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

[zornwil]

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

 

Be careful using her as a reliable source.

 

Keith "Remembers the last time she came up." Curtis

While this is quite interesting and glad you posted it, it doesn't invalidate her photos and interpretations of those - in fact, doesn't it bolster them, that they aren't fake? Yes, it invalidates her biker-chick-going-it-alone but that's not the point anyway, as far as I saw it.

 

As to her acounts of the wild and such around there, from other stuff I read that is also pretty valid.

[keithcurtis]

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

 

While this is quite interesting and glad you posted it, it doesn't invalidate her photos and interpretations of those - in fact, doesn't it bolster them, that they aren't fake? Yes, it invalidates her biker-chick-going-it-alone but that's not the point anyway, as far as I saw it.

 

As to her acounts of the wild and such around there, from other stuff I read that is also pretty valid.

I wasn't saying that her words weren't true or her pictures inaccurate, just citing that she's probably not the best source for someone trying to compile research.

 

Keith "And I cited Wikipedia to make the point. Irony." Curtis

[ghost-angel]

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

 

On historical Apocalypse...

 

aside from Darren's Revelations scenario, will there be any kind of discussion in the book on setting an Apocalypse Scenario in another time frame?

 

If not, could I suggest at the very least a paragraph or sidebar of some sort. Perhaps a few seed ideas like "A war amongst the Gods tore the land assunder" or maybe include something about the Cataclysm period in the CU between 30,000 and 28,000 BC when Tuala Morn starts up.

[Toadmaster]

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

 

Steve, would you mind explaining chapter 3 in a little more detail, because it sounds like many of the things I would think would be in that chapter are not going to be in the book.

 

Chapter Three: GMing: This chapter delves into PA campaign creation, running PA games, and all that other fun GMing stuff.

 

Thanks

[Lucius]

Pedantic Post-Apocalyptic Hero -- What Do You *Not* Want To See?

 

I hope you don't think me rude' date=' [/quote']

 

I don’t.

 

and I've been on enough boards to not diss the messanger' date=' only the message, but I don't think any of that was relevant to what Steve Long was saying. [/quote']

 

You’re quite right; I was lapsing into total irrelevancy.

 

There’s a reason my name in the SCA is “Thomas the Irrelevant.”

 

Please stop being pedantic.

 

I do intend to try sir.

 

But while I play them up for the sake of humor, it is a fact that both being pedantic, and tending to miss the point, are innate character flaws of mine; and for some reason lately, my faults seem to be getting worse, or at least, I am alienating a LOT of people in a short time. If you think my pluralizing apocalypses was bad, you should see the mess I’m making in my personal life. I wish I understood what’s making me act this way. I mean, so much worse than “normal” for me.

 

I apologize for annoying you.

 

Umm steve one question about your last post:

 

What does pedantic mean?

 

In this case, it means

 

Lucius Alexander

 

How about palindromantic ?

Somehow I feel there should be a power in a book somewhere with this name.

Or at least a tagline with the word in it….

[Steve Long]

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

 

will there be any kind of discussion in the book on setting an Apocalypse Scenario in another time frame?

 

A little, maybe, but not much.

 

Chapter Three: GMing: This chapter delves into PA campaign creation, running PA games, and all that other fun GMing stuff.

 

Well, it's going to be largely like the GMing chapters in our other books, tailored, as usual, for this particular genre. As a rough sort of outline, it will cover:

 

1. Campaign creation and planning.

a. Types of apocalypses

b. Setting the campaign during or after the apocalypse, and if after, how long after.

c. Rough "realistic" information on how rapidly things decay

d. Other campaign setup info -- campaign types and standards, etc.

 

2. Running the Game -- standard PA plots and how to run them, etc., etc.

 

3. The PA Environment

a. Environmental threats (radiation, aftereffects of other types of apocalypses, etc.)

b. Starvation and survival

c. Ruins

d. Etc.

 

4. Scavenging and Technology -- special rules for salvaging and scavenging, for the condition of things you find, for figuring out how salvaged tech works, for making your own tech, etc., etc.

 

5. PA Villains

 

 

Naturally, all of this is subject to additions, alterations, and rearrangements.

[Hugh Neilson]

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

 

Today's update makes me think of another issue that may merit some brief discussion - levels of technology which will fail under certain situations. Many recent PA efforts in the media note that newer vehicles, for example, will fail if exposed to an EMP, but older vehicles, lacking the computerized components, will do just fine. Some discussion of this and similar issues is probably worthwhile in the tech/scavenging section.

 

[Hopefully, there won't be any EMP pulses in your area in the near future...]

[BobGreenwade]

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

 

Something just occurred to me yesterday about the "meta-genre" discussions in the genre books, specifically regarding comedy.

 

There's an fairly obscure movie out there called "The Bed-Sitting Room," whose main claim to fame is that it was the big-screen debut of the late Marty Feldman. In the movie, London has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb, but the residents are trying to deal with life in stereotypical British fashion, stiff upper lip and all, going on with their lives as much as possible as though very little has changed. (The movie opens with a man relaxing in his living room, despite the fact that all that's really left of his house is an easy chair, the shell of his TV, and the front door.) This juxtaposition of elements deteriorates through the movie to be replaced by the personal journey of the title character (a man who slowly mutates into a partially furnished bed-sitting room), but overall it's a wonderful example of typically British oddball comedy in a post-apocalyptic setting.

 

And as a general note for comedy in settings, I'd like to issue a reminder that, as exemplified by the above, comedy isn't always about how incompetent the characters are, but sometimes just by the weirdness of the setting. Comedy can also come from characters being inhumanly competent, as in Lord Bowler's tracking ability (in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.) or Agent Zero's disguise ability (in the Get Smart revival).

