[Nevercast] - Indepth Setting Discussion

[Ar Kayon]

The Iron Element
The iron element represents the decay of that which was once shiny and beautiful. This setting element is predominant in the Vanaq Ir region, a graveyard of pre-Nevercast technology. The monolith representing this element is the Iron City, a labyrinthine complex of research facilities, both above and below ground, which hides the most advanced technologies ever conceived. Its inhabitants are extremely competitive in their endeavor to obtain these relics, and many have banded together to control portions of the city.
(The Iron City will be the perfect setting for players seeking adventure, exotic items and artifacts, post-modern dungeon crawling, or a kick-the-door-down style of gaming.)

The Earth Element
This is not a future where modern conveniences have made men soft and weak of will. The underlying theme is a return to nature, where the collapse of the previous social structures has allowed the opportunity for a more holistic and integrated approach to human progress, which gives rise to the Water Element.

The Water Element
From the failure caused by the rigidity of pre-Nevercast socio-political structures, the structures of post-Nevercast that will thrive will be fluid and decentralized. In order to get a feel for territory unknown to me, I've been looking up the philosophy of open-source government, government in general (because I'm personally apolitical and find government boring except for when I'm destroying and urinating on it in my fantasy world), the apparent need to do away with conventional military methods, and reading "The Economist" for clues to where things may be in the future.

The Heaven Element
Any good story essentially boils down to the human experience. And, after all, I wouldn't want to alienate the storytellers and character actors - the definition of role-player - from the game. It is in my opinion that the lethality and lack of "epicness" apparent in a simulationist system will cultivate a more interactive environment - an environment void of power-gamer and munchkin meta-elements - where every action has realistic and potentially deep consequences. Thus, it will be that much sweeter should your character actually reach magnitudes of epic proportion.
Getting down to the more tangible subjects, who you are and where you are from will have a large impact upon how NPCs perceive and interact with you. Playing in any of the Des Xiac nations, for example, will subject the players to extreme racial tension.
Eastern philosophies have great influence over the construction of the setting, as I'm quite fond of Ch'an Buddhism and Taoism, and also because their agnostic natures complement science so well. I've written in the far-future setting blog that the Masters had attained the ability to control nanomachines through practice and meditation - it's an example of the marriage between the two subjects I am referring to.

Discovery and Mystique
My favorite RPGs have one thing in common: secrets. I love discovering secrets, and I'm assuming a lot of other people do too. So I have the Nevercast, an event that makes secrets.
Pre-Nevercast technology is highly desirable, so why isn't it a normal part of the current world? Because the Nevercast cut off the money supply, and many innovative ideas still in the experimental stages were abandoned. Facilities shut down. These facilities hold many secrets, but they're out of reach because powerful groups have their hands in the cookie jar. There are, however, places they don't know about.
Generally, player character professions involve the procurement of technology, providing muscle to those who wish to procure technology, or providing other avenues of procurement to those parties. Therefore, there will be available many different methods to achieve your goals, based on many different PC skillsets:
1. Stealing or hunting information about new sources, either through hacking or tracking down references in old facility databases or scientific periodicals.
2. Diplomacy
3. Breaking and entering
4. Hijacking
5. Intimidation
6. Destroying the competition, such as through general slaughter or exposing illegal activities.
((Most of these methods aren't the most altruistic, but there will be other professions to choose from that aren't so morally ambiguous, such as the poor bastards from Urs Prime who are charged to stabilize those hot spot areas of activity.))

[Ar Kayon]

What is Des Xi?
Des Xi is a group of 3 regions that are now individual nations. These nation/regions are Vanaq Ir, Ectanoc, and Dezonoc.

A Brief History of Des Xi
The original kingdom of Des Xi was taken over by the Outworlder tribes long ago. This occupation spread out over lifetimes, but much anti-Outworlder sentiment lingered.
Capitalizing on these tensions, The Urs Prime Empire offered its assistance in driving the Outworlders out. In exchange, Des Xi would be assimilated into the Empire, although its national individuality would be maintained with the installation of a native king; it would be a vassal state. As a result, Outworlder rule was removed, but many Outworlders had built their lives in Des Xi, so many stayed.
The Des Xiacs enjoyed their religious and cultural freedom under Urs Prime, whose rule continues to this day.

