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Old 10-22-2010, 01:22 AM   #1
Onkl
 
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Location: Salodurum, Confoederatio Helvetica
Default Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

Hi all

I'm stuck with my campaign and hope to find an elegant conclusion with your help.

The setting is post-nuclear-apocalyptic west coast North America, the PCs are "Vault Dwellers" (Remember Fallout?), they so far helped a little farming community near their vault to get clean water and rescue citizens from slavery.
They participated in a race across the wastelands to New Vegas in which they - unknowingly - killed the son of the head of one of the New Vegas crime families. At the same time, they got a secret mission from the "Followers of the Apocalypse" church to get information in New Vegas about Weapons of Mass Destruction being secretly built by one of the crime families.
Since the PCs placed second in the race they participated in, they are now well known in New Vegas. Unfortunately, the crime boss got wind who killed his son and so he put out a bounty on PCs. This crime boss - one of five in New Vegas - is also the one developing the W.M.Ds - he does this because he wants to threaten to kill off or enslave the populace of the farming communities that surround New Vegas.
The PCs know that the family looking for them is also the family developing the W.M.Ds., so they decided to go to another family - since these gangster are not able to openly support the PCs (This would cause a gang-war to ensue in New Vegas) they negotiated a deal: If the PCs get the antagonistic crime boss to sign over all his belongings to the other family, they get protection, the W.M.Ds. and a reward.

Now, an assault on the adverse crime families headquarters is a very dangerous undertaking as it is well guarded and heavily fortified.

Do you have any suggestion on a conclusion of this story line? Of course, I would like to see the PCs succeed, but not without tackling some obstacles first.

If you have any ideas, I would be very grateful if you could share them with me!

Thanks!

Onkl

ps. One of the PCs does not like his character very much and I've talked to him (and only him) about the possibility of a heroic death of his PC, and he is ok with it... I'm not sure wheter I should do it, but if it would help your idea... just kill the dude! ;)

Last edited by Onkl; 10-22-2010 at 01:29 AM.
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Old 10-22-2010, 08:12 AM   #2
thulben
 
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Default Re: Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

Depending on whether you want the campaign to continue after this story arc or not, I'd have the so-called benefactor crime syndicate double cross them upon completion of the mission. That is, the PCs succeed in their mission, but the guy who gave them the mission would say "Thanks for handing over those weapons. They should prove useful in the future." After which the PCs would task themselves with wresting them back from him.
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Old 10-22-2010, 10:40 AM   #3
Nymdok
 
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Default Re: Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

Well known and wanted isnt a good position to be in.

Gunplay seems to be eminent, but the PCs are outnumbered and need to swell thier ranks and gather some intellegence on their enemy.

If they still have the contacts, the church sending some reinforcements (Post-Apoc Paladins of the New Age....kinda like the Brotherhood of Steel..but on par with the PCs). In exchange the PCs turn over the WMDs to the Church 'for safe and sacred keeping'.

Having intel on the crime family would be a nice bonus.

The farmers from back home might send a person or two under the guise of opening long distance trade routes with the New Vegas farmers. (like someone unkown to infiltrate the Crime Family Org.)

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Old 10-22-2010, 02:40 PM   #4
Onkl
 
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Default Re: Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

Thanks guys, I will use your suggestions!
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Old 10-28-2010, 07:09 AM   #5
malloyd
 
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Default Re: Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

Quote:
Originally Posted by Onkl View Post
Now, an assault on the adverse crime families headquarters is a very dangerous undertaking as it is well guarded and heavily fortified.

Do you have any suggestion on a conclusion of this story line? Of course, I would like to see the PCs succeed, but not without tackling some obstacles first.
Coming at this as a player, it doesn't sound like the PCs really have any ties to this community, so running away seems like an option. You haven't said what the WMDs actually, are, but anything vaguely realistic is likely to require specialized knowledge and expensive resources to actually produce. If my *primary* goal is to get rid of them, and not to transfer ownership to me or to kill the rival crime boss, I might be able to obtain that somewhat more easily, say by killing his experts who are producing the thing. Is he really building a WMD in his own fortress? If so, can I heroically *set it off* killing him and his WMD development experts at the same time? Admittedly that might not be a lot less suicidal.
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Old 10-28-2010, 07:59 AM   #6
IrishRover
 
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Default Re: Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

It does depend on what the WMD's are. Some bio-weapons might not be all that hard in a time without antibiotics. Depending on what the bad guys have from the old times, Chlorine and Mustard Gas are Great War technology--as was so sadly shown in the early 20th century.

Even a nuclear weapon--if they have u-235 from an old era bomb--is apparently fairly possible--though most bombs use plutonium, which is much harder to make into a bomb. A dirty bomb is, sadly, quite easy.

Assassination of sceintists can be one way to go. Another way might be an air strike, depending on what they have available--or can find in a survivalist lair. Mortars aren't too hard, either--the IRA built them durring the troubles. With WMD's in the picture, a fair amount of collateral damage becomes sadly acceptable.
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Old 10-28-2010, 10:51 AM   #7
Kale
 
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Default Re: Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

A less WMD style plot might have the Big Bad finding a cache of pre-apoc armored vehicles. Maybe his 'scientists' are trying to get them working again and/or make fuel for them. When everyone is armed with crossbows and makeshift muskets if you can field a few tanks or even armed APCs you will crush pretty much everyone.
The PCs can break into the villain's lair, destroy his fuel production facilities, free/kill/kidnap his science advisor(s), and drive off into the sunset with a single captured APC or tank after blowing up the vehicle hanger. The PCs get a cool new toy as reward for completing the mission. It also sets the tone for future adventures, as the PCs struggle to keep their new toy fueled and repaired...
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Old 11-01-2010, 09:50 AM   #8
dwightemarsh
 
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Default Re: Post-Apoc Cinematic Campaign - I'm stuck

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Originally Posted by Onkl View Post
Hi all

... This crime boss - one of five in New Vegas - is also the one developing the W.M.Ds - he does this because he wants to threaten to kill off or enslave the populace of the farming communities that surround New Vegas.
The PCs know that the family looking for them is also the family developing the W.M.Ds., so they decided to go to another family - since these gangster are not able to openly support the PCs (This would cause a gang-war to ensue in New Vegas)

I don't know, the fact that your neighbors are planning to monopolize control of your food supply seems like a good reason to be willing to go to war.
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