[argent]

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

 

As has been observed above, Hero-enthusiasts tend to be detail-oriented, if not pedantic, so I am almost certain this has already been brought up and dealt with. My apologies if so, but this has been bugging me since I first heard of this new book.

 

Why, if previous titles were not known as Fantasied Hero, Starry Hero, or Pulpy Hero, is the current book called Post-Apocalyptic Hero?

 

Why not Post-Apocalypse Hero?

[Chris Goodwin]

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

 

Fantasy, Star, and Pulp are used as adjectives.

 

One could make a case for using "Post-Apocalypse" as an adjective, but, honestly, there is such a thing as too much pedantry.

 

Did that really add anything to the discussion?

[Toadmaster]

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

 

A little, maybe, but not much.

 

 

 

Well, it's going to be largely like the GMing chapters in our other books, tailored, as usual, for this particular genre. As a rough sort of outline, it will cover:

 

1. Campaign creation and planning.

a. Types of apocalypses

b. Setting the campaign during or after the apocalypse, and if after, how long after.

c. Rough "realistic" information on how rapidly things decay

d. Other campaign setup info -- campaign types and standards, etc.

 

2. Running the Game -- standard PA plots and how to run them, etc., etc.

 

3. The PA Environment

a. Environmental threats (radiation, aftereffects of other types of apocalypses, etc.)

b. Starvation and survival

c. Ruins

d. Etc.

 

4. Scavenging and Technology -- special rules for salvaging and scavenging, for the condition of things you find, for figuring out how salvaged tech works, for making your own tech, etc., etc.

 

5. PA Villains

 

 

Naturally, all of this is subject to additions, alterations, and rearrangements.

 

 

Thank you, there were a couple of posts, and your answers to them that kind of sounded like there would be no discussion of some of these (rather important to the genre) items. Looks like what I expected to find in the chapter so worries averted.

[Steve Long]

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

 

Why, if previous titles were not known as Fantasied Hero, Starry Hero, or Pulpy Hero, is the current book called Post-Apocalyptic Hero?

 

Why not Post-Apocalypse Hero?

 

Because that's how people refer to the genre (at least in my experience): as post-apocalyptic literature or film, not post-apocalypse, just like they refer to Fantasy or Pulp (not Fantasied or Pulpy). But you're welcome to whip out a magic marker and change the lettering on your own copy, come August.

[ghost-angel]

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

 

Ah! You have seen Six String Samurai yes?

 

If not you need to. Perfect example of Comedic elements in a P-A setting. Not to mention campy.

[Steve Long]

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

 

It's in my Netflix queue.

[Labrat]

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

 

May I suggest 'Death Race 2000'? I see it as a dark comedy... but I've been told that you only laugh if you're somewhat twisted. I would suggest the 'not-intended-to-be-comedy' 'Deathsport' too.

 

I actually caught Six String Samurai while looking through the usual On-Demand Free Movies drivel. I was pleasantly surprised.

[Balabanto]

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

 

Heavily armed War-Librarians. To destroy the past is to die!

[Steve]

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

 

Is Logan's Run going to be mentioned in the filmography credits? I can't see that it was mentioned before, and it's always struck me as being solidly in the PA genre.

[archermoo]

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

 

I'd have to say that "Blood of Heros" has got to be my favourite PA style movie.

[Steve Long]

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

 

Is Logan's Run going to be mentioned in the filmography credits?

 

AAMOF that's due to arrive in my mailbox from Netflix today, so we'll just see if it deserves to be in the Filmography or not.

[L. Marcus]

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

 

Logan's Run is nothing but Post-Apoc! What else can you call it?

[Super Squirrel]

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

 

It's in my Netflix queue.

Well there is your problem. You should have Blockbuster Online. You get those extra free rentals that way.

[Super Squirrel]

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

 

AAMOF that's due to arrive in my mailbox from Netflix today' date=' so we'll just see if it deserves to be in the Filmography or not. [/quote']

 

Wait... you haven't scene Logan's Run?!?

 

My perfect vision of Steve Long has been shattered twice in a single thread.

[BobGreenwade]

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

 

It's in my Netflix queue.

I assume this is referring to Six-String Samurai and not The Bed-Sitting Room. (Not that I wouldn't recommend the latter film... though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it either... it made very little sense to me until the very last scene, and even at that point it was only a very weird sort of sense and most other Americans who've seen it were still befuddled.)

 

BTW my idea of a perfect comedic post-apocalyptic campaign is one where the PCs are in a heavily decayed city, facing heavily-armed bandits, superpowered mutants, renegade robots, and similar threats in their daily quest to deliver piping hot pizza in 30 minutes or less.

 

Feel free to cut and paste as desired.

[keithcurtis]

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

 

To be fair, the apocalypse features very little in the film which has a functioning (if stagnant) society. In the book, it features not at all, because there isn't one. If anything, the first Logan's Run book was closer to Cyberpunk than Post-Apoc.

 

Keith "Subsequent Logan books were not as good" Curtis

[Hugh Neilson]

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

 

To be fair, the apocalypse features very little in the film which has a functioning (if stagnant) society. In the book, it features not at all, because there isn't one. If anything, the first Logan's Run book was closer to Cyberpunk than Post-Apoc.

 

Keith "Subsequent Logan books were not as good" Curtis

 

I agree. Whatever moved them to that society barely registers in either version.

 

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is closer to PA in that the Great Devestation, and trying to rebuild the knowledge that was lost, permeates the entire setting, and is at least a secondary plotline throughout. I would still call that tangentially PA at best.