Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

[Steve Long]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

what I'd want to see is an actual supported line of PA books

 

Then buy so many PAHs that we're convinced supplements will sell well enough to be worth our time, effort, and expenses.

[Steve Long]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I demand a hard scientific basis for the maneating butterfly foxes in any post-apoc game I play.

 

Well, the butterflies are hungry, see....

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Well' date=' the butterflies are hungry, see....[/quote']

 

Works for me.

[archermoo]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

A "Revelations came true in 1000 AD" setting (Darren)

 

The specific one that I'm enjoying so much in playtest right now.

[Cancer]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

You can jury-rig a series of comet impacts pretty easily. The Shoemaker-Levy 9 encounter with Jupiter in 1992 and ending with the month of impacts in summer 1994 is pretty well documented. Earth doesn't have the gravity of Jupiter, but one can hand-wave that for the genre's sake. Alternately, one could have a series of comet fragments that stay in solar orbit, but when Earth blunders through that orbit annually you run the risk of a big impact (this is the mechanism for meteor showers; just boost the cometary debris from sand-grain size to 100-meters-and-up size). I think you've seen my links to impact calculators on the Web elsewhere (in the Star Hero forum, IIRC).

[Zane_Marlowe]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

For what it's worth Steve, there have been a few people voting for stuff in the vein of Twilight 2000, and I'd recommend some treatment of military PA given that you've got so much good Dark Champions stuff out there now. I'd even recommend including in the settings chapter, but it sounds like you've got that pretty well locked up at this point. This might be best served by the Amrica setting, or at least by presenting some extra options for running it, but that's my $.02 on that.

 

Also, something I'd encourage some thought about is that PA as a setting has been a major cash cow for Palladium books, and I'd urge some further reflection about whether the market was as unresponsive to this genre as you've said. My home campaign is building on some of the themes I liked about the Rifts series (roughly the supernatural vs. technology elements), and if those guys can sell literally dozens of books on the strength of high concept alone (many players agree the system isn't equal to the concept), then I'm optimistic about Hero Games being able to pursue a similarly creative (but obviously distinct) setting project.

[TonyTempest]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

An economic crash (not necessarily in 2020) is the cause of the apocalypse in the Gordon R. Dickson novel Wolf And Iron. It's largely handwaved and' date=' I think, does not really hold up to hard scrutiny at all -- but that's not much of a problem in a genre where radioactive mutants are a prominent feature. [/quote']

 

Wasn't an economic crash essentially the cause of the post apocalyptic scenario behind the tv show Dark Angel? Technically, it was a terrorist detonated nuclear device in low orbit or something whose EMP wiped out all economic data in the US, that caused the economic crash, which caused the apocalypse. The device didn't cause any physical destruction or mutations, it just crashed the world banking systems and economic data.

 

david

[Ferret]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

A weapons list that focuses on common non military items.. Like a 303 hunting rifle instead of the m16 and other military stuff. Perhaps giving gamemasters some advice on what are some of the more popular arms. I would love to see the write up for a small town in Jasons setting dealing with destinations and treking. Plus suggestions for gamemasters on how to make those journeys extremely interesting. I'm currently planning on running a PA game this coming fall. I hope to steal bits from all the settings. Lastily this is one setting that works really well for the hero rules. Think about it martial arts, mental powers, skills, super powers, talents and even magic. This is a great setting for the hero system. It can handle all of problems this setting presents for other game systems. Game masters can choose how deadly they want the setting to be. Plus what elements they want to use.

IMO Hero should push this book hard and the rules to go with it. So this great game can reach a wider audience. Well thats my 2 cents. Ferret.............

[Ferret]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Here are a few basic gamemaster tips for any PA game that I have recently thought of. Get a good road atlas if pc's are travelling. A good set of topographic maps for any place you want the players to settle down in. All sorts of survival manuals and books about diasters. Lots of npc's to add depth and conflict to the stories. Not just combat either but differant points of view for rebuilding things.

Ferret...............

[ghost-angel]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

An economic crash (not necessarily in 2020) is the cause of the apocalypse in the Gordon R. Dickson novel Wolf And Iron. It's largely handwaved and' date=' I think, does not really hold up to hard scrutiny at all -- but that's not much of a problem in a genre where radioactive mutants are a prominent feature. [/quote']

 

Yeah - but I don't want plausible. I want gameable.

 

As I said though, even a sidebar mention of this style of post-apocalypse would be cool. Just to give an idea of a slow-burn apocalypse.

[Steve Long]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Wasn't an economic crash essentially the cause of the post apocalyptic scenario behind the tv show Dark Angel? Technically, it was a terrorist detonated nuclear device in low orbit or something whose EMP wiped out all economic data in the US, that caused the economic crash, which caused the apocalypse. The device didn't cause any physical destruction or mutations, it just crashed the world banking systems and economic data.

