[Metrocalypse] Outline
A month ago, I mused here and on Story Games about my "Transit City" idea. In brief, it's a D&D 4E setting concept where a whole city and its inhabitants get sucked into a monstrously dangerous, magical world (more or less the typical D&D world) and the city's surviving people start warping into magical forms (more or less the typical D&D races and classes).
My discussions with folks on Story Games, on Firan, and on the Foundry have been most fruitful. These have helped me refine and enhance my setting idea into its present form.
A City out of Time and Space
I had planned to use a fictional medievalish city, but Ralph Mazza challenged that. "Why not make it a real 16th / 17th century city...there's lots of cool medieval city maps on line, and I bet you could find some really interesting historical things to include."
Indeed! Taking that even further, I think that the setting is a vehicle for bringing any city into the D&D world. Also, any harsh environment can serve as the world into which the city is teleported. For example, dikaiosunh wants to make 15th Century Great Zimbabwe the city, with Shona-speaking people vying for survival in a harsh ice world. For the core setting, I want to include something most English-speaking people can get their heads around in a few minutes (for convention play, too): Oxford, England, at the start of the 1800's.
The primary idea is that you take any city you want and plunge it into a D&D world and that D&D world invades and razes the city almost (but not quite) to the ground. The streets become a nightmarish apocalypse. The denizens begin their weird magical changes. The magical world's natives (monsters and humanoids) invade the city. This simple concept lets you play with whatever "civilized" culture you want -- Classical Greek, Chinese Han Dynasty, Renaissance Italy, Colonial America, even modern Sydney, Australia -- and still play D&D with all the trappings. The city could even be from fiction (Minas Tirith from Middle Earth, for example). The game asks, "What if this city and its people were teleported into a harsh D&D world? What if these people started transforming into magical D&D characters? How would these people react?"
If I publish this, a large part of the rules will focus on taking whatever city you want and turning it into a metrocalypse. While I think pre-gunpowder civilizations would work best, I will include some rules for handling Industrial technology (you choose: a) it works as usual and here are the stats for guns, or b) this stuff doesn't work as expected any more).
I also have to think about how to treat religion. If you're playing a Crusader in Jeruselem, or a Jesuit at the Vatican, you're not going to start worshiping Pelor (one of the standard deities of Good in D&D). You're going to keep praying to God. Players will want all the "dressing" of the mechanics for these "new" religious options. What divine powers are they learning as a result of their Jesuit training? How does Satan play into the mythology? I think I have to tread carefully here. I don't want to insult anyone.
Metrocalypse
I keep using this word! I coined it while discussing the setting idea with Firan players. dikaiosunh heard me use it and he keeps saying it, so I think it's catching on. Admittedly, the term sounds a bit heavy metal (Daniel says he air-guitars every time he says it). That may be more a benefit than a hindrance, though. I want this world to be fucking metal.
"Metrocalypse" sums up the feel of the world. It's a metropolis and an apocalypse. And it's rockin'.
No Barriers
I'd originally envisioned this huge domelike barrier that surrounded the city. Powerful dragons or someshit had put up the barrier as soon as they discovered the city a few weeks after its appearance. The barrier keeps more big monsters from getting in. The barrier keeps more of the city's people (and PCs) from getting out. I imagined that the underground tunnels provided a sneaky way out and that kobolds or something had figured this out. Alternatively, there was no barrier, but the wilderness outside the city was so dangerous that no heroic-tier character dare leave the harbor of the city's walls.
Ron Hammack hammered me for the artificial nature of the barrier. Yes, it was a device to keep player characters in the city. Truth is, if the players have bought into the setting concept at all, then they have tons of stuff to do in the city. My real goal needs to be making the city interesting enough to keep the players' attention. If exploratory missions lead them out of the city, that's fine. All the "points of light" are in the city, so they'll have to return to recharge and rest.