Modern-Day Des Xi
Xiam (King) Mefir had twin sons, Archaeon and Raqred. Before he named his successor, Xiam Mefir died of a stroke. At first, the two had agreed to a diarchy: Archaeon would manage Dezonoc, Raqred would manage Ectanoc, and Vanaq Ir would be split down the middle. However, their ideological differences on how to rule the state as a whole, especially in regards to the massive oil exportation in Ectanoc and Outworlder/Cult relations in Vanaq Ir, would tear their relationship apart. Civil war erupted.
The fighting was intense, but neither side showed signs of defeat. Amidst the conflict, Outworlder guerrillas and technology cults, who were once on fair terms with Xiam Archaeon, exploited both sides' inability to maintain order in Vanaq Ir, and the region was quickly taken.
The fighting ended in a stalemate, and Des Xi was effectively split into 3 parts. The nations were crippled and the brothers were left to pick up the pieces. Contractors and businessmen from Urs Prime, however, grew fat off the war, as weapons were traded for oil, which had dropped down dramatically in price in order for Xiam Raqred to meet their demands and arm his military. Dezonoc, on the other hand, with less money and resources, survived using the advantage of terrain and the strategic expertise of Xiam Archaeon's chief advisor and Old Master, Meh Kada. Overall, the war had lasted 4 years, with neither side benefiting from the ordeal.

What is the "Veil"?
The Veil was Meh Kada's secret operations unit that acted beyond the knowledge of Xiam Archaeon. It was led by Meh Kada's protege and emissary, Indra, an expert of stealth and the martial arts. This unit was formed after the war against Archaeon's brother, in response to the deteriorating political and socioeconomic strength in Dezonoc.
Although Meh Kada acted in the interests of Xiam Archaeon and the state, he utilized illegal methods in order to expedite those interests and break the stalemate between the brothers. Meh Kada's plan was to economically outmaneuver Xiam Raqred by dominating the means of energy production: coercing or persuading the energy giants into abandoning oil, which is the primary resource amongst the Des Xiac nations, and adopting the emerging fusion technology (cheap to produce, but the production will undoubtedly be fixed in order to inflate the prices).
Meh Kada estimated his plan to be fully realized in 7 years, roughly the same amount of time it would take to fight a war, but more sound because it would leave Archaeon in the position to release Urs Prime's choke hold on the nations. From there, Meh Kada convinced Archaeon that the Cult of the Star's fusion technology would be obtained through diplomacy. When diplomacy failed, however, he resorted to subterfuge, assassinated leading cult members, and stole many of their arcane schemata.

[Ar Kayon]

Who are the Outworlders?
The Outworlders are from the eastern continent, characterized by their bluish skin tones*.  They love to fight - enjoying the greatest success in military history - and their perceptions of the world are viewed as bizarre.


The Outworlder Religion
Shior Ah and the Ancestors of Nature
The Outworlders do not worship their God, Shior Ah, but demonstrate their piety through practicing his virtues. Shior Ah himself is said to have made the world, but remains an observer.
The celestial and terrestrial spirits of nature (Ancestors of Nature) are revered, however, and are said to be very wrathful if conservation is not respected. Thus, the Outworlders have traditionally looked down upon gross technological progression and urban development.
Through the use of psychoactive plants combined with meditation, great warriors, tribal leaders, and shamans enter the realm of the Ancestors of Nature and commune with them. If the Ancestor believes that a mortal is not yet worthy to accept its wisdom and power, it will command them to go on their medicine walk: a long, arduous, and sometimes dangerous journey of self-awareness.

Forerunners of the Tribes
Paragons of Shior Ah's wisdom are said to have wielded the "Sword of Beauty" (a metaphor, but often misinterpreted as an actual weapon and symbol of legitimacy), and have been given the status of Guardian (saints). These guardians are believed to have been given divine appointment to protect the balance of forces and to promote strength and the conservation of nature.

Te Kayon Din
As opposed to their western counterparts, the Outworlders believe that Heaven is a state of perfect mental and physical attainment rather than a paradise or spiritual realm; immortality achieved through endeavor. Meditation is referred to as "Walking through the Jaded Threshold (The Gates of Heaven)". These practices, referred to as Te Kayon Din, are defined as "The process of attaining truth through mastery".


