Fallout

[Scott Drebus]

Recently, I purchased the "Fallout" video game bundle on Steam and have finished 1 and 2 and am working my way through 3 before I start on New Vegas. Anyway, those games as well as the Mad Max movies have inspired me to start up an Earthdawn game where I back the timeline all the way up to the final days of the Scourge. The characters were born and raised in a kaer and it's the only life they ever knew until something goes wrong and the kaer starts failing. The characters have to leave the safety of their kaer and adventure into the outside world to find a solution. Is the Scourge still raging? Is it over with? Has civilization rebuilt? Will they find a solution at all let alone in time to save their kaer? With all these questions and more going through their heads they venture forth ...

I have a couple ideas for the game already but I'd like your input to help with some side quests, plot seeds, interesting NPCs, and anything else you can think of to add. Any resources I should look into? I'll definitely have to modify the map as any major city would be a village or outpost at best.

[Slimcreeper]

May want to start with higher level characters, or give them some other advantage to reflect the added danger of emerging so soon.

- swarm of ghouls or gnashers force the heros into the ventilation shaft of a kaer infested with undead. But the undead don't emerge from the depths until the characters are complacent.
- local strong arm forces the characters to perform a favor in exchange for untainted water.
- Guarding one of the first trading caravans for community that desperately needs medical supplies or foodstuffs
- this is the next day, so I suppose I'll post what I have ...

[Scott Drebus]

Anybody have any more ideas? Looks like my game has been delayed a month so I have more time to prepare.

[Mataxes]

They're a bit tougher these days (so it isn't as cool), but I always loved throwing cadaver men at new players (especially ones from a D&D background). Describe them like typical zombies, and the players relax a bit. Even spread out and do a kind of one-on-one thing.

After all, zombies, right?

Of course... somebody will score a wound on one.

Then it's Night of the Living Dead to 28 Days Later.

The way Earthdawn twists some of the fantasy game tropes is just gold.

[Danos]

Ah yes, great memories. My players had some Rolemaster experience, they came up against wolves in the 1st Edition game I ran, and expected it to be an easy fight. It wasn't so bad. They outnumbered the wolves to start, so no one died. No one had any karma left at the end except the characters who had gotten knocked out, though.

Anyway, the Dwarves built their power on emerging early, so you might look at some of the descriptions of that in the source material. I especially like the fact that running a caravan before the roads were rebuilt was a major risk. If a wheel or axle breaks, you need a magical fix or you lose the wagon. Distrust of strangers will probably be one of the major themes of a game like this. Anyone who goes outside could be corrupted, and everyone knows it. The characters own families and political leaders may prefer to deal with them remotely rather than risk coming into contact with them. Themes of isolation and distrust and lack of appreciation.

Sounds like fun, good luck with it.