Ideas Are Easy

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Disliker of the mary sue

Meh rule of cool mostly

I wasn't criticizing mechas on their own (de)merits. Just asking how that was supposed to fit into a post-apoc setting that didn't have technology.

Originally Posted by crretin

... Maybe instead it can be something where we invented mecha while civilization was still alive and breathing... now there are either lone warriors fending for themselves in mecha suits or entire societies forced to live in these mechs in order to survive.

That could work. Sort of a BSG vibe. Missions to scavenge parts from ruined bases and such. Defeat the enemy before you use up the remaining hardware, so the campaign has built-in time pressure. Also could be a good excuse for the "why melee weapons instead of ranged" question, so you have to go toe-to-toe with the daikaiju. Missiles are scarce, but you can keep swinging that Voltron sword (nearly) as much as you like.

[crretin]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

I wasn't criticizing mechas on their own (de)merits. Just asking how that was supposed to fit into a post-apoc setting that didn't have technology.

That could work. Sort of a BSG vibe. Missions to scavenge parts from ruined bases and such. Defeat the enemy before you use up the remaining hardware, so the campaign has built-in time pressure. Also could be a good excuse for the "why melee weapons instead of ranged" question, so you have to go toe-to-toe with the daikaiju. Missiles are scarce, but you can keep swinging that Voltron sword (nearly) as much as you like.

yeah, and in the case of a whole society living in a mech could also add elements of game of thrones political backstabbery for who gets control of the mech

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

However, the apocalypse wasn't caused by nuclear holocaust, or anything, like that. Instead, dimensional breeches appeared and triggered EM pulses that caused serious damage to electronics of all sorts. Right after that, predatory beasts that resemble "the Dark," from Barbara Hambly's Darwath trilogy slipped through.

The thing that strikes me as weird about this is the multiple forms that the enemy can take. How does this add to the story?

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

The thing that strikes me as weird about this is the multiple forms that the enemy can take. How does this add to the story?

It illustrates the alien nature of the opponents. It also means they can and do adopt more complex tactics, the more numerous (and intelligent) they get. Also, simple protective measures aren't enough.

I mean, the Dark aren't about to get into dogfights with any F-22s that managed to survive the EMP, but they can certainly glide over the chain link fence and concertina wire that protects the airfield. Some of them can fly over log stockades or stone walls (or just silently climb them), or lurk in a thick forest canopy and either drop on prey, or wrap a target in a barbed tail and then drop.

Any of this can take place while the group is keeping a sharp eye on the undergrowth, around them, because as sure as they don't, some toothy, clawed Dark horror will pounce.

Making the opponents more tactically unpredictable adds to the suspense, I think, and prevents the "bug-hunts" from becoming repetitive. The enemy has a different mix of capabilities, every time.

Basically, I don't think zombies make very convincing reasons for the collapse of civilization and, honestly, they're really boring. Give me a predatory species that is very definitely not human, and I could do a lot more with it.

[crretin]

world war greece: A greek fantasy world that broke it's medieval stasus and now lives in a 1930's era. A greek epic where wars are fought with guns instead of swords and where a Cyclops can face off against a tank blessed by Dionysus.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by crretin

world war greece

Well, it's better than World War Grease, where battles are decided by drag races and marathon dance contests to 1950s tunes.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Well, it's better than World War Grease, where battles are decided by drag races and marathon dance contests to 1950s tunes.

Hey, now. Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion.

Grease is the word.

[David Johnston2]

The Hell We Made For Ourselves: The premise is that a great empire has done the terribly clever things that people keep suggesting as applications for GURPS magic spells, most notably including massive use of undead as fantasy robots. So now we have a huge population of skeletons and mummies doing pick and shovel labour, picking cotton, acting as military cannon-fodder, carrying taxi-litters whatever. It's a golden age of wealth and prosperity although there is a certain tendency to look for excuses to sentence commoners to undeath and the empire is not at all popular with it's neighbours because of its policy concerning disposal of the bodies of both sides and what it does to just about anyone it captures.

Of course the Thanasian Empire has noticed an increasing difficulty in casting healing spells. Also there seem to be increasing numbers of spontaneous animation of dead animals. And the weather control bureau seems to making an increasing number of mistakes. Also the crops this year aren't doing especially well even apart from the lightning storms. And there have been a few mysterious murders and missing servants of the victims. Also some earth tremors and sink holes. But everything's fine, I assure you.

The challenge is of course for the PCs to survive the approaching apocalypse.

[crretin]

Scavengers: A plague had struck the land in the year 3000 killing off 90% off the human race, the year is now 5000 and humanity, though they have regained their numbers have only recovered 50% of their technology. The heroes play a special ops group trained to infiltrate the ruins of the past world and learn more about the past while dodging security systems, genetic monstrosities and lost tribes of humans who now worship this technology as gods. Basically Indiana jones in futuristic post apocalyptic world but with ancient technology instead of ancient treasures.

[(E)]

Working off the last idea, A sci-fi setting set after humans met high ubertech aliens, joined Ubertech aliens, fought in wars across universe for ubertech aliens, lost/won/doesn't matter the war, regressed to pastoral tech on many planets, populated many planets, got back almost to modern tech, discovered many ubertech items, ships and factories. Now the human race on one world is Pseudo-WW1 England another is Pseudo-WW1 Germany. WW1 with planetary invasions. Trench warfare with Nanotech instead of mustard gas. Bolt action Ultratech Guns.