Points of Light
D&D 4E introduces the "points of light" concept. Essentially, the typical D&D world is an extremely dangerous place full of monsters, but it is dotted with settlements of friendly (or at least not overtly hostile) folk. These are the points of light in a dark world.
The metrocalypse setting follows this pattern. Everywhere outside the city is dangerous, though player characters might discover small native villages who are friendly to them. The city is a magnet for monstrosity. It, too, is a terribly dangerous place. The city's inhabitants band together in temples, apartment blocks, and garrisons. These are the new communities. These are points of light.
Daniel has offered the term, "pools of darkness," to describe specific locations in the city that are site-based adventures. These are opportunities and challenges for the PCs. Sure, the streets are dangerous, in general, but the local graveyard is animating the corpses from the graves and an army of skeletons is now marching house to house to root out city folk for some nefarious purpose. The local graveyard is a pool of darkness.
Common Features
If (when) I create this as a product to sell, I realize that Dungeon Masters will entertain their players in myriad cities from world history. Nonetheless, I want all of those gamers to have some touchstones of common experience. Certainly, the "I was a seamstress on Earth, and now I weave spells in this horrible metrocalypse" bit is a shared experience. I want a little more though.
I am thinking that the core world should have some unique features that all players will eventually encounter. Daniel suggested giant creatures with buildings on their heads. I'm not sure I entirely get that, or how it works.
I want to create a new humanoid race who is behind the teleportation, or at least who know about it and investigate (and profit off) the new city appearances. There are different "transit" cities all over this planet and they come from all kinds of different places. I imagine a strange chameleon race. Maybe they're actually chameleon-lizard-people, but they could be gnome illusionists, too. They sneak around the city invisibly and spy on people. They collect stuff from buildings and take it back to their labs outside the city. Occasionally, the chameleons abduct citizens for "testing." I'm aiming for weird lizard-people with suction-cup hands and big-brained skulls, though.
Also, Roger Carbol suggested a heretical cult who predicted the metrocalypse. They are survivalists. They prepared food and weapons. They organize citizens and protect them from danger. The survivalists also might have the first clue about getting back home. I think this group needs to be a core setting element.
My discussions with folks on Story Games, on Firan, and on the Foundry have been most fruitful. These have helped me refine and enhance my setting idea into its present form.
A City out of Time and Space
I had planned to use a fictional medievalish city, but Ralph Mazza challenged that. "Why not make it a real 16th / 17th century city...there's lots of cool medieval city maps on line, and I bet you could find some really interesting historical things to include."
Indeed! Taking that even further, I think that the setting is a vehicle for bringing any city into the D&D world. Also, any harsh environment can serve as the world into which the city is teleported. For example, dikaiosunh wants to make 15th Century Great Zimbabwe the city, with Shona-speaking people vying for survival in a harsh ice world. For the core setting, I want to include something most English-speaking people can get their heads around in a few minutes (for convention play, too): Oxford, England, at the start of the 1800's.
The primary idea is that you take any city you want and plunge it into a D&D world and that D&D world invades and razes the city almost (but not quite) to the ground. The streets become a nightmarish apocalypse. The denizens begin their weird magical changes. The magical world's natives (monsters and humanoids) invade the city. This simple concept lets you play with whatever "civilized" culture you want -- Classical Greek, Chinese Han Dynasty, Renaissance Italy, Colonial America, even modern Sydney, Australia -- and still play D&D with all the trappings. The city could even be from fiction (Minas Tirith from Middle Earth, for example). The game asks, "What if this city and its people were teleported into a harsh D&D world? What if these people started transforming into magical D&D characters? How would these people react?"
If I publish this, a large part of the rules will focus on taking whatever city you want and turning it into a metrocalypse. While I think pre-gunpowder civilizations would work best, I will include some rules for handling Industrial technology (you choose: a) it works as usual and here are the stats for guns, or b) this stuff doesn't work as expected any more).
I also have to think about how to treat religion. If you're playing a Crusader in Jeruselem, or a Jesuit at the Vatican, you're not going to start worshiping Pelor (one of the standard deities of Good in D&D). You're going to keep praying to God. Players will want all the "dressing" of the mechanics for these "new" religious options. What divine powers are they learning as a result of their Jesuit training? How does Satan play into the mythology? I think I have to tread carefully here. I don't want to insult anyone.
Metrocalypse
I keep using this word! I coined it while discussing the setting idea with Firan players. dikaiosunh heard me use it and he keeps saying it, so I think it's catching on. Admittedly, the term sounds a bit heavy metal (Daniel says he air-guitars every time he says it). That may be more a benefit than a hindrance, though. I want this world to be fucking metal.
"Metrocalypse" sums up the feel of the world. It's a metropolis and an apocalypse. And it's rockin'.
No Barriers
I'd originally envisioned this huge domelike barrier that surrounded the city. Powerful dragons or someshit had put up the barrier as soon as they discovered the city a few weeks after its appearance. The barrier keeps more big monsters from getting in. The barrier keeps more of the city's people (and PCs) from getting out. I imagined that the underground tunnels provided a sneaky way out and that kobolds or something had figured this out. Alternatively, there was no barrier, but the wilderness outside the city was so dangerous that no heroic-tier character dare leave the harbor of the city's walls.
Ron Hammack hammered me for the artificial nature of the barrier. Yes, it was a device to keep player characters in the city. Truth is, if the players have bought into the setting concept at all, then they have tons of stuff to do in the city. My real goal needs to be making the city interesting enough to keep the players' attention. If exploratory missions lead them out of the city, that's fine. All the "points of light" are in the city, so they'll have to return to recharge and rest.
Points of Light
D&D 4E introduces the "points of light" concept. Essentially, the typical D&D world is an extremely dangerous place full of monsters, but it is dotted with settlements of friendly (or at least not overtly hostile) folk. These are the points of light in a dark world.
The metrocalypse setting follows this pattern. Everywhere outside the city is dangerous, though player characters might discover small native villages who are friendly to them. The city is a magnet for monstrosity. It, too, is a terribly dangerous place. The city's inhabitants band together in temples, apartment blocks, and garrisons. These are the new communities. These are points of light.
Daniel has offered the term, "pools of darkness," to describe specific locations in the city that are site-based adventures. These are opportunities and challenges for the PCs. Sure, the streets are dangerous, in general, but the local graveyard is animating the corpses from the graves and an army of skeletons is now marching house to house to root out city folk for some nefarious purpose. The local graveyard is a pool of darkness.
Common Features
If (when) I create this as a product to sell, I realize that Dungeon Masters will entertain their players in myriad cities from world history. Nonetheless, I want all of those gamers to have some touchstones of common experience. Certainly, the "I was a seamstress on Earth, and now I weave spells in this horrible metrocalypse" bit is a shared experience. I want a little more though.
I am thinking that the core world should have some unique features that all players will eventually encounter. Daniel suggested giant creatures with buildings on their heads. I'm not sure I entirely get that, or how it works.
I want to create a new humanoid race who is behind the teleportation, or at least who know about it and investigate (and profit off) the new city appearances. There are different "transit" cities all over this planet and they come from all kinds of different places. I imagine a strange chameleon race. Maybe they're actually chameleon-lizard-people, but they could be gnome illusionists, too. They sneak around the city invisibly and spy on people. They collect stuff from buildings and take it back to their labs outside the city. Occasionally, the chameleons abduct citizens for "testing." I'm aiming for weird lizard-people with suction-cup hands and big-brained skulls, though.
Also, Roger Carbol suggested a heretical cult who predicted the metrocalypse. They are survivalists. They prepared food and weapons. They organize citizens and protect them from danger. The survivalists also might have the first clue about getting back home. I think this group needs to be a core setting element.