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04:50, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

World Building.

Posted by GMFor group 0
GM
GM, 3 posts
Sun 7 Mar 2021
at 20:51
  • msg #1

World Building

A thread for collaboratively putting together the game world and setting.

I suppose the big questions for this one would be the general tone and then the reason for the 'fall' and how that influences what threats are still abroad in the world.

My opening gambit would be that I generally like the 'ruins' tone as described in the book with hints of 'echoes'. Basically that there is near miraculous technology from before the fall but it is rare, hard to find and jealously guarded by those that do. That wouldn't preclude any playbooks which are more reliant on high-tech things; they would just stand out in the post-fall society. I'm not married to this theme though so it's up for discussion.

As to the reason for the fall I'm less clear on that. My initial thoughts would be either:

a) Alien Invasion / Takeover. A bit like the 'Non Compliant' quickstart but not exactly that. There would be alien overlords that would need to be dealt with and so elements of arranging an insurrection alongside the normal 'post-fall' survival side of things. Could be interesting adding an angle of appeasing the powers that be while working against them.

b) Lovecraftian Horrors. I've played a fair amount of Phoenix Point of late so would be riffing off that a bit. Something has happened to twist most of humanity into weird monstrosities which are still roaming the world causing havoc. Plenty of opportunity for all sorts of strangeness from hordes of freaky insects to gigantic kaiju sort of things.

More than open to discussion of any other ideas!
GM
GM, 8 posts
Sun 14 Mar 2021
at 21:18
  • msg #2

World Building

The general feeling I'm getting is that people are more interested in the Lovecraftian vibe so are we happy going with that?

Obviously needs a fair bit of padding out. In general something (to be determined, or left entirely vague as desired) unleashed virus/wave of energy/mystical pulse/horde of creatures/weird ooze which exterminated and/or mutated 90%+ of the worlds population. Now what is left of humanity huddles in isolated pockets of safe areas frequently under siege from all sort of monstrosities and strangeness while trying to scavenge up the wonders of the Before from the ruins of civilization.

Or something like that.
Player 1
player, 5 posts
Sun 14 Mar 2021
at 21:22
  • msg #3

World Building

As the things breached our dimension/reality/planet, they could have altered the atmosphere/gravity/rotation, which led to people dying - Some of it even self inflicted as people panicked and fought one another for resources.

No matter what we do, how have we managed to keep the Homeland safe enough to thrive? Are we expanding because we are running out of space/resources, and going out into the ruins of what was, to allow us to continue to survive? Perhaps find other families to join us? Or destroy, and claim what is theirs?
Player 3
player, 3 posts
Sun 14 Mar 2021
at 21:27
  • msg #4

World Building

Well, the world has always been a survival of the fittest type of place. With what happened though, whatever we decide it was, just made it more so. Unfortunately that's how it is, the strong thrive and the weak struggle or look to the strong for help. The question becomes will you help them? Or will you use them as a stepping stone to get your family higher or stronger?

It'll be fun to see what families do, at least in my opinion it will be.
GM
GM, 19 posts
Fri 19 Mar 2021
at 21:58
  • msg #5

World Building

I've been having a think about things and had an idea, as suggested by the rulebook, that the first age we start will be set quite 'early' in the timeline and will be pretty focused on one particular threat. A sort of 'why the families came together' backstory age. Then after that we might do a pretty substantial jump forward in time and then start the ages 'proper' after that.

Obviously I don't expect the families to be all sweetness and light with each other and there should be plenty of opportunity for conflict and backstabbery. It's just that the big threat in the first age will be, hopefully, sufficient to at least explain for future ages why there are avenues of communication and a certain level of comradeship between the families.
GM
GM, 33 posts
Sun 28 Mar 2021
at 12:45
  • msg #6

World Building

Okay I've given some more thought to how we start things off based on what has come up through the playbooks and where we are with them. If any of this doesn't work for anyone feel free to flag it up and we can tinker with it.

As mentioned previously I'm going to go with one big problem for this Age (which in itself will cause several more local issues to resolve) with a view to broadening out threats later on.

We start some three to four generations after the Fall (in the region of 100 years, though in the chaos of the immediate aftermath nobody was keeping overly accurate notes!). Society collapsed in chaos, blood and terror as things came through the gates to the Endless City and ravaged the Earth.

However, now the survivors have started to rebuild. In the Homeland at least attention has shifted away from mere survival to what one day may be prosperity and progress. The Homeland borders a wide coastal bay to the South East and is sheltered by mountains to the North and West and a large wasteland to the South and West. These natural barriers have kept out the worst of the horrors which still stalk the world though reports of dark things still come from the deep woods and wilderness areas which society has not yet reclaimed.

The Homeland is populated by a number of small settlements and individual family holdings but not yet any major population centers. There is nothing by way of a formal communication network and journeys, outside of the most well travelled routes, are often dangerous through the risks of monstrous horrors not yet hunted down and more human predators who skulk in the wilderness despite the best efforts of the Bennington Family and locals who do their best to secure the fragile links between settlements.

Your families represent the major powers of the area many of you having built a solid foundation on technology you found in the Homeland (or contributed to the Homeland for some of the older families) which appears to have been home to a large number of advanced scientific facilities before the Fall. Many of these facilities remain undiscovered, or only spoken about as legend, offering fabulous rewards for those scavengers brave enough to find and plunder them.

Currently your families are in a state of truce, some may have been enemies in the past and some may have more positive histories but you have largely trodden separate paths - the simple act of survival following the Fall did not give much time to concentrate on those who aren't you own (save for the truly altruistic families who have dedicated themselves to rebuilding society).

The isolation of the Homeland has meant that travel both from and to the area is rare. Occasional travelers pass through, and some settle, bringing word of the outside world and there are some merchant caravans which make regular journeys to and from the Homeland providing a source of news as well as providing any resources unavailable in the area.

Of late things have changed. No caravans have returned from the North for several months and have been replaced by a steady stream of refugees - at first a drip but every week brings more and more who have braved the difficult journey to the Homeland. They speak of 'The Scourge'; a force which is driving Southwards and pushing all before it. The details of what makes up this 'Scourge' are patchy, few of those fleeing have seen the threat directly and have merely joined the torrent of those already running.

The influx of people have caused problems for the Homeland which had been in a state of equilibrium which is now being disrupted by the newcomers who arrive with virtually nothing. Many have set up makeshift settlements and attempt to scavenge off the land but some have taken to banditry and violence to ensure they survive.

The local populace has begun to unite in a way they never have before though what unifies them is a view that something needs to be done to stop the flow of refugees. Many are forming a view that an armed response to drive them out is the only way to ensure the survival of those 'native' to the Homeland and the more peacefully minded dissenters are gradually being shouted down.

If nothing is to be done then war will come to the Homeland soon enough and, if that is not bad enough, there is the mysterious Scourge heading your way...
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