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Apocalypse Hero


Guest C_Zeree

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Originally posted by C_Zeree

So I was thinking. If the end of the world is upon a world where super heroes exist, what would they do as the world was coming down around them? (snipped)

 

Any thoughts on the matter?

I started in the post-apoc genre way back when with first edition Gamma World.

 

I had a bit of an issue with the suspension of disbelief for some of the more esoteric mutant abilites, until I discovered Champions and Thundarr the Barbarian.

 

My outlook changed. I have ran, off and on since the late 80s, a post-apoc world that is decended from my superhero world/campaign.

 

Most of the collapse revolved around five major power factions. A high-tech corporation that wanted to wipe out anyone with paranormal abilities. A mad geneticist that viewed humanity as his canvas. A group of extra-dimensional aliens trying to subjugate the world. The psions with many small factions all at each others throats and trying to be the only ones. A evil sorceror who is trying to subsume all magical energies into himself.

 

The psion wars started getting notice with a few massacres here and there. The high-tech corp decided that it was time and released a plague, paranormals including the psions started dying. The e-d aliens stepped up into the void left by the dying paras and took over major cities around the world. The high-tech corp equipped anyone that would fight the e-d aliens with the lastest and greatest weapon and personal armor systems in addition to automated combat vehicles, drones and robots. Massive battles ensued with many casualities. The evil sorceror seeing the chaos that surrounded him put his master plan into effect. He was able to seize most of the magical energies but was unable to control them. A dimensional rift was opened causing many earthquakes, tidal waves and other natural disasters. The mad geneticist released a retrovirus to counter the effect of the anti-para plague. It started causing mutations in all animal life forms. The final blow came when the ancestral enemies of the e-d aliens showed up. They were extra-terrestrial aliens that had faced the e-d aliens long ago in Earth's past. Using asteroids and small nuclear devices, they bombarded every stronghold or major troop concentration of the e-d aliens. The world was a shambles and civilization would not start to rise again for centuries.

 

There have been three campaigns set in this world starting at 300 or so years after "The stars fell from the skies."

 

(edited for spelling and other dumb mistakes)

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I would also suggest David Brin's "The Postman"

There are a few more of Steven Kings Bachman stories that are small scale apocalypstic.

 

and for a fantasy apocalypse

 

Earthdawn (alien/deamonic invasion)

place ED under games

Annnnnnnd

*Drum Roll*

Mecedes Lackey-Valdemar series

(Spoilers) the Griffon Books goes into the main details as much as anyone has. (Two warring mages, a peaceful one creating for the joy of life. The other essentially a number cruncher who cared not a whit for anything but the end results) Though of course much fore and post shadowing occurs in the Winds Trillogy, the Last herald Mage Trillogy as well as the Storms Books.

To give an example, imagine if the magical equivalent of a nuclear bomb went off that was like a hammer blow to the magical energies of the world. Now then imagine two of those went off and wherever the ripple efects of those collided a wild magic effect occured. Then imagine that those effects were coming back through time to recreate themselves and the "side effects" of another apocalypse, unless the heroes can stop it.

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'48 by James Herbert. This book takes place in the year 1948. The nazis had released a virus that sound a lot like ebola. If you had the right blood type and the right rh factor you were immune. If you had only one of them you were resistant , but you would eventually die. It takes place in london.

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I hate to toot my own horn but TOOT TOOT.

 

I have been running a post-apoc game since October with some *COstolenUGH* ideas from Keith "very forgiving" Curtis. My game features an apocolypse created by wishes. The head antagonist has been doing a nice job of destroying everything and anything he wants to the way he wants it. The players haven't learned this yet but California just sunk. Electricity doesn't work right anymore and you can fire a gun if you don't mind a 13- chance of blowing off your hand in the processes.

 

http://www.winds.org/~arren/chronicles/index.html

 

The website, as always, needs an overhaul but it gets the point across nicely.