 

I'm pretty sure the cause of the collapse of society in Dark Angel was idiotic decisions made by network executives. That whole EMP thing was just moronic and inserted a sand-in-the-suntan-lotion element of annoyance from the very beginning that made the show Not Very Fun to watch. Once there was enough Jessica Alba on the Internet that you didn't need to watch DA to see her, there was no need to sit through the horrible writing and the blah characters anymore, and the series crashed.

 

Shame, too. With a little bit of common and dramatic sense and better writing, I think it could've lasted quite a while.

[Super Squirrel]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Not that it means much, but what I'd want to see is an actual supported line of PA books.

 

*sigh*

I plan on doing a Post-Apoc setting book in full. Whether it will be a free PDF, a buyable PDF, or something I try and get Steve and company to license, I don't know at this time. But this will have to wait until after The Rose and the Crown is complete. I have also decided to wait until after Post-Apocalyptic Hero is published and I own a copy.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

I plan on doing a Post-Apoc setting book in full. Whether it will be a free PDF' date=' a buyable PDF, or something I try and get Steve and company to license, I don't know at this time. But this will have to wait until after [i']The Rose and the Crown[/i] is complete. I have also decided to wait until after Post-Apocalyptic Hero is published and I own a copy.

 

Probably wise.

 

Lately I've been thinking about a Morrow Project style game. I might start a thread for the idea later.

[Toadmaster]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Probably wise.

 

Lately I've been thinking about a Morrow Project style game. I might start a thread for the idea later.

 

 

While the 4th ed Morrow Project is still delayed, much of the original material is still available.

 

http://www.timelineltd.com/

 

I'd love to get into a MP like game.

[zornwil]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

[gentle' date= humorous sarcasm mode on]

I'm glad you reminded me, because in none of our other genre books have we ever bothered to suggest character point totals for different types of campaigns.

[gentle, humorous sarcasm mode off]

 

Yes, of course I'm going to cover that.

 

 

 

Unfortunately I don't think we'll have room for that. I want to include it in the Filmography, because it definitely has PA elements, but it's not really in the "mainstream" of the genre so I don't want to focus on it that much.

That's interesting, because I always saw Planet of the Apes and Kamandi and those as fairly mainstream - the notion of intelligent and mutated animals turning the tables on or otherwise competing with humanity seem core to me. But, hey, that's one person's view, it would certainly not be the first time I've been the one off-center!

 

As to suggestions, I haven't gotten through this thread, but along the lines of the possible future developments of infrastructure and so on, here's a few things I' d like to see, some could be done briefly:

 

- a one-pager on economics in a scavenger-based society and/or effects of scarcity

 

- sort of flipping around what someone wrote about how infrastructure and so on disintegrates, I think some sort of "reminder' as to how quickly certain technologies would get rebuilt and reasons/mitigations as to why/how they might NOT get rebuilt (so as to uphold the whole PA setting) would be useful; I think a lot of PA really runs afoul of too-easily-considered-reality as it really isn't as hard to rediscover certain techs as people make it out to be if the stuff is laying around at all

 

- lots of mutant animals! Lot of TALKING mutant animals! Come on, do it! My favorites are the Talking Bluejay (they love to lie to people - but often will tell the truth, so they're dicey to deal with) - and of course you have to have the Killer Rabbit (I'm not saying it's inspired by MPFC..........) - and Vicious Deer - big warriors ride Vicious Deer, and Vicious Deer have huge honking sabertooth-tiger-like teeth and massive cutting antlers.... (okay, you'll probably rightfully ignore all this, but I think it's fun....)

 

- more seriously, I hope you'll touch on the Horseclans setting at least in some way (serial numbers filed off of course)

 

- some sort of section on the great monuments left over - and having those be ones we wouldn't think of, such as the Gaffney Peach (I think you have heard of this based on some other exchange, if not it's research-able - mainly the point is that some odd objects that we don't think of as monuments today would likely survive and become monuments even as the things we today see as monuments are entirely lost/destroyed)

 

- I enjoy seeing how new nations start to emerge - if there's space, it would be neat if one of the future scenarios were showing the new powers coming up around the world, such as a pirate kingdom in Western Europe, a Mongol-type enlightened empire out of the ashes of China (or perhaps more exotic, out of Vietnam or better, Kampuchea - anywhere in Southeast Asia you get to mix in the aspects of cryptozoology), the Western Federation of the Unistates as run by the survivalists of Idaho versus the N'Yoark Confederation of States, a nearly-anarchic coalition of loose interests East of the Appalachians, with the wild folk in-between, and so on

 

- tips and tricks for pulling off how to give characters a little ammo and cool stuff from before the fall but ensure not too much , how to make it effective with the "I've got a bullet in this gun" ruse, all that sort of stuff, the nuts and bolts of ensuring that PA campaigns don't basically become re-scened AD&D campaigns of massive "stuff" and endless journies to get more "stuff"

 

Did you ever see World Gone Wide? Priceless PA camp with Bruce Dern and Adam Ant.

