Post-apocalyptic setting inspired by "Stand Still, Stay Silent"

[Jürgen Hubert]

I recently finished archive-binging the excellent webcomic "Stand Still. Stay Silent", and I'm glad I did. It presents a rather interesting post-apocalyptic setting, and I believe something on its lines would make for a very interesting GURPS setting.

Warning: Spoilers to follow. If you haven't read the comic, maybe you should go over there first. You won't regret it.










In the prologue/backstory of the comic, a mysterious disease - initially called "rash disease" because of the rashes that are its first symptoms - is spreading around the globe. It is spread via the air, but doesn't survive for long outside of a living host (especially in sunlight), and quarantine measures are quite effective and known by the time the bulk of the comic takes place (90 years after the initial outbreak). It kills most of its victims outright. A minority is immune (though the descendants of the survivors have a higher percentage of immune people - 48% in the "frontier" regions). The rest are transformed into bizarre monsters (see here for some examples) which are hostile to humanity. They can't endure either sunlight or freezing temperatures (which is why they build "nests" during the winter). Furthermore, the plague also affects mammals (except for cats for some reason).

Most of humanity was simply wiped out. Iceland managed to isolate itself before the plague spread to its shores, while small regions in the other Scandinavian countries managed to survive. 90 years later, they managed to rebuild a civilization of sorts that is expanding outwards - but it is a slow process, since regions have to be carefully "cleared" by military forces consisting of immune people before they can be used safely for agriculture, forestry, or even settlement by the non-immune. Here is a map of the Known World - it is unknown if anyone survived elsewhere (long-range radio is difficult because of really creepy static). Some of the survivors also have learned how to harness magical powers, which also assist in spotting the monsters.


Obviously, this has a lot of gaming potential. I don't want to use the exact same setting - especially since a lot of secrets of "Stand Still, Stay Silent" are still unrevealed. So, instead of the Gigeresque abominations of the comic, let's say mammals (including humans) are transformed into more generic fantasy monsters. These should be very aggressive, but fairly mindless, with animalistic intelligence - they will attack any humans they discover, but they are not smart enough to make organized attacks on human settlements (unless humanity would have become extinct entirely). Instead of the powers shown in the comic, we might use standard GURPS Magic (or another GURPS-based magic system).

What stays the same is that humanity has been almost completely wiped out. There are surviving settlements which have rebuilt a civilization of sorts which (unlike in other post-apocalyptic settings) largely is not run by evil tyrants - while it is expected that everyone pitches in due to the desperateness of the situation, this is a civilization worth defending. The existing safe zones for the non-immune are largely stable, and slowly growing - but almost everything is still monster-infested wilderness.

Which means that there is plenty to do for "adventuring parties" in the setting. "Monster hunting" is likely the default adventure - but it doesn't have to be aimless. Vital trade routes need to be established and secured. Settlements have to be expanded. The ruins of the old towns and cities hold numerous treasures and technological items that could be useful for rebuilding - in fact, the "unofficial" goal of the protagonists in the comic is to find old books they can sell on the black market.

On the other hand, the monster-infested wilderness and the return of the supernatural have their own mysteries that can be explore. Magic is now a tool that is likely at least as important to survival as restoring the old technology, and learning more about it will create further adventure opportunities. Studying the monsters and their supernatural abilities will also yield vital information that humanity needs to survive and grow.


That's what I have so far. What are your ideas?

[Verjigorm]

A monster I toyed with was a play on zombies and the idea of a parasite creature similar to the xenomorph. The idea was basically:

A fungal spore that specializes in attacking nasal and nerve tissue, effectively replacing it. This has the side effects of destroying higher brain function, turning people into what are effectively zombies. They still breath, sleep and need to eat, but they are bestial and aggressive, willing to eat people. The advanced cases have a bite that can spread their infection, as a result of the fungus primarily infecting the nasal and sinus cavities. These are kinda your basic zombies, but alive. They arn't even that aggressive, provided they are not hungry.

The second stage of the infection comes from a fly/wasp like parasite that lays its eggs in the infected tissue. The eggs hatch and the larvae burrow into the fungal tissues, and generally into the brain. there, they cause all sorts of bad behavior in the victim, as well as preying upon each other. During this phase, the victims become aggressive and violent, frequently deranged and homocidal. Eventually, the largest of the larva will have eaten all it's siblings, and takes up permanent residence in the skull cavity, and is capable of manipulating the host body through the fungal tissue, which has by now effectively replaced the nervous system of the victim.

The first two "zombies" are kind of your typical ones. You have your "shamblers" and "runners". Shamblers arn't especially vicious or bloodthirsty, but when hungry they are a danger. Runners are vicious and bloodthirsty, and overwhelmingly aggressive: they will gladly charge gunfire or spiked barricades, and fight despite grievous wounds. Pretty much mindless.