 

I think what I like best about this game setting is that the players don't know all the rules. I renamed all of the remaining cities to give the game a foreign feel. Boy of boy if they only knew what was coming next.

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Originally posted by Dr.Unpossible

The movie "Things to Come" I think, personally at least is an excellent peek at a post apocalypse world. And the following rise of man. Its VERY preachy though, I mean really really preachy.

 

It was done prior to World War II. And if I'm not mistaken is taken from the works of George Orwell. I think the montage for the troops and tanks rolling off to war, where in the beginning there WWII tech. Then as the years roll by they advance to sort of 1905's Buck Rogers weapons, then as the war drags on, they get more ragged looking, then no vehicles, then not standard uniforms, then no army at all, then the movie starts in the future in a ruined village. To me at least, its one of the great movie sequences of all time.

 

http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/things2come.html Is a bit of a harsh review of the film. But about mid way down the page is a pic of the troops marching off to war. In the montage sequence I was mentioning.

 

Its been many years since I have seen the movie but from what I recall the war seems likely to have been WW1 extended until civilization collapsed, I think the movie was made in the late 1920's. I thought the coolest part was that "THE FUTURE" you mention with the Buck Rodgers tech was 1967, the year I was born. :D

 

Speaking of WW1 era apacalypses has anyone looked at Iron Storm the computer game based around the idea that WW1 extended into the 1960's?

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Originally posted by C_Zeree

So I was thinking. If the end of the world is upon a world where super heroes exist, what would they do as the world was coming down around them? (snipped)

 

Any thoughts on the matter?

 

 

Back when 486's were the hot computer I played a game based on Superhero's in an apacalyptic world. I believe it was "The Superhero League of Hoboken" rather silly, it kind of reminds me of THE TICK cartoon, with powers like "can clean any mess" or can eat any food no matter how spicy", of course they also had lesser powers like eye rays or martial arts but the main powers were needed to complete the main quests, one I remember in particular was a wherehouse full of Jalapinos so hot that one drop of their juice in the Atlantic Ocean would litterally burn the tongue out of the mouth of anyone tasting the water.

 

While definately a comedy setting it would offer some ideas for a PA supers game.

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Originally posted by DocSubtlety

My first baby steps as a GM were all done under Gamma World, and to this day, post apocalypse settings are my favorites.

 

For a look at the ways the world could end, I strongly recommend: Exit Mundi.

 

Great site! Thanks for posting!

 

 

Well, if you are going to pull out brain-cell killing series such as The Wingman and C.A.D.S., we would have to pay our respects to the greatest post apocolypse series of them all, The Survivalist. As I remember, this series actually started out rather well, for what it was. Then they started messing with cryogenics and it all went downhill from there. Not as out there as The Wingman, but still pretty bad. I think I owned the Guardians books also, and thought they were pretty decent.

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You wanna talk about post-apocalypse stuff that's guaranteed

to kill off a few brain cells? Well, then, here's a movie to add

to the Cinematic Post-Apocalypse List that'll do the job quite

nicely: Def-Con 4. IIRC, this one was about the crew of a

U.S. MIRV-armed space station (obviously, Hollywood script-

writers have never heard of the Outer Space Treaty). They

survive an unplanned re-entry only to have to deal with the

hazards of a post-WWIII Earth -- cannibals, lunatic survivalists

and a would-be college yuppie overlord (who was responsible

for the aforementioned unplanned re-entry in the first place).

 

Space Cadet :cool:

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Originally posted by Space Cadet

You wanna talk about post-apocalypse stuff that's guaranteed

to kill off a few brain cells? Well, then, here's a movie to add

to the Cinematic Post-Apocalypse List that'll do the job quite

nicely: Def-Con 4. IIRC, this one was about the crew of a

U.S. MIRV-armed space station (obviously, Hollywood script-

writers have never heard of the Outer Space Treaty). They

survive an unplanned re-entry only to have to deal with the

hazards of a post-WWIII Earth -- cannibals, lunatic survivalists

and a would-be college yuppie overlord (who was responsible

for the aforementioned unplanned re-entry in the first place).

