I want to run a PA game, and I am brainstorming everything from setting to actual disaster. What my players will come up against, main probelms, everything. I am running into one HUGE problem though....
WHAT SYSTEM DO I USE?
This is going to be my world, so I am free, but I would like some help from more experienced gamers. My friends are not real big into gaming, and they just do it to have fun, so I can really tweak any system and they won't know the difference. I was thinking HERO 5th edition, revised, but they are just releasing a 6th, and it is kinda hard to get the 5th now. I could just wait for the 6th, but i'm impatient.
I have never played GURPS, and no absolutely nothing about it. I could tweak the CoC rules to make it modern and just drop the horror refences. Or Cyberpunk 2020 and drop it back 11 years :P
I don't know. I want something fairly realistic. I want my players to really fear not having enough food, being scared of not having shelter, fearing raids from gangs etc. Cyberpunk goes a long way with the combat...
Hmm... Well really, any help would be swell.
I'm partial to D20 and would lean toward using Spycraft 2.0's ruleset. I've have Gurps material and I think I might have CP2020, as well as WoTC's d20 Apocolypse.
If you are used to using the Hero system, then use that, but use the other rulesets for inspiration and modify their ideas for use under Hero.
Honestly, I have never used the HERO rules. I was looking into buying them when this idea hit me, and it seemed like a match. HERO has a supliment genre book called Post Apocalyptic HERO, and it is pretty much everything you need, ideas wise.
I am nota huge fan of d20, just for the simple fact that I really hate the way HP works. It just gets so ridiculously high that it kinda leans away from the fear I want in the story. I like it when a character can kill or be killed, no matter what level, if they play stupidly. Though of course, I could make d20 more deadly...reduce hp, up damage...something. Hmmm...any ideas?
I'm looking for gritty, realism, and danger. How is d20 apocalypse?
Gritty - realism - danger: BRP or GURPS IMO. BRP has a section on mutations right in the core book as well.
I am trying to shy away from mutation and 'high' fantasy. More like http://iamalivegame.us.ubi.com/ than fakkout, though fallout would be a lot of fun. I am planning on having the players start out in their normal lives, and actualy live through the epidimic, so they have a real foundation.
Hehe...or like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufYF0f-zMgY
Anyway, what it BRP? I know I should know this..
BRP is Basic Roleplaying... the foundation of games like RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer, etc. And if you don't want mutations, that's fine, don't use them. There's nothing "high fantasy" about BRP. The latest published version is basically a compilation of all the previous BRP-based games' rules. Where rules diverge, they usually present the simplest option as the default, and then present the more complex option as an optional rule. It's meant to be used in any setting.Originally Posted by Marley117
Hmmm thank you! That is pretty much what I need. I loved the way CoC ran, and so did my players. They messed up a lot, but at least every time they did, it made sense. We had a lot of fun. This sounds really perfect! Thanks a bunch! Wonder why I hadn't heard/thought of that heh.
I am in no way an expert in the "game mechanics wars" or "genre wars", but do know that the rules for HP for Spycraft 2.0 is different than the d20 rules.
I personsally don't want to start purchasing different rulesets for different types of games if I don't really have to, so I just modify campaign settings for the rulesets I am most comfortable with.
I admit, a bit red in the face, I have never heard of Spycraft 2.0 or normal Spycraft till I clicked on the link at the top, the little banner thing. So I have no idea what the rules for it are. It seemed pretty cool, but I would have to read more into it.
I am thinking BRP is really a perfect choice though. I know my players like the rules, they used em for CoC and loved it, and I liked the way everything went.
Thank you for pointing that out to me. I like buying stuff for some reason. New games and such. I like reading it, and learning new systems. It is just...fun to me. I own so many games ( most I picked up in like used book stores or some such) that I have never played. I just thought they were interesting to read through and imagine.
No apologies necessary. I'm a packrat myself and I'd buy the same way you do if the wife didn't have me on an allowance.
My girlfriend is getting that way -sighs at the future- I can already see it coming.
No apologies necessary. I'm a packrat myself and I'd buy the same way you do if the wife didn't have me on an allowance.I swear I'm the only guy I know of who handles the money in the house...