However, once a dominant larva has begun to control the host, a diabolical cunning begins to grow. "Stalkers" are basically human, though their brain has largely been consumed by a parasite that thrives on the blood supply that would have otherwise fed the brain. They also gain a ravenous hunger and an ability to communicate with the infected via pheromones. The intelligence of the stalkers is low, but they rapidly gain a disturbing cunning and stealthy manner.

As a stalker survives, many changes will occur in the host body. Strange hormones will trigger grotestue bursts of muscle growth, and the appetite for flesh will grow increasingly consuming. The resulting monstrosity, a hulking humanoid brute with a mishappen skull and distinctive hump from it's growing parasite.

After some time as a stalker/brute, another massive change will occur in these creatures, and the muscle will turn to fat, as massive boils and pustules filled with fungal spores will begin to erupt from the Bloater. This period of the host's body is the final stage of the parasite symbosis. The internal organs will fail as the larvae puppaetes, the bloater collapsing into a massive, stinking and putrid mess, from which a mature Bone Lord will emerge.

Bone Lord's are roughly human-sized, vaguely insectoid appearence. They possess an internal skeleton, but are also covered in a segmented and strong chitinous exoskeleton, with four pairs of limbs(4 dedicated legs, 4 strikers thate can double up as legs), and a sineous, vaguely grublike torso and abdomen. Their mandibles double as graspers, and the Bone Lord's are quite intelligent.


Bone lords are effectively hermaphroditic, giving birth to large numbers of female, diminutive offspring that resemble wasps in behavior and appearance. These are fertilized by their parents, and fly off to restart the cycle.

Bone lords can effectively infect most mammals, but viable offspring are only likely to result from humans or very large mammals that have sufficient mass to support the parasite.

***

My bone lords are a super-science or atleast TL11+ enginered bio-weapon. But it's an idea I kick around.

[PTTG]

Thanks for introducing me to SSSS!

I definitely see the attraction of a GURPS game based on it, I'll have to read up a bit before I can tell you how it might work in practice...

[Jürgen Hubert]

So, what kind of Tech Level could such a society reliably maintain? For one thing, a lot of knowledge has been lost. For another, both the resource base and the modern industrial infrastructure has been gutted.

I'd say that TL6 seems appropriate. However, much of the more complex/more advanced tech seems to be prioritized for military use, for obvious reasons. This should probably be reflected by a much lower Starting Wealth - something perhaps as low as $1000 seems appropriate...

[patchwork]

I don't actually think a society as small as the one shown in SSSS could maintain TL6. Probably TL6 medicine, especially since they primarily characterize their opposition as a disease (and because TL6 medicine is mostly about ideas, if you still have the ideas it's hard to slip below that point), but everything else would be down to TL5. Instead, I'd let people be gadgeteers, with getting a relic from before the fall working again usually an Easy or Average task. It does seem like a fine basis for an adventuring campaign.

[Polydamas]

Originally Posted by patchwork

I don't actually think a society as small as the one shown in SSSS could maintain TL6. Probably TL6 medicine, especially since they primarily characterize their opposition as a disease (and because TL6 medicine is mostly about ideas, if you still have the ideas it's hard to slip below that point), but everything else would be down to TL5. Instead, I'd let people be gadgeteers, with getting a relic from before the fall working again usually an Easy or Average task. It does seem like a fine basis for an adventuring campaign.

I agree, but the author has made it clear that she is going by the rule of cool (eg. those giant boat lifts mounted on even bigger ocean liners, or some of the physics of explosions, or skalds copying old books on typewriters instead of reprinting them using some small-volume technology). Postapocalyptic settings tend to get less fun if you start looking at the sociology and history of technology behind them.

I am not sure that I would use the TL system at all, just note that technology from 1920 (or so) is manufactured in Sweden and Iceland, with Finland back in the late nineteenth century and Norway and Denmark in between, and that relics from the early 21st century relics and some high-tech like the trains and ships. I might make the shortage of rubber or tropical plants or tin an adventure seed but otherwise ignore it.

[PTTG]

I find TL is very hard to categorize in a post-apocolypse setting. If you aren't going to send the PCs to IW or something, just give them skills for specific technologies instead of specific TLs. Machining (Traditional) is a different skill from Machining (Industrial). Mechanic (old-world automobile) is separate from Mechanic (Icelandic Naval).

If I was GMing I'd end up ad-hoc-ing penaties and familiarities to those skills anyway. Better to have the players characterize it on the sheet beforehand.

[Verjigorm]

I don't think TL6 is something attainable without a large resource base and good energy source(like... petro chemicals). To me, TL6 is defined by increasingly capable personal locomotion and transport systems. The Car and the Plane are the big deals, enabling small groups to travel distance that previously would've been great treks with ease.

[Stelknecht]

Still reading the comic. Good stuff so far.

[Jürgen Hubert]

There are motorized vehicles in the comic, but all of them seem reserved for either military use or for international shipping. Civilians use horses (if they are wealthy) or walk (if they are not).