tkdguy Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 I know this isn't a new idea, but I've been thinking of starting a fantasy game where the world as we know it has been destroyed by a global catastrophe (World War 3, meteor strike, whatever you want). After a century or tow, people are picking up the pieces. There is no unified large-scale society, only small groups of people living together. Armed gangs would of course wander around taking what they need from others. Many modern skills would be lost; there is no electricity or modern mode of transportation. Any remaining subway systems could still be used as tunnels. However, the trek would be long and dark, not to mention musty. And the stations may be shelters to unsavory and dangerous characters. Adventurers would most likely look for resources or lost technology. Whatever they can't adapt or find a use for, they melt down and make something else. Money would be useless; barter would be the only way to acquire new goods (without resorting to force, that is). What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korvar Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Sounds like fun Kind of Gamma-world / Aftermath-y. Are you going to pitch it as Fantasy, and have the players gradually work out it's the shattered remnants of our own world, or will they know from the off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bblackmoor Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy I have not run such a game in Hero. Actually, I have, but I do not have any of the source material written down. However, I did do a Thundarr The Barbarian Role-Playing Game using the game mechanics from Over The Edge, and you might be able to mine it for ideas. Under The Broken Moon Some day I will go through the rest of the episodes and finish writing up the game synopses. No time, no time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadmaster Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy If you are looking for ideas, Aftermath includes some campaign advice for long after the fall games. You also might be able to find GURPS Horseclans which is based on a fantasy world long after (at least a few centuries) after modern civilization collapsed. One of the posters here has a sight The Savage Earth which I think is also based on a long after PA. I think something like this could be fun, probably more so if the players don't know and only start to realize what happend during the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archangel Gabri Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy I think something like this could be fun, probably more so if the players don't know and only start to realize what happend during the game. I agree that this would be way cool, but it opens a can of really unpleasant worms. Some of the players I have can take offense at the drop of a hat. (Incidentally, this led me to ban the wearing of hats in my games.) You never know if someone will feel cheated or lied to when this kind of 'reveal' takes place. People can be mighty picky about their fantasy, and some have very strong opinions about fantasy that turns out to be Post-Apocalypse. (Evidenced by the wildly differing opinions about Terry Brooks' Shannarra books.) The only way to prevent this kind of reaction is to ask about it first, and that ruins the reveal. Pays to know your players VERY well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted September 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy I had originally planned to let the players know it was the world, but if you think it would be more fun to have them find out about it, I can do that too. It would still be low fantasy. Nobody will go around casting spells, but there will be lots of armed and unarmed combat. I plan to abolish firearms. Maybe the characters will all start out illeterate as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bblackmoor Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy You also might be able to find GURPS Horseclans which is based on a fantasy world long after (at least a few centuries) after modern civilization collapsed. Saberhagen's Empire Of The East is a classic example of such a setting. It's the same setting he used in the Lost Swords books, but I think Empire Of The East is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bblackmoor Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy You never know if someone will feel cheated or lied to when this kind of 'reveal' takes place. People can be mighty picky about their fantasy' date=' and some have very strong opinions about fantasy that turns out to be Post-Apocalypse.[/quote'] Some people need to move out of their parents' basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitz Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy I agree that this would be way cool, but it opens a can of really unpleasant worms. Some of the players I have can take offense at the drop of a hat. (Incidentally, this led me to ban the wearing of hats in my games.) You never know if someone will feel cheated or lied to when this kind of 'reveal' takes place. People can be mighty picky about their fantasy, and some have very strong opinions about fantasy that turns out to be Post-Apocalypse. (Evidenced by the wildly differing opinions about Terry Brooks' Shannarra books.) The only way to prevent this kind of reaction is to ask about it first, and that ruins the reveal. Pays to know your players VERY well. I have the weidest image of some purple-faced guy with veins standing out all over his forehead shaking his fists and screaming at you "Damn you! Damn you to hell! I was really enjoying myself until we found out this was a POST-APOCALYPSE GAME! AAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!" Seriously, anyone who gets offended by a rpg genre needs to get a life. Or medication. Or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archangel Gabri Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Seriously' date=' anyone who gets [i']offended[/i] by a rpg genre needs to get a life. Or medication. Or both. Agreed. The fact is though, not everyone has the luxury of truly mature players. Some otherwise reasonable people take the genre conventions very seriously. Some people can't handle the kind of 'lie' that this represents. I'm not suggesting that everyone will run into this issue, just that it's wise to consider the possibility. Experience is one Hell of a teacher, and some lessons never go away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted September 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Fortunately, I've known my players long enough to know what will or won't upset them. I think they're all mature players. I hope so anyway; we're all over 30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraRob Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Agreed. The fact is though, not everyone has the luxury of truly mature players. Some otherwise reasonable people take the genre conventions very seriously. Some people can't handle the kind of 'lie' that this represents. I'm not suggesting that everyone will run into this issue, just that it's wise to consider the possibility. Experience is one Hell of a teacher, and some lessons never go away. To me this is truely bizzare...What kind of Uber-nerd feels "cheated" when he discovers the fantasy setting he's playing in was once our world? I guess I could see some people rolling their eyes and going "that old cliche?" in these parts, but seriously, get "Damn you! Damn you all to hell!" Mad about it? That is just...sad.... On another note, I actually have been planning a campaign that is post-apocalypse in a Fantasy setting...the empire has fallen, most the people killed off in a great series of wars...and now the few survivors are just starting to trade with each other again...Lots of room for "lost" magitech and ruined cities without having to worry about them finding guns... Although, as one final note, the idea of a post-apocalyptic our world setting where civilization collapsed during (or because of) the Biotech age has always been one I kind've liked. The game(s) Panzer Dragoon, and expecially the comic Naussica of the Valley of the Wind did really cool versions of this kind of story. I always did want to try a Naussica campaign, a world of poison mushroom forrests, giant insects, Edwardian warfare, ceramic techologies and more airships than you can shake a stick at...now THAT's a fantasy world! Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrojas Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy can you give us, the heathyen that dont know what you are referring to, a few links to oogle at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WhammeWhamme Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Some people don't like reading post-apoc fantasy, and get annoyed when stories they like turn out that way, right? They should be _less_ upset when they spent time _writing_ (in a sense) that post-apoc story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bblackmoor Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy expecially the comic Naussica of the Valley of the Wind did really cool versions of this kind of story. I always did want to try a Naussica campaign' date=' a world of poison mushroom forrests, giant insects, Edwardian warfare, ceramic techologies and more airships than you can shake a stick at...now THAT's a fantasy world![/quote'] I've not read the comic, but it certainly sounds like fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadmaster Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy I agree that this would be way cool, but it opens a can of really unpleasant worms. Some of the players I have can take offense at the drop of a hat. (Incidentally, this led me to ban the wearing of hats in my games.) You never know if someone will feel cheated or lied to when this kind of 'reveal' takes place. People can be mighty picky about their fantasy, and some have very strong opinions about fantasy that turns out to be Post-Apocalypse. (Evidenced by the wildly differing opinions about Terry Brooks' Shannarra books.) The only way to prevent this kind of reaction is to ask about it first, and that ruins the reveal. Pays to know your players VERY well. You never know how some people will react, I've been wanting to run a Weird War game but start it out as a straight WW2 game only adding the weird as the game goes on, but I know some of my players wouldn't care for having a nice war game devolve into a horror game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bblackmoor Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy ... but I know some of my players wouldn't care for having a nice war game devolve into a horror game Well, it's reasonable that people like some genres (or sub-genres) more than others. For example, I might be intersted in a Weird War game, but I'd have no interest at all in a WW2 game. So it's a personal thing. I suppose the fantasy game with an apocalypse in its ancient history versus the fantasy game without an apocalypse in its ancient history could be sort of a similar thing. We are irrational creatures by nature. What we like and do not like often doesn't make sense, and yet we expect it to, because -- that's right -- we're irrational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraRob Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Nausicaa links: The official page... http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/manga/nausicaa.html A link to download a whole Naussica RPG someone did using the Palladium system, it's about 3mb packed with art and info: http://www.angelfire.com/ri/sentinals/Mecha_Pantheon_Presents.zip Panzer Dragoon: http://www.panzerdragoon.net/empire/index.php Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraRob Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Some people don't like reading post-apoc fantasy, and get annoyed when stories they like turn out that way, right? They should be _less_ upset when they spent time _writing_ (in a sense) that post-apoc story? Well, if someone ran a wonderful campaign that turned out to be in a post-apocalyptic setting then I think most people who played it but weren't normally into that sort of thing would suddenly go "hey, maybe there's something to this setting I didn't see before?" rather than "what? sorry, my enjoyment is ruined, I quit!". To dismiss it because of a single aspect of the game seems pretty small and petty if you're having fun otherwise. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy can you give us' date=' the heathyen that dont know what you are referring to, a few links to oogle at?[/quote'] Savage Earth is in my Sig... Keith "PA Fantasist" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy You might like to look at the online comic Wandering Ones . Also I suggest you take a look at John Wyndham's Day of The Triffids (and Simon Clark's sequel Day Of The Triffids) & the Crysalids for ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korvar Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy On another note' date=' I actually have been planning a campaign that is post-apocalypse in a Fantasy setting...the empire has fallen, most the people killed off in a great series of wars...and now the few survivors are just starting to trade with each other again...Lots of room for "lost" magitech and ruined cities without having to worry about them finding guns...[/quote'] Sounds like my Dark Sun campaign And my characters have stumbled across the equivalent of the plans to make a nuke... should be an interesting McGuffin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Given the stated interests and intentions of some of the posters to this thread, I think I can recommend a couple of HERO websites that could be of interest and use to you: tkdguy, if you haven't seen it already I'd suggest checking out Ron Miller's detailed Wasteland HERO web sourcebook for post-apoc gaming. Even if you're not interested in the more Gamma World-y elements, the writeups for all types of weapons and equipment, and the essays and notes on post-apoc survival, trade and the environment, are IMO very helpful. UltraRob, it sounds as though you could draw a lot of inspiration and source material from Keith Curtis's fabulous Savage Earth campaign world. It has many similarities to your description of your own proposed campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bblackmoor Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy Ron Miller's detailed Wasteland HERO web sourcebook for post-apoc gaming. Keith Curtis's fabulous Savage Earth campaign world. These are both great sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowcat1313 Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Post-apocalyptic fantasy I am kinda nobody brougtht up the Horseclans novels yet by Robert Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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