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Post by Wakefield on Mar 27, 2017 0:35:31 GMT -8
I have been kicking around the idea of a game of Pendragon in a post-apocalyptic setting for some time now. With Jackercon XIII right around the corner, this might just be the excuse to get my act together and run the damned thing. Most of Pendragon system I am quite happy with (especially the Traits and Passions), and I think I can adapt much of the game to this new setting without too much trouble. The main trouble I foresee is its combat system, which is designed for and narrowly focused on medieval technologies like horse-mounted combat, chain mail, and the like. I am afraid that it will not easily accommodate both these medieval technologies and modern weapons, armor, and conveyances, which are so many orders of magnitude higher. At present, the solutions seem to be: - Reskinning horses as different types of vehicles (probably motorcycles)
- Basing a few gun types off of the game's stats for bows and crossbows, though crossbows in KAP are super deadly
- Dialing up the potency of all weapons and armor (knights wear power armor and wield vibroblades; nothing else can make a dent)
- Poaching another d20 combat system that handles these different grades of weapon and armor potency well
I would love to hear any recommendations y'all might have for sorting out this problem! P.S. - Originally I had envisioned these post-apocalyptic knights' "mounts" as war mechs leftover from the apocalyptic war (and still love this idea), but mech combat would definitely necessitate a new system. That said, if someone sees a way to make this work, I'm completely all ears.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 1:40:53 GMT -8
My approach would be to leave everything as is and make guns super powerful but the ammo for them super rare along the lines of 'you have an ancestral revolver and exactly 4 bullets' level of rare. Then make combats / situations challenging enough that they're constantly struggling with the question of whether to use their overpowered weapon now or save it for later.
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Post by Wakefield on Mar 27, 2017 4:37:25 GMT -8
Short for Ex[tra-high]caliber, amirite? In all seriousness, I love this idea, @whodo ! And to explain the rarity of guns, I might even take it a bit further - given the dishonor associated with crossbow use in the KAP rulebook, perhaps a cultural disapproval of guns resulted in an initiative to melt the majority of them into scrap metal. Firearms would still be around, of course, but perhaps that cultural stigma persists. Then, if the PCs acquire a gun or two, it would also be a question of whether they choose to refrain from using them to preserve their honor, or if they crack under pressure and use them to save their skin. This is a great start - please keep the ideas coming, folks!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 4:55:25 GMT -8
I was almost thinking the other way, having a gun with bullets marks you out as rich / noble due to the impossibility of manufacturing replacements. So using up a bullet is literally seen as diminishing your standing and to lose your bullets is akin to a samurai losing their daisho.
The ExCaliber idea is, by the way, genius. Maybe Arthur in the setting rides a Harley and carries a high caliber pistol like a magnum or desert eagle. Nobody knows where he seems to obtain his constant source of ammo...
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Post by uncommonman on Mar 27, 2017 5:07:03 GMT -8
Would you want Dragons (giant mutant lizards) and other monsters as well?
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Post by Wakefield on Mar 27, 2017 5:25:12 GMT -8
uncommonman, I'm not sure yet, but that's a good question. At the moment I'm thinking of what I'll need for a narrative that can easily fit into the space of a Jackercon one-shot. If the adventure really takes off, though, the sky's the limit. Did you have an idea involving giant mutant liz--er, ahem, dragons?
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Post by uncommonman on Mar 27, 2017 5:40:30 GMT -8
uncommonman, I'm not sure yet, but that's a good question. At the moment I'm thinking of what I'll need for a narrative that can easily fit into the space of a Jackercon one-shot. If the adventure really takes off, though, the sky's the limit. Did you have an idea involving giant mutant liz--er, ahem, dragons? Not really but I have always wanted to play a knight in an post apocalyptic setting. Magic and skeletons could be replaced by futuristic technology and robots. An necromancer with a zombie army = a scientist with a robot factory. A sorcerer throwing fireballs = someone with laser weapons. An illusionist = a mutant with phycic powets Just speculating for fun.
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Post by Wakefield on Mar 27, 2017 6:00:36 GMT -8
uncommonman , I'm not sure yet, but that's a good question. At the moment I'm thinking of what I'll need for a narrative that can easily fit into the space of a Jackercon one-shot. If the adventure really takes off, though, the sky's the limit. Did you have an idea involving giant mutant liz--er, ahem, dragons? Not really but I have always wanted to play a knight in an post apocalyptic setting. Magic and skeletons could be replaced by futuristic technology and robots. An necromancer with a zombie army = a scientist with a robot factory. A sorcerer throwing fireballs = someone with laser weapons. An illusionist = a mutant with phycic powets Just speculating for fun. I can dig it! I really enjoy the idea of a dragon being a mutant lizard. And I'm down with wizards and mages just possessing technology that the uninitiated and/or superstitious would just believe was magic. Merlin the Technowizard.
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sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
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Post by sbloyd on Mar 27, 2017 6:02:18 GMT -8
Excaliber should be a long rifle, IMHO.
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Post by uncommonman on Mar 27, 2017 6:16:53 GMT -8
Excaliber should be a long rifle, IMHO. But who is the lady in the lake?
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Post by Wakefield on Mar 27, 2017 6:20:02 GMT -8
Excaliber should be a long rifle, IMHO. But who is the lady in the lake? Back when this was an Arthurian post-apocalyptic mecha game, she was a satellite in geosynchronous orbit over the planet, and Merlin could signal her to send down drop pods containing the mechas to knight-pilots he deemed worthy.
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sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
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Post by sbloyd on Mar 27, 2017 6:30:22 GMT -8
The Lady in the Lake is the leader of a group of Homo Mermanus, who used gene therapy and splicing techniques to escape the apocalypse by going underwater. They find a lot of salvage down there, like a couple cases of long rifle ammo in sealed crates - she barters these with Arthur (or whoever wields Excalibur) for other things her people need.
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Post by Wakefield on Mar 27, 2017 6:39:05 GMT -8
sbloyd, that's friggin' amazing. Merfolk would totally fit both settings.
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Post by Wakefield on Mar 27, 2017 6:47:49 GMT -8
Seriously, I think from sheer excitement my head just ex-sbloyd-ed.
(sorry)
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Post by Kainguru on Mar 27, 2017 6:59:33 GMT -8
There is the obvious caveat - Arthur is 'the once and future king'. He didn't die in his final battle rather he sleeps, because of his part fey parentage, in Avalon til Albion's hour of greatest need. Whence he shall return and bring Camelot back to Albion to restore order and civilisation. In some versions of the legends Morgan le Fey watches over the sleeping Arthur in lieu of the missing Merlin - to advise and assist when he awakes (so where is Merlin now and will Morgan le Fey stay the course, her own Fey parentage making her unpredictable at best?) Aaron
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