bazza

Title: Can Scotty Escape from Wundagore Mountain? 

Resource (First pick): Steel

The Leader: Herbert Wyndham, the High Evolutionary

The Second In Command: Sharon "Power Broker" Carter (MCU)

The MacGyver: Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (ST:TOS)

The Soldier: Wanda Maximoff

The Diplomat: Robert Kinsey (Stargate SG-1)

Unique Mode of Travel: Pegasus army

The Archenemy: Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: The Parr Family (The Incredibles)

Option #1: Minions

Option #2: Alcohol (second Resource)

Option #3: Wundagore Mountain 

Player: Cancer

Title: Love and Rockets and Rotors

Resource (First pick): Deep-sea fish and fish oil

The Leader: Horatio Hornblower

The Second In Command: Spock

The MacGyver: Tom Swift

The Soldier: Casey Ryback (Under Siege)

The Diplomat: Jame Retief (the stories of Keith Laumer)

Unique Mode of Travel: Rotor Ship

The Archenemy: Dr. Moreau

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: Serpent Men (Robert E. Howerd)

Option #1: Nitrates (second Resource)

Option #2: Rocket artillery 

Option #3: Diplomat #2, Dr. Doolittle 

Player: csyphrett

Title: Flight Across the Americas

Resource (First pick): Weather control

The Leader: Thor

The Second In Command: Jack O'Neill (Stargate franchise)

The MacGyver: Professor Utonium (Power Puff Girls)

The Soldier: Spartan

The Diplomat: Storm (Ororo Munroe)

Unique Mode of Travel: Zeppelins 

The Archenemy: Charles Muntz (Up)

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: The Super Apes

Option #1: Chemical X (PPG)

Option #2: Chemical X Factory

Option #3: Rainmaker (PS 238)

Player: Death Tribble

Title: I See a Bad Skull Rising

Resource (First pick): Water mill

The Leader: Nicholas Fury

The Second In Command: Shaft (You're damn right!)

The MacGyver: Forge (X-Men)

The Soldier: John Matrix (Commando)

The Diplomat: The Second Doctor

Unique Mode of Travel: Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter

The Archenemy: Red Skull

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: Cybermen

Option #1: Aviation Fuel

Option #2: Furnace 

Option #3: Gold dust

Player: Hermit

Title: I Zinc We Forgot the Women 

Resource (First pick): Zinc (and zinc oxide)

The Leader: Arnold Ziffel (Green Acres)

The Second In Command: Walter "Radar" O'Reilly

The MacGyver: Professor Ron Hinckley (Gilligan's Island)

The Soldier: Gomer Pyle, USMC

The Diplomat: Templeton "Face-Man" Peck (The A-Team)

Unique Mode of Travel: The Wandered (Wild Wild West)

The Archenemy: J.R. Ewing

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: Siegfried (Get Smart)

Option #1: Every single conceivable version of Charlie's Angels

Option #2: Railway knowledge

Option #3: The Narrator (The Twilight Zone)

Player: L. Marcus

Title: 

Resource (First pick): Magic

The Leader: Steve "Captain America" Rogers

The Second In Command: 

The MacGyver: Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards

The Soldier: 

The Diplomat: Korben Dallas (The Fifth Element)

Unique Mode of Travel: 

The Archenemy: 

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: 

Option #1: 

Option #2: 

Option #3: 

Player: Logan.1179

Title: If Ma-Ma Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy

Resource (First pick): Paper (and paper products)

The Leader: Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

The Second In Command: Ellen Ripley (Alien)

The MacGyver: Egon Spengler (Ghostbusters)

The Soldier: Animal

The Diplomat: Jerry Maguire 

Unique Mode of Travel: The Doof Wagon

The Archenemy: Madeline Madrigal (Dredd)

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: The Droogs

Option #1: Hawk 

Option #2: Red Eye (Cowboy Bebop)

Option #3: Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding (Shawshank Redemption)

Player: Old Man

Title:  Scavenging Souls in the Cinders of Civilization 

Resource (First pick): Souls

The Leader: Lucifer (Constantine)

The Second In Command: Furiosa (Mad Max)

The MacGyver: Kaylee Frye (Firefly)

The Soldier: Selene (Underworld)

The Diplomat: Natasha Romanoff

Unique Mode of Travel: The Predator City of London

The Archenemy: Hela (MCU)

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: Darth Sidious 

Option #1: Enemy MacGyver Dr. Arliss Loveless (Wild Wild West)

