Post apocali (is that the plural for apocalypse.)

Submitted by alderneyvamp on Mon, 2009-10-26 15:01.

Another game idea (only setting at the moment)that I may or may not pick up. Lacking inspiration and drive at the moment, but at least I'm having a couple of ideas even if I don't know what to do with them.

Post apocalyptic settings are seeing a great surge in the last year or so, across all mediums. I can see why, it's a great way to study humanity with out its boundaries. I've enjoyed watching and playing through the various films, tv shows and games. So it's not a bad thing and so far everyone is taking a different way of approaching it. I'm particularily enjoying the reading of the Nevercast development, it's a shame that my own lack of inspiration is hindering me from making much useful comment, however it seems to be going along really well, so no worries there.

So I want to develop a post apocalyptic RPG. I may not, but I would like to and have an idea or sorts. Most (maybe all how can I say?) post-apocalyptic settings assume some vestige of mankind survives, humanity always lives on. Not in this setting. For whatever reason mankind dies out. Not a single one left, or such a small amount that the population dwindles into nothing. Hundreds of years pass, then thousands and eventually new life begins to take humanities place. Surrounded by mankinds influences but without it's hand to hold them back, some animals have evolved in a similair vein as humans did. Not all had the intelligence, need or enviromental stimulus to achieve the new level of consciousness, to be able to stand tall on two legs, to communicate with language, but enough did and a society is emerging. A tribal society within the ruins of mankinds cities, ignorance surrounded by technology.

The game would revolve around growth and discovery, players living within the old cities of man, finding technology and wondering just what to do with it. Or they could strive to become the strongest in their tribal territory, claim the most land. Perhaps all players belong to the same species and believe themselves to be superior to all others.

I think there wouldn't be many actual races to choose from. One species evolving to that level is improbable, more than 3 or 4 is a very big stretch of the imagination. I was thinking those that evolved would be those that relied on and had the most interaction with people: rats, cats and dogs.

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On Inspiration

Submitted by Ar Kayon on Mon, 2009-10-26 21:06.

I believe that inspiration can be manufactured. What are you doing to revitalize your creativity? Here are some methods I use to stir up the juices:

1. I only work on my ideas at night. There's far too much outside nonsense going on during the day for your thoughts to gather any momentum.
2. I find that trance, electronica, and house music attunes my mind to the setting I'm working on. Go on iTunes radio and try to find the best musical frequency for your setting. (Try Baroque for fantasy settings.)
3. Research, research, research. I'm reading everything from Discover, to Lao Tzu, to The Economist, to "Mexico and Peru: Myths and Legends" for my setting.
4. I've dissected my favorite video game and pen and paper RPGs. I need to know what makes them great, both from my own experiences and the experiences of others. You can easily find that developers have forums on their websites where people tell them what is good and bad about their games.

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How to Destroy the World

Submitted by Ar Kayon on Mon, 2009-10-26 19:41.

1. Evolution. Remember that this stuff takes millions of years, so when a new intelligent species pops up, it's most likely that humanity's cities will be deeply buried under the earth. I see this as a great opportunity to add some depth to your world. Just imagine what kind of crazy theories their anthropologists would come up with! They will completely reinterpret mankind's place in the universe.

2. Scorched Earth. This has been done quite a few times, so if you're going to go with this route, it should either be insanely funny or insanely depressing. I believe that deeply emotional undertones can present an old concept in a unique light.

3. Reverse Engineering. What if an undeveloped new intelligent species discovered mankind's developments and ideas and reverse engineered them? Will it undermine this new species' ingenuity and philosophical cultivation because someone figured it all out for them?

4. Social Organization. Will these new species parallel mankind's social development? Will they traverse the same route: tribal communism-city states-feudalism/imperialism-capitalism/communism?

5. Genocide. Multiple intelligent species existing at the same time will undoubtedly try to wipe each other out. If they haven't already, you have a great tool for conflict in your world. What kind of epic heroes will emerge to save their dying people?

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Go ahead, stretch

Submitted by SheikhJahbooty on Mon, 2009-10-26 16:09.

For any remnant of humanity, let alone a city to survive, over an evolutionary time frame, is one big stretch of the imagination.

So you can limit the number of animal tribes if you don't want your game cluttered with anthropomorphic critters. But don't limit the critters because of a stiff noggin.

Because I would totally sign up for an Post Apocalypse Anthropomorphic Animal Houses of the Blooded hack.

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Must moderate myself.

Submitted by alderneyvamp on Mon, 2009-10-26 16:56.

I want to put a limit on the races for three main reasons.

1) I don't want it to resemble Jade/Ironclaw.

2) Like in Pokemon/Jadeclaw, if the animals are all your friends or all evolved like you, who do you eat? So I want things like cows and chickens to be available to be domesticated.

3) It's less work on my side!

However I do think I might move it up to 5 or 6, for variation in the game as well as to give a more varied society (there will be some mixed groups and some racially pure tribes in the world.) I was thinking perhaps of adding Crows (they are pretty damn smart anyway) whose main advantage of course would be flight and I would like designing an insectish race, but I have trouble envisioning making them large enough for interaction, perhaps that can be their flaw, as the other races have grown to the size of between small children (rats/cats/small dogs) to full grown adults (large dogs) perhaps cockroaches only ever get to the size of rats.

As for the setting itself I might start to develop/destroy london (once I figure out what caused mankinds downfall) as if I need inspiration, I can just look out the window. I think there will be very little left (which perhaps is why so much technology is hard to find.) Just had an idea, will probably hate it in the morning. Some humans survived, but without society, education and law they went through a sort of devolution. Sometimes player will stumble upon hairy man apes crowded around a single depowered computer in an office downtown, clinging to a cultural heritage they know nothing about. It would at least be spooky.
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