[zornwil]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

You might say I've heard that; I have a shelf of books on pre-Columbian civilizations and cultures about as long as you are tall. Thus I know this is complete and utter crap based on a total misinterpretation of the Mayan calendar. It may deserve some mention' date=' but if it does, it will be one that points out the flaws as well as the possibilities.[/quote']

Ah, no, you miss the curse!

 

You see, whatever date you perceive others are saying as the "end of the Mayan calendar and end of the world' is the date of YOUR demise. Everytime I see/hear it I see/hear it as 2012. But mystically, you, Steve Long, might see it as 2040 or whatever. And of course, though I write that I see/hear it as 2012, nobody else will see it exactly as I wrote it, they'll see it as the year of their own demise.

 

It's the great Mayan curse....

 

(this has been a pet faux-theory of mine for a while, I believe I made it up, even, as I have never heard it elsewhere nor has anyone told me they've heard it elsewhere; I may have already bored you with this once)

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Ah, no, you miss the curse!

 

You see, whatever date you perceive others are saying as the "end of the Mayan calendar and end of the world' is the date of YOUR demise. Everytime I see/hear it I see/hear it as 2012. But mystically, you, Steve Long, might see it as 2040 or whatever. And of course, though I write that I see/hear it as 2012, nobody else will see it exactly as I wrote it, they'll see it as the year of their own demise.

 

It's the great Mayan curse....

 

(this has been a pet faux-theory of mine for a while, I believe I made it up, even, as I have never heard it elsewhere nor has anyone told me they've heard it elsewhere; I may have already bored you with this once)

 

You'll make a pretty interesting psychological study one day, zornwil, if they ever manage to capture you.

[zornwil]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Well, yeah -- look at what I described for Chapter Four of the book in the very first post in this thread.

 

Here's a quick description of what we've got planned in terms of mini-settings:

 

Amrica: a Low PA setting largely inspired by the superb Pelbar Cycle novels, with a touch of "Road Warrior" in what used to be California.

 

After The Blast: a High PA setting, full of rad zones, mutants with strange powers, etc., etc.

 

The Moonshattered Earth: a High PA setting in which magic has returned, a la Empire of the East, Thundarr the Barbarian, etc.

 

A "zombie apocalypse" setting (Darren)

 

A "Revelations came true in 1000 AD" setting (Darren)

 

A "nearly all life has been scoured from the face of the Earth, find a place where agriculture is still possible before you starve to death" setting (Jason)

 

 

Naturally, some of these come with related support material, like sample characters. In particular, After The Blast has a big section of example mutations, mutant animals, and so on.

I'm with GA on really wanting a Dredd-like setting.

[zornwil]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

The specific one that I'm enjoying so much in playtest right now.

Oh, sure, make us jealous....

[zornwil]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

You'll make a pretty interesting psychological study one day' date=' zornwil, if they ever manage to capture you.[/quote']

I had to rep you for that - and even point it out, obviously - thanks.

 

I now return you to this regularly-scheduled thread....

[ghost-angel]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Ah, no, you miss the curse!

 

You see, whatever date you perceive others are saying as the "end of the Mayan calendar and end of the world' is the date of YOUR demise. Everytime I see/hear it I see/hear it as 2012. But mystically, you, Steve Long, might see it as 2040 or whatever. And of course, though I write that I see/hear it as 2012, nobody else will see it exactly as I wrote it, they'll see it as the year of their own demise.

 

It's the great Mayan curse....

 

(this has been a pet faux-theory of mine for a while, I believe I made it up, even, as I have never heard it elsewhere nor has anyone told me they've heard it elsewhere; I may have already bored you with this once)

 

What date?

 

I see all this talk about the end of the Mayan calendar but no one will tell me when it is!

[zornwil]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Now THAT is the best response I've gotten! Kudos! (PS - ran out of rep, but shall do!)

[Labrat]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

This should get that ol' Fallout feeling going again:

 

http://fallout.bethsoft.com/teaser.html

 

The Fallout franchise has taken some undeserved hits and delays but in terms of post-apocalypse games, it is my opinion that it has no competition. YMMV.

 

Fallout was a great inspiration to me when I was writing Wasteland Hero and I hope it helps you guys out... at least by just getting a taste of the visuals.

[Steve Long]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

That's interesting, because I always saw Planet of the Apes and Kamandi and those as fairly mainstream - the notion of intelligent and mutated animals turning the tables on or otherwise competing with humanity seem core to me. But, hey, that's one person's view, it would certainly not be the first time I've been the one off-center!

 

If you look at the genre as a whole, PotA really bears no relationship to it at all. It doesn't really have/follow any of the standard PA tropes, themes, elements, or story structures. It isn't until literally the very end of the movie that you even realize it's a PA setting. That's the basis of my assertion that it's really only tangentially PA. Kamandi is closer to mainstream, being more explicitly PA throughout, though it's still a little "off-center" due to the comic book structure of the story and what-all.

[gojira]

Re: Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

Isn't PotA actually social commentary rather than escapist pop fare? I'm mean serious heavy social commentary, not the social-lite junk you get in Star Trek. I read the book (translated from French) long ago but that seems to be my recollection.