Help with adventure ideas for sci-fi post-apocalyptic setting

[Arith Winterfell]

I've been working on a sci-fi post-apocalyptic adventure setting, but I'm struggling for adventure ideas or interesting premises for the players to explore.

A general outline of the setting is this. Agomara III is an alien world, which has no intelligent alien life, and was colonized by humanity some time ago. They built many colonies, complexes, even a vast underground tram network system. The surface of the world has an atmosphere with a measure too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen for humans to breath, but otherwise is not hostile to humanity directly (being only rather cold and damp).

Humanity created advanced systems, robots, and did a number of experiments in gene engineering to create different servant species.

A number of generations ago however, a terrible lethal plague resulted in a apocalyptic type plague death for much of the population. The interstellar community simply quarantined the planet and made sure people couldn't leave the planet either.

The starting setting of our game takes place numerous generations later (long enough to form small new societies in the form of small enclaves). Our protagonists are psionically gifted people who due to their mind reading abilities have been exiled from their various enclaves and left to wander the steel complexes and forgotten ruins of Agomara III.

This comprises the general plot setup of the setting, but I'm having trouble coming up with specific adventure ideas and interesting societies for the characters to interact with.

I also have a website I've put together (with story and art) for the setting for those that want to take a look: http://agomara3.weebly.com/

Feel free to also ask questions for clarification about the setting. Thank you in advance for the help with ideas.

[johndallman]

Some questions about the atmosphere. They may seem picky, but breathing is important.

They built many colonies, complexes, even a vast underground tram network system. The surface of the world has an atmosphere with a measure too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen for humans to breath, but otherwise is not hostile to humanity directly (being only rather cold and damp).

Is the surface atmosphere still unbreathable? How is travel on the surface done? How has the atmosphere in the underground complexes stayed breathable after generations of collapse? Everything leaks, sooner or later.

[Arith Winterfell]

The atmosphere itself isn't toxic, just to little oxygen. In places where things leak you would still have oxygen producing equipment still working in the complexes.

The result would be various levels of low oxygen within the complexes themselves in those areas. You could even potentially breathe outside for a very short period of time before passing out due to insufficient oxygen.

For extended travel on the surface, most would use oxygen tanks to add the needed extra oxygen for breathing, but I imagine these oxygen tanks would last for a good period of time as they are supplemental rather than your sole source of air.

If it can be found, ideally you'd want to use something that converts the carbon dioxide in the air into oxygen for really extended exploration to say some isolated colony site that's been cut off from the rest of the complexes. Potentially there might have even been experimental gene engineered living bio-gas masks that converted carbon dioxide into oxygen.

[johndallman]

Ok, so the collapse wasn't complete? Oxygen producing machinery has continued to be maintained? Or was it so advanced that it didn't need to be?

Giving an idea of the TL of the pre-collapse society, the TL that the collapse took the society down to, and the current TL, would give us a clearer idea of what's going on.

[Nereidalbel]

So, in the time it took to build up the entire planet, nobody bothered to grow some plants? Also, a planet with high levels of carbon dioxide AND it's "too cold?" Something doesn't compute here!

As for adventures, I'm sure some sorts of raiders would be around, and it may be possible to have a long-term goal of finding a way off-planet.

[Drifter]

Seems to me you have at least two big story arcs you can use.

First is the whole survival situation. If the start of you campaign is your group being kicked out for being psionic, then you have your group traveling to find a new home. Finding air, food, water, and running into environmental hazards like old combat robots, tribes of uplifted servant species gone feral, etc. Getting those air converter machines, guarded by hostile robots, would be a good intro, for example. And those robots and uplifts could be played straight as enemies, a stand in for orcs, or they could be potential allies. Reprogram the robots, make friends with the uplifts, even while some of them are still deadly enemies.

Second is the whole psi thing. If the "home" culture is a harsh dictatorship, the psi powers represent freedom and liberty and the dictators are against that. Dodging the agents of the dictators, and later thwarting their powers over the home population, up to a revolution where the psions are accepted, could be series of linked adventures.

It looks like you have a pretty rich adventure environment to play in.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Also, a planet with high levels of carbon dioxide AND it's "too cold?" Something doesn't compute here!

Really? Sounds like Mars.

[chitoryu12]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Really? Sounds like Mars.

Mars also has a very thin atmosphere (0.6% that of Earth's), to the point where any human without their own supply of oxygen would suffocate just as well as if they were in a vacuum. Mars may have a high level of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, but it's only high relative to the other gases; it's still such a thin atmosphere that it's mostly just a freezing ball of rock.

On the other hand, this planet actually has an Earth-thickness atmosphere that's survivable for a short time and just needs a push to get it to decently breathable levels.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

So, in the time it took to build up the entire planet, nobody bothered to grow some plants? Also, a planet with high levels of carbon dioxide AND it's "too cold?" Something doesn't compute here!

Since we don't have hard data on the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen – and none are really needed – the planet is perfectly plausible. It's not just the composition of the atmosphere, but it's distance from the sun that will determine its climate.

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

As for adventures, I'm sure some sorts of raiders would be around, and it may be possible to have a long-term goal of finding a way off-planet.

I'm also wondering how many other psis will be around on the "outside". I would definitely give some thought to how prevalent psi abilities are in general. The fears of the non-psi's may ultimately turn out to be well-founded.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

Since we don't have hard data on the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen – and none are really needed – the planet is perfectly plausible. It's not just the composition of the atmosphere, but it's distance from the sun that will determine its climate.

From the link in the OP, the planet appears to be relatively close to its parent star. And when the description is "too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen," it becomes quite clear that the planet should be more of a Hellish hothouse than something "too cold" for humans. Actually, being too hot is worse for adventurers, since you can always wear more insulating clothing for the cold, but, heat is an issue.

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

I'm also wondering how many other psis will be around on the "outside". I would definitely give some thought to how prevalent psi abilities are in general. The fears of the non-psi's may ultimately turn out to be well-founded.

Psi raiders mind controlling people into letting them into storehouses would give such fears a valid basis...