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Old 07-10-2019, 02:15 PM   #1
LoneWolf23k
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

Okay, so been bouncing around this idea for a while now, inspired by the likes of Crusader Kings 2's After the End mod, Mad Max, and especially Thundarr the Barbarian. The Premise: Centuries after an undefined apocalypse has destroyed the modern world, human civilization has been set back to the medieval era, and mankind now shares the world with a wide array of new intelligent races, both mutants and planar-displaced immigrants. It also has to contend with a wide variety of monstrous threats, as well as ambitious villains seeking to conquer the world of this New Age.

I've considered building it with Pathfinder rules, but now I'm considering using GURPS instead for an approach with less books needed. The ruleset I'd be using for this would be the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy sourcebooks, with worldbuilding information from GURPS After The End. Considering Sorcery as an alternative to Spell Magic, as well.

I'm also considering tapping Technomancer and Banestorm for information, as I intend to have both Changelings and banestorm-victim Elves, Dwarves, Goblins and the like as available races.

Tech Level is primarily TL3-4, as the world has regressed to a medieval level, with most higher technology either being lost, or lore closely guarded by secretive cultists or techno-mages.

I've already got plans for adapting some elements from the After the End CK2 setting as a base to add Fantasy elements onto, starting with New York, a merchant republic rebuilt as a Fantastic reimagining of the Old Times city.

So I'm kinda looking for advice and suggestions for world/campaign building with this idea.
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Old 07-10-2019, 06:35 PM   #2
NorphTehDwarf
 
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

That sounds rad as all hell but do you have any specific questions? These threads go better in my experience when they have that kind of focus.

The only warning I'd have for you is that if you're going to use Sorcery you'll have to come up with a fair few powers on your own, so you'll need Powers or possibly Super Powers - I can never remember which.
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Old 07-10-2019, 07:16 PM   #3
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

Quote:
Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k View Post
So I'm kinda looking for advice and suggestions for world/campaign building with this idea.
This screams out for being a Points Of Light campaign, possibly even a "re-explore/reconquer the lost lands" hex crawl.

I'd even steal a bit from Anomalous Subsurface Environment.
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Old 07-10-2019, 09:41 PM   #4
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

How did magic become available in the world? Did the mana level rise as a part of the apocalyptic event?
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Old 07-11-2019, 07:11 AM   #5
LoneWolf23k
 
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

Quote:
Originally Posted by NorphTehDwarf View Post
That sounds rad as all hell but do you have any specific questions? These threads go better in my experience when they have that kind of focus.

The only warning I'd have for you is that if you're going to use Sorcery you'll have to come up with a fair few powers on your own, so you'll need Powers or possibly Super Powers - I can never remember which.
I have Powers and Supers, and am in fact considering using Sorcerers as introduced in Pyramid 3-82 as the primary caster class. Mainly as it might be easier to ease in new players with "spells as powers" rather then a massive spell list. Similarly, I'm considering using the Saint from Pyramid 3-36 as a replacement for the Cleric and Druid.

As for specific questions, I guess I should start by asking what my priorities should be in designing this campaign, as it's my first real attempt at a GURPS Campaign setting. Do I focus on the worldbuilding first, or figure out what mechanics I want to use for this game before anything else?

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How did magic become available in the world? Did the mana level rise as a part of the apocalyptic event?
Yeah, wanted to tie the rise in mana levels to the apocalypse. Either something like on Merlin, where a nuclear explosion triggered a Hellstorm that brought magic to the world. Or perhaps a Dinosaur Killer asteroid filled with magically active stone collided with the Earth or Moon, whereupon it shattered and littered the planet with the mineral, raising the Mana levels.

Actually, now that I've written this idea down, I like it. Maybe Earth now has a ring of magically active stones, that occasionally rain down to Earth, leading to Wizards and Sorcerers racing to get their hands on the natural Powerstones.
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Old 07-11-2019, 10:11 AM   #6
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

When we were collaborating on an After the End game we had a a few discussion about what an apocalypse in a Fantasy world might look like. One idea we had was a zombiepocalypse from a powerful necromatic artifact. We talked about a Magical Steel Dawn where a society that had disproportionate access to magic encased themselves in Golems to live forever but their loss of humanity made them too foreign for normal fantasy folk to understand. We thought about Banestorm on steroids that travels the world erratically destroying what man creates, forcing everyone into bunkers. Most of the game settings had magic largely lost to the destruction much like a modern apocalypse takes away our understanding of technology.
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Old 07-11-2019, 12:23 PM   #7
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k View Post
Yeah, wanted to tie the rise in mana levels to the apocalypse.
I would consider making the mana levels be the apocalypse. Say, objects have a chance to be demon possessed, depending on TL (for example, make a yearly TL check for the item. TL 2- stuff is always safe, TL 3 is probably still safe enough to use, but higher tech stuff is very unsafe).
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Old 07-17-2019, 08:48 PM   #8
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k View Post

(SNIP)

As for specific questions, I guess I should start by asking what my priorities should be in designing this campaign, as it's my first real attempt at a GURPS Campaign setting. Do I focus on the worldbuilding first, or figure out what mechanics I want to use for this game before anything else?