Option #2: Enemy Soldier Snake Plissken (Escape from New York)

Option #3: Enemy Diplomat Kilgrave (Jessica Jones)

Player: Psybolt

Title: Brought to Book

Resource (First pick): Books 

The Leader: Barbara Gordon 

The Second In Command: Rupert Giles (BtVS)

The MacGyver: Angus MacGyver (MacGyver)

The Soldier: Okoye (Black Panther)

The Diplomat: Shepherd Derrial Book (Firefly)

Unique Mode of Travel: Flying Train

The Archenemy: Bookworm (source unknown)

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: Corvus Glaive

Option #1: The Conductor (The Polar Express)

Option #2: Firemen (Fahrenheit 451)

Option #3: Richard Castle 

Player: 

Title: 

Resource (First pick): 

The Leader: 

The Second In Command: 

The MacGyver: 

The Soldier: 

The Diplomat: 

Unique Mode of Travel: 

The Archenemy: 

The Lieutenant, Sidekick, or Mooks: 

Option #1: 

Option #2: 

Option #3: 

[Bazza]

I’ll pass. 

[Cancer]

<Cancer contemplates picking Cold Chisel his team's arch-enemy for no particularly coherent reason>

[Old Man]

I am definitely in. Although it will be hard to outdo the hellscape that is our current reality. 

[Bazza]

6 hours ago, Cancer said:

<Cancer contemplates picking Cold Chisel his team's arch-enemy for no particularly coherent reason>

May I suggest granite as your resource pick?

 

Also...you got nothing I want. ( )

[Bazza]

8 hours ago, Bazza said:

I’ll pass. 

 

Okay...I'll play. what do i have to lose, my sanity? Lost that. Sleep? At 1:30 am*, I'm losing that. Reality? Do I have to answer that. 

* https://savvytime.com/converter/et-to-acst/apr-4-2022/12pm

[csyphrett]

High tech as a resource is out, Pariah?

CES 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Should resource be real or can fictional (ie teleportation technology) be used?

[Pariah]

Let me try to answer both of these questions at once. As a rule, any technology more advanced than vacuum tubes is probably out.

 

Having said that, there are people in this world with superpowers, and some of them may be super inventors. So if there is a specific type of more advanced technology that you would like your group to have access to, that could potentially be your resource.

 

I'll tell you what. PM me with any specifics and I'll look at it on a case-by-case basis. Fair enough?

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Nothing specific in mind just yet. I'm musing. 

[death tribble]

What if I want to e-mail my apocalyptic world superdraft and not post it ?

[Pariah]

13 minutes ago, death tribble said:

What if I want to e-mail my apocalyptic world superdraft and not post it ?

 

I'm not sure I understand the question.

[death tribble]

post apocalyptic world superdraft

e-mail apocalyptic world superdraft

[Bazza]

In the Uk, like Australia, the postal service, is what the US calls the mail service. Ergo, if email was invented in UK or Australia it would be ‘epost’. 

[Cancer]

I, too, am waiting for something to burble up from the septic tank of my subconscious.

[Pariah]

1 hour ago, death tribble said:

What if I want to e-mail my apocalyptic world superdraft and not post it ?

 

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

I'm not sure I understand the question.

 

1 hour ago, death tribble said:

post apocalyptic world superdraft

e-mail apocalyptic world superdraft

 

Ah, now I understand. And in response (or is it responce?), let me just say

 

 .

[Bazza]

Pupils may slap DT, which I am all for, but from the context within UK or Australia, he is not wrong. 
 

(goes off to think of other post-puns)

[Bazza]

The Lamppost Apocalyptic World Superdraft 

 

The Signpost Apocalyptic World Superdraft

 

The Postgraduate Apocalyptic World Superdraft

 

The Postoperative Apocalyptic World Superdraft

 

#DTStartedIt 

 

 

[Pariah]

[Bazza]

17 hours ago, Old Man said:

I am definitely in. Although it will be hard to outdo the hellscape that is our current reality. 

Challenge accepted. 

[Sociotard]

I failed so badly the last two drafts. Maybe I'll try putting together a complete list before hand.

[Pariah]

Hey, after tying for first in the February draft I gathered exactly zero votes in any category on the one for March. I feel your pain.

[Sociotard]

Oh, I was talking about failure to finish. I don't mind polling badly

[Cancer]

Fictional characters only?  Or are real historical characters also OK?