Mad Max/Dead Lands
Apr 28, 2014 13:36:39 GMT -8
Post by HourEleven on Apr 28, 2014 13:36:39 GMT -8
So I mentioned this on The Argument Phase today, thought I'd finally post it. Any thoughts are much appreciated. I have no experience with any Dead Lands books after the original core book (Even when Savage Worlds version came out I stayed a purist), but I'll be looking into "Hell on Earth" (although it looks like it tips the scale more to the magic wasteland than the wild west).
//The goal: //
Mad Max/Weird West/diesel punk/cliche spaghetti
//The setting: //
post apocalypse wasteland where a single city has been re-inhabited and a handful of Reckefeller-esque gentlemen control the wealth. The only technology recovered was oil/coal based, as the machines were mostly straightforward and oil burns easily. Gasoline refining is still new and costly, and produces low octane garbage - so only the rich drive cars. All vehicles and nearly all guns are salvage, most manufacturing processes are still a mystery.
All that surrounds the city is desert waste, with small frontier settlements set up around ancient roadside gas stations. Bandit attacks are a way of life. Company sponsored trains still run occasionally as a way to move many people and tons of cargo on a single load of fuel, but only when there is enough to fill it completely.
Motorcycles have been the standard way for bandits, lawmen, and prospectors to get around the frontier. The town pays taxes to fund the sheriff's fuel, and bandits can never get enough gas. Bodyguards, bounty hunters, mercenaries, all take any job that comes there way to fill their tanks and get them to the next settlement.
Gas and oil prices are set locally based on the settlements availability, recent bandit activity, and the last time a supply train came through.
The frontier carries the promise of adventure, untold wealth, and grisly death. But people will continue to come - the companies need resources and they will continue to tell the stories of rich prospectors while leaving out the tales of zombie attacks and worse. To find oil, gas, coal, cars, cycles, etc. is to write your own ticket to city status (if you can protect it).
//The Characters: //
The players will make characters that would have (for whatever reason) taken the bait on a company ad seeking "Frontiersmen" and promising a "free motorcycle to everyone who follows the dream." Of course the cycle barely works, is a nightmare to keep fueled and operational, but is essential to not dying in the desert.
I will steer them towards the west tropes, the foppish lawyer looking to bring civilization to the frontier, the fugitive on the run, etc.
Each player will have to provide a "win condition," an event that will end that character successfully (become a living legend, get rich, etc.). If they live long enough to accomplish it, they retire.
//Mechanics: //
Gurps.
Since I have a complete collection of Gurps 3e AutoDuel, Carwars, and GW's version Battlecars, I'll be combining that directly with Gurps 3e Old West and 4e Magic (and some inspirational Dead Lands).
I'm thinking about re-skinning, customizing DeadLands unique magic types into a Gurps magic system. I always spend ages customizing magic in Gurps...
I'll be using mostly 3E sourcebooks but I'll be running it in 4E. Enough years with each makes conversion on the fly old hat (for those who don't know, the move from 3 to 4 was more a maintenance release than any massive changes).
I have to commit to either 3e or 4e tech level labels, though. I'm tempted to use 3e since most of the sourcebooks are 3e, but we are playing in 4e so there is some benefit to it. It's not overly significant in the long run - 4e just does a better job of not saying "on this date we became future" and leaves the end date open for each TL - since black powder doesn't disappear from the earth when we invented full-auto.
Shootin'
Either we are going to use the rules from Gurps 4e Tactical Shooting and go balls out with details; or, 4e Gun Fu's "Way of the West" and say fuck all to realism.
//Story Structure: //
I'm thinking sand box is the way to go.
//The goal: //
Mad Max/Weird West/diesel punk/cliche spaghetti
//The setting: //
post apocalypse wasteland where a single city has been re-inhabited and a handful of Reckefeller-esque gentlemen control the wealth. The only technology recovered was oil/coal based, as the machines were mostly straightforward and oil burns easily. Gasoline refining is still new and costly, and produces low octane garbage - so only the rich drive cars. All vehicles and nearly all guns are salvage, most manufacturing processes are still a mystery.
All that surrounds the city is desert waste, with small frontier settlements set up around ancient roadside gas stations. Bandit attacks are a way of life. Company sponsored trains still run occasionally as a way to move many people and tons of cargo on a single load of fuel, but only when there is enough to fill it completely.
Motorcycles have been the standard way for bandits, lawmen, and prospectors to get around the frontier. The town pays taxes to fund the sheriff's fuel, and bandits can never get enough gas. Bodyguards, bounty hunters, mercenaries, all take any job that comes there way to fill their tanks and get them to the next settlement.
Gas and oil prices are set locally based on the settlements availability, recent bandit activity, and the last time a supply train came through.
The frontier carries the promise of adventure, untold wealth, and grisly death. But people will continue to come - the companies need resources and they will continue to tell the stories of rich prospectors while leaving out the tales of zombie attacks and worse. To find oil, gas, coal, cars, cycles, etc. is to write your own ticket to city status (if you can protect it).
//The Characters: //
The players will make characters that would have (for whatever reason) taken the bait on a company ad seeking "Frontiersmen" and promising a "free motorcycle to everyone who follows the dream." Of course the cycle barely works, is a nightmare to keep fueled and operational, but is essential to not dying in the desert.
I will steer them towards the west tropes, the foppish lawyer looking to bring civilization to the frontier, the fugitive on the run, etc.
Each player will have to provide a "win condition," an event that will end that character successfully (become a living legend, get rich, etc.). If they live long enough to accomplish it, they retire.
//Mechanics: //
Gurps.
Since I have a complete collection of Gurps 3e AutoDuel, Carwars, and GW's version Battlecars, I'll be combining that directly with Gurps 3e Old West and 4e Magic (and some inspirational Dead Lands).
I'm thinking about re-skinning, customizing DeadLands unique magic types into a Gurps magic system. I always spend ages customizing magic in Gurps...
I'll be using mostly 3E sourcebooks but I'll be running it in 4E. Enough years with each makes conversion on the fly old hat (for those who don't know, the move from 3 to 4 was more a maintenance release than any massive changes).
I have to commit to either 3e or 4e tech level labels, though. I'm tempted to use 3e since most of the sourcebooks are 3e, but we are playing in 4e so there is some benefit to it. It's not overly significant in the long run - 4e just does a better job of not saying "on this date we became future" and leaves the end date open for each TL - since black powder doesn't disappear from the earth when we invented full-auto.
Shootin'
Either we are going to use the rules from Gurps 4e Tactical Shooting and go balls out with details; or, 4e Gun Fu's "Way of the West" and say fuck all to realism.
//Story Structure: //
I'm thinking sand box is the way to go.