 

Space Cadet :cool:

 

Just how bad was this, I remember seeing it on HBO in the late 1980's or so but all I remember is something about an armored bulldozer and a conversation about nipples. I saw this available at the video store a few months back but didn't get it in case my poor memory was a defense mechanism.

 

 

You want bad PA films, anyone remember Night of the Comet? :eek:

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Originally posted by Toadmaster

You want bad PA films, anyone remember Night of the Comet? :eek:

 

is it that the movie where a comet goes by the earth, people start turning into zombies, and the survivors take over a radio station? tre' eighties, rigth?

 

if so, i love that movie. (i know, i know... no accounting for taste...)

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Originally posted by allen

is it that the movie where a comet goes by the earth, people start turning into zombies, and the survivors take over a radio station? tre' eighties, rigth?

 

if so, i love that movie. (i know, i know... no accounting for taste...)

 

Ummm...seconded. I'm so ashamed.

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One of the ideas I'm working on is lifting one of the more overdone Marvel supervillains and redoing him the way I think he should have been done. Apocalypse.

 

My base concept is that of a metahuman who believes in Darwinian survival of the fittest and believes that civilization with its current emphasis on protecting the weak and crippling the strong needs to be shattered. He creates four metahumans, the four Horsemen. War, Death, Famine and Pestilence. He plans to soup them up in power and sends them across the world.

 

War is a mentalist who instills hostility. Famine is not just for the famine of food any more but all energy sources as well, causing major blackouts all over the place as energy sources such as fuel crumble as well as food. Pestilence, to steal a leaf from Good Omens is involved in pollution as well. I'm trying to figure out how to model what death is going to be. Suggestions?

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Originally posted by tengu

Nope, that's not the book...

 

Found one of the series that I'm talking about. It's The Guardians, by Richard Austin.

The back blurb reads like this:

 

 

 

Now granted, this series was published in the mid to late 80's, so you can guess as to how good it would be.

 

Wow, haven't thought about those books in a loooong time LOL. I read the whole series backing the 80's, they were pretty good in my opinion.

 

They are along the lines of Twilight 2000 Post apocalypse themes, no Hi-tech, mutations or stuff, just regular army guys who still have access to military tech while the rest of the world is sliding down the technogly ladder. They also have some NC-17 rated stuff in them.

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Re: Death

 

Originally posted by Southern Cross

Some sort of vampire, perchance?

 

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, Death would be more of entropy personified. Not just living creatures simply dying but technology breaking down and malfunctioning as well. Equipment simply breaks down near Death as well. As it passes over equipment and people break down.

 

For Pestilence, people start growing sick and the air and water and earth are fouled.

 

For Famine, food breaks down as well as fuel of all sorts. Power is also a sustinance of life in modern technological times.

 

War as I said before simply sends everyone into a beserk fury as it passes by. Probably the one least affected by the rise of the technological age.

 

I'm not quite sure how to model Death, Pestilence and Famine in HERO powers though.

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Wrath of the Seven Horsemen would probably be a good place to start, since they've already modeled somewhat more traditional versions of the Four (and threw in three more for good measure). This weekend, when I get time, I will scrounge around and find my copy, and give you an overview on their powers. That should at least steer you in the direction you want to add your tech related stuff too.

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Originally posted by Toadmaster

You want bad PA films, anyone remember Night of the Comet? :eek:

 

Just watched that movie on one of the Cinemax channels yesterday afternoon. Yes, very 80s in style... however, who the hell were the Morrow Project-type people in the jumpsuits? Seems to me like that plot element was thrown in last minute... Not a movie I'd recommend to anyone, really. However, their portrayal of the MAC10 Ingrams was right on the money -- spray for a second, reload.

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Re: Re: Death

 

Originally posted by Mutant for Hire

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, Death would be more of entropy personified. Not just living creatures simply dying but technology breaking down and malfunctioning as well. Equipment simply breaks down near Death as well. As it passes over equipment and people break down.

 

For Pestilence, people start growing sick and the air and water and earth are fouled.

 

For Famine, food breaks down as well as fuel of all sorts. Power is also a sustinance of life in modern technological times.

 

War as I said before simply sends everyone into a beserk fury as it passes by. Probably the one least affected by the rise of the technological age.

 

I'm not quite sure how to model Death, Pestilence and Famine in HERO powers though.

 

I made some 4E modifications to the Seven Horsemen mentioned above to make their power sets fit more closely to what I thought the embodiment of their concepts would be. Here are a few suggestions on abilities that would be appropriate:

 

War - Mind Control, only to enrage. Aid to Strength and/or Presence (for courage). Tactics Skill, lots of CSL, Weapon Familiarity with everything.

 

Death - Damage Aura with Body Drain or with Killing Attack, NND (Immune to Aging), does Body. Lots of extra Presence (the "face of Death" is traditionally terrifying). Possibly Desolid and/or Invisibility. For more normal kinds of attacks, perhaps HKA with Find Weakness (who knows more about the weaknesses of the flesh than Death?) Possibly Mind Scan to locate victims.

 

Plague - Various kinds of Drains or Transforms, or Killing Attack NND (Immune to Disease or applied antibiotics), does Body. Perhaps with the Continuous, Uncontrolled, Sticky Advantages to represent contagion.

 

Famine - Transfers of various kinds, most appropriately Body, Strength and Endurance (it makes sense for the embodiment of Famine to consume rather than just drain). EB NND (No need to eat), representing "hunger pains."

 

I hope that sparks some ideas. :)

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Well, I actually went back to the original source material and discovered that the traditional four, War, Death, Pestilence and Famine don't actually correspond to the four horsemen who actually appear in Revelations.

 

First horseman:

White horse. Rider with crown and bow who goes forth conquering. Absolutely zip else said about him.

Second horseman:

Red horse. Takes peace from men. Never explicitly mentioned as war but obviously very close.

Third horseman:

Black Horse. Carries scales. Talks about wages for wheat and barley, and not to damage the oil or wine. Generally made out to be famine though there are some problems.

Fourth horseman:

Pale horse. Death. Includes death by pestilence and *famine* among other types of death.

 

All I can say is that Revelations is a pretty trippy reading experience.

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Guest C_Zeree

Out for a week

 

Just wanted to say I've been travelling for a week, but now I'm back. I will be reading through the new posts, seeing if there are any new additions, updating the list, and browsing the other posts. Should be updated come Sun.

 

I've got things to read. :D

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Originally posted by Toadmaster

Just how bad was this, I remember seeing it on HBO in the late 1980's or so but all I remember is something about an armored bulldozer and a conversation about nipples. I saw this available at the video store a few months back but didn't get it in case my poor memory was a defense mechanism.

 

 

You want bad PA films, anyone remember Night of the Comet? :eek:

 

Give praise indeed to your poor memory, for it has saved you

from shelling out $10 - $15 bucks for one of the worst PA pics

in the last 20-odd years (me, I paid $4.95 to see this on Pay-

Per-View when it first came out).

 

Space Cadet :D

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Originally posted by Captain Obvious

Wrath of the Seven Horsemen would probably be a good place to start, since they've already modeled somewhat more traditional versions of the Four (and threw in three more for good measure).

 

One of the extra three was Destruction. I remember her well, because she slaughtered half of our superhero team when she turned up--38 DEX, 90 STR, haymakering for 27d6 at OCV ~15. "Eek! I martial dodge!" "She hits you anyway. Suck 100 stun." War was no pushover either.

 

I'm thinking I should try and find a copy of that particular module on ebay, just to see if they really are as nasty as that or if the GM was just having a bad week.

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