(SNIP)
Neither.

You figure out the types if stories you want to create with your players, first, and then design the setting elements and select the skills, powers, tech levels and available assets, accordingly.

The Black Company requires a different setting and different magic than the Fellowship of the Ring, which (in turn) requires a different set than the Coldfire Trilogy, which differs from Conan's Hyperboria.

What stories do you want to tell?

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k View Post
Actually, now that I've written this idea down, I like it. Maybe Earth now has a ring of magically active stones, that occasionally rain down to Earth, leading to Wizards and Sorcerers racing to get their hands on the natural Powerstones.
That's a good start, but it's not enough. The frequency of the stone-falls matters; the numbers of mages who can make use of them matters, the abilities the stones power matter, the amount of power the stones make available also matters.

If the stones are powerful and fall frequently, mages who can use them only somewhat uncommon, and the abilities they power quite substantial, you may get a shattered, chaotic setting that looks like Girl Genius.

If they don't fall frequently and mages are more rare, but possess significant abilities that are inherently corrupting (or just make mages so powerful they can no longer relate to other people), you get the empires of the Dominator and the Lady.

Those who lack such abilities must rely on careful thought, brilliant planning and sheer, mad unpredictability, when dealing with such mad, destructive demi-god sorcerers.

If stone-falls happen at random intervals, provide significant magical resources, but power only moderate abilities, then mages may still run things (especially if magery is inherited), but they'll govern far more circumspectly and the leaders/rulers will dole out stones, carefully.

Any sudden stone-fall may upset balances of power.

So, what are the stories you have in mind?
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Last edited by tshiggins; 07-17-2019 at 08:55 PM.
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Old 07-18-2019, 09:12 AM   #9
LoneWolf23k
 
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

With the kind of online group I play with, there's definitely going to be an emphasis on social gameplay and roleplaying then on just plain monster hunting, although it'll still be a Sword & Sorcery campaign inspired by the likes of D&D.

I guess I should consult with my players to see what kind of Storylines they'd be interested in playing, but the two primary options I was considering were, using terms from GURPS Fantasy:
a) a campaign combining elements of "Into the Labyrinth" and "Hunting Parties", with the PCs being a group of Freelancers who alternate between hunting monsters and bandits that threaten communities and trade routes, and exploring old ruins to seek treasure and relics of the old world.
or
b) a more "Game of Thrones" like campaign where one or more of the PCs play a very minor noble (starting Status of 1) and their retinue in a "Responsibilities of Power" campaign of helping their family maintain their lands and guard against external and internal threats, with the main Heir PC eventually claiming their Inheritance, one way or another.

Admittedly, one doesn't preclude the other. A small group of minor Nobles might undergo monster hunting and dungeon exploration to gain prestige and wealth for their clan, while a group of Freelancers might eventually be granted a minor peerage as a reward for astounding service to the crown.

Concerning the Stonefall element, I'm thinking of making them moderately powerful and falling at random intervals, usually causing Banestorms or areas of Wild Mana where they hit. Actually, now that I think about it writing this, a "Freelancers" game could easily revolve around a group of "Star Stone Prospectors" tracking down a Starfall and travelling into the Wild Mana zone to mine and secure the Star Stone, both restoring normality to the region, as well as acquiring a useful resource for Magic users.

Thanks, tshiggins, this is the kind of feedback I was looking for. This idea's shaping up now.

Last edited by LoneWolf23k; 07-18-2019 at 09:31 AM.
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Old 07-18-2019, 09:30 AM   #10
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Default Re: Building a Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Fantasy setting

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Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k View Post
With the kind of online group I play with, there's definitely going to be an emphasis on social gameplay and roleplaying then on just plain monster hunting, although it'll still be a Sword & Sorcery campaign inspired by the likes of D&D.
Are you sure that you want to run this as Dungeon Fantasy (as it says in the title) then? DF comes with a whole set of assumptions, social stuff not being very important among them, that you could easily discard while still mining the DF books for ideas that fit your goals.
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