I'm a fan of Unisystem myself. All flesh must be eaten, witchcraft, buffy etc, AFMBE has plenty of rules for zombie apocalypse but I'm sure it would work for any apocalypse
I have that book, and was considering it. It would work farily well, though I was a bit concerned with the level of realism and everything. I have wanted to play an AFMBE game for so long, but they are all terrified of zombies lol.
By a great coincidence I'm starting a short three or four game post-apoc game this weekend we are down a man for the next few weeks so I'm taking a break from our normal D&D game to run something different. I'm using my own home brewed system (which I would not necessarily suggest since it has not yet been playtested, but you can locate it by searching for my other posts) so I really can't help you on the game system question. I will say that I'm a big fan of lethal systems where a character can be killed in a single shot and recovering from injuries isn't all sunshine and rainbows either. It gives the game a very different feel and in our case will really set it apart from the D&D4e we're otherwise playing.
If you don't come up with a system to use, I'd just suggest going with something rules light so that you have freedom to make adjudications as you go.
However coming up with the system is only a small part of the game, so I'm going to hijack the thread a little and see if I can get some help for my particular problem. Like the OP I am going to run a near term post-apoc scenario which means no mutants, or wastelands or anything, but a heavy dose of WWIII. (Think Red Dawn more than Mad Max.)
I need some ideas on encounters. (I run fairly loosely scripted games where I try to let the players direct the flow but I have a stack of encounters ready to go.) Here's what I have so far:
Hostile
Feral Dog Pack: The characters encounter a pack (2d12) of feral dogs. The encounter starts with the players hearing the howls of the pack as their scent is picked up. The players have bare moments to get to safety or set up defensive positions.
Toxic Pool: The characters encounter a small poll near the road surrounded by the rotting corpses of local wildlife. The pool of water has been contaminated by a chemical weapon (specifically nerve agents) and if the characters move in too close to investigate they will need to contend with the lingering effects of the chemical agent.
Communist Checkpoint: The characters spot a communist checkpoint on the road ahead. A single communist APC and squad of foot soldiers has set up an expedient roadblock using bullet riddled civilian vehicles. (The remains of people who did not heed the order to stop. The bodies are buried in a shallow mass grave near the road.
Looters (Mobile): A local criminal gang (2d12) has decided that now is a good time to start looting. They have a pickup truck loaded with stolen goods. If the characters are spotted the gang might decide that the PCs are either law enforcement or a good target. Either way they will open fire with a variety of civilian small arms.
Looters (Siege): A local criminal gang (2d12) has decided that now is a good time to start looting. They have a pickup truck loaded with stolen goods and are trying to gain access to a gun store, but the owner is holed up inside and making it tough for them.
Neutral
Dead Paratrooper: A communist paratrooper’s corpse still attached to his parachute hangs entangled in the branches of one or more large trees, or has been dragged across the ground by the wind and become entangled in the brush near the road. The cause of death could be from the shock and exposure of a bad landing, a wound suffered on the way down, chemical agent, bacteriological agent, or radiological exposure.
Dead Family: The characters encounter a dead family in a vehicle on the road. They might be freshly dead or have decayed for some time. The cause of death might have been fatal radiation exposure, chemical or bacteriological agent.
Burned Out Civilian Vehicle: The characters encounter the remains of a number (1d12) of burned out civilian vehicles. These vehicles may be the remains of a traffic accident (cause unknown) or have been hit by heavy weapons.
Burned Out Military Vehicle: The characters encounter the remains of a military vehicle (Tank, APC, Transport, etc…) which has been destroyed by enemy fire.
Battlefield: The characters encounter the remnants of a battle with communist forces. The bodies of the losing side litter the ground but the victors have carried out their own fallen. The bodies that remain have been picked over, but some useful equipment may remain.
Friendly
Partisans: The characters encounter a small band (2d12) of very suspicious partisans.
So, basically I'm hoping to pick some people's brains for a bit. Anyone have any ideas for other encounters that might occur to a group of civilians trying to get home during WWIII? Non-combat encounters are OK, they help establish the mood.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks