Exodusters: Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Western

[Audious]

First off, my first post. Thanks for having me.

So, I hit a sort of weird spot of creativity the other day.

I had an idea for a setting in a fantasy world where an apocalyptic cataclysm has taken place and reduced the majority of the world to ruin. Natural resources have been pushed into scarcity and are very fragile, only being able to support a town for about a year. This has caused civilization to become nomadic. However, society has gotten used to certain luxuries, such as permanent structures. So they have broken elephant-like animals that exist in this world. They carry the wood- and stone-built buildings of civilization's once-permanent settlements on their backs, supported by tall, skinny legs (think Dali's elephants). Travelling like this leaves these nomadic groups open to the dangers of the wastelands in which they travel, being assaulted by bandits and raiders, attacked by wild, mutated animals, not to mention: simply the dark side of human nature.

Think Firefly meets Fallout and miscellaneous made-up fantasy stuff.

I would like to keep the past of this world in obscurity, not revealing the cause of the apocalypse, not defining the exact tech level of the sci-fi elements in the world, leaving room for the GM to expand how they would like. Also, I'm kind of a fan of Dogs in the Vineyard's poker-style conflict resolution, and I think something similiar would fit the Western-theme of the game.

Just kind of throwing the idea out there, seeing what everyone thinks, open for feedback and suggestions.

[Audious]

Also, forgot to say, and I was unable to edit my OP, I would like the system to be skill-based, rather than class-based with an emphasis on roleplaying.

[khyron1144]

I am also a newbie.

I like your general concept.  Post-apocalypse can be a fun genre.


Somebody asked me this question about my prject too, and having been asked it, it seems like a good point to ponder:

If what you are thinking of is mostly a setting, why do you need to design a game from the ground up, including a system?

[Audious]

I am also a newbie.

I like your general concept.  Post-apocalypse can be a fun genre.


Somebody asked me this question about my prject too, and having been asked it, it seems like a good point to ponder:

If what you are thinking of is mostly a setting, why do you need to design a game from the ground up, including a system?

I haven't seen a system where land-based travel is something that is almost always constant. The setting itself is a mash-up of 3 genres that are almost never put together, and if they are, it hasn't been done well enough to garner any attention. Also, I think a unique system goes with the unique setting.

[Audious]

I've been working out the stats/conflict resolution system a little. I've got a rough draft that looks something like this:

There are 4 attributes for characters:

Social (Hearts)
Technical (Spades)
Physical (Clubs)
Mental (Diamonds)

A deck of 52 cards is split up into 4 decks, by suit, the GM shuffling the Jokers in randomly. Drawing one card for each. Applying that card's value as the attribute value.
# Cards = # Value (2-10)
Jack = 10 + Physical Specialization
Queen = 10 + Social Specialization
King = 10 + Mental Specialization
Ace = 10 + Technical Specialization
Joker = Redraw + Freebie Specialization

After determining ability scores, choose on specialization for each ability, two freebie specializations to add to any ability and any earned through the initial draw. Specializations are areas of that ability that the character excels at, giving a bonus to actions that fall under that specialization. The bonus value depends on how specific the specialization is, and the bonus value is up to the GM.

Example: "Handsome" as a social specialization would probably net a +2 bonus to conflicts where being handsome would affect the outcome, whereas "Motivational Speech" would probably net a +4 or +5 bonus. (Minimum is +2, Maximum +6)

Conflicts are resolved by shuffling all cards back into a 52-card deck again. Each participant in the conflict draws 5 cards. (Multiple NPCs are handled by one hand, drawing an extra card for each NPC over 5.) This encourages multiple solutions to a conflict as you may not draw a card that would relate to the initial ability one would relate to the conflict, or their best ability.

The card's value is added to the ability of its suit and any specializations are added afterwards. You play the card face down, and once all parties have their cards on the table, the GM will ask to flip them.

Ex.: Two men are in a barfight.

Man A plays a 7 of clubs, amplifying his physical ability of 8 to 15, adding his Robotic Arm specialization of +2 for a total of 17.

Man B draws a hand of: Q of Hearts, J of Spades, 3 of Diamonds, 5 of Clubs and 9 of Hearts.

He doesn't have a very strong choice if he wants to fight back physically, but he does have some good choices for Technical and Social. So he does have options. He could play the Jack of Spades for Technical to notice a mechanical flaw in the man's robotic arm, exploiting and possibly disabling it. Or he could play the Queen of Hearts, taking the punch and loudly vocalize that he was only trying to help the man and can't figure out why he was punched, causing the patrons of the bar to sympathize with Man B, shunning Man A and kicking him out of the bar.