Divinity of the Tribes
Each legitimate tribe - one that can directly trace itself back to its founding Guardian patriarch or matriarch, or any existing tribe that has preceded the Guardians - has a divine right to sovereignty, and any entity that violates this divine right, whether another tribe or foreign power, is the enemy of all tribes (thus, the cooperation of many tribes commanded fear-inspiring magnitudes of military might). Squabbles between tribes, however, are denied the right to warfare, and must be settled either through mediation or duel (subterfuge was often utilized instead).
Foreign powers are recognized as sovereign so long as they don't invoke the wrath of the Ancestors of Nature or promote outright imperialism. (The Outworlder tribes made many enemies as a result. Ironically, the Outworlders assimilated their defeated enemies.)


The Old Masters
Outworlder organization and religious practices gave birth to highly institutionalized, effective, and advanced systems of martial arts. Powerful and sagacious exponents of these martial arts were called "Old Masters" and are said to be the exalted beneficiaries of the Ancestors of Nature because of their invulnerability in combat.
The Old Masters guarded their secrets with utmost ferocity, and typically dueled amongst themselves in order to obtain the others' knowledge. Over time, some of this knowledge managed to leak out into Outworlder-influenced cultures and spread from there. In post-modern times, Masters (albeit rare), may come from anywhere.

*The Outworlders are blue as in the way Asians are perceived as yellow, or as Native Americans are perceived as red.  My best attempt to explain this would be a reflection of their culture.  In India, a child was born with multiple arms and the people perceived her as a beautiful, divine creature.  They also have gods who are blue.  To make an analogy, Pio Mon, an Outworlder Ancestor of Nature, is depicted as having blue skin and is one of the most venerated deities.  I could imagine that in this futuristic world with the available technologies, many Outworlders would have biologically altered themselves and their children via gene-altering retroviruses to resemble their gods.

Note: as of right now, I have not come up with an official ethnic name for the Outworlders; they are only referred to as Outworlder colloquially.

[Ar Kayon]

Artificial Intelligence.
The first A.I. systems were built by constructing a simulation of the brain composed of virtual neurons and the like. There are likely to be only a scant few systems to be built in this manner, and likely these few to be the only A.I. to exist at all for decades on because 1) the unpredictability of a human-based intelligence architecture is potentially dangerous 2) promoting such a construct as a commodity would raise vociferous ethical concerns (therefore, because of 1 and 2, this construct is commercially unmarketable) and 3) constructing a purely rational A.I. from the ground up would present a challenge of near-insurmountable difficulty in comparison. Also, because it will be very difficult to improve upon the construct's intelligence outside of natural learning (e.g. installing programs), it will be very unremarkable when intellectually juxtaposed to any other human, and probably won't be very effective at optimizing its quantum computing power for skills like breaking complex codes or doing calculation-heavy mathematics.
Furthermore, an article I've read of constructing artificial intelligence in this "brute-force" manner made a poignant insight: the system would have the same desires as everyone else does. Sex comes to mind, and the author points out that not addressing this desire appropriately would be downright cruel, as the construct would have no way of acting out those impulses. Nice! So, here we have the potential for some sexually repressed and very pissed off computers.

Swords
I feel that adding swords to a post-modern setting potentially undermines the level of seriousness and realism I'm trying to imbue upon it. There is an extremely delicate balance here. I know that, in the real world, actual swords that are used to slay people with are used in the context of terrorism, and they're utilized quite effectively in scaring the living shit out of people. With this insight in mind, I hope to be able to emulate that kind of energy and add heavily subjective value upon these weapons. These values will undoubtedly have traditional or religious significance.
Clearly, what I don't want is to make people associate this setting with that of popular movies or video games, as I will have succeeded in creating a barrier of disbelief between the player and the game world. In many of these sci-fi stories, you find heroes using swords because geeks think they're cool, and the heroes are immune to bullets so why bother with gunfights? So, right now, my mind is split whether to have swords be a deadly tool of the Old Master's arsenal, or to do away with them and strip the Masters down to the bare bones martial arts.))

[David Berg]

How have you chosen the proper names within the gameworld?  They don't remind me of any particular culture(s).

Is "discover unknown tech" the basic motivator of play?  You mention doing this for pay, but it can be unsatisfying to make a discovery only to part with the fruits of it.  If I got ahold of some unknown tech, I'd want to tease out its secrets, and in the process derive some personal benefit.

Is "overcome obstacles to get to the unknown tech" the basic activity of play?  Or "figure out how to use the tech you've previously found"?  Both?  Neither?

As for Swords, I like your arguments against them, and dislike your arguments for them.

I like the concrete bits of setting you've outlined ("there is a labyrinthine complex of research facilities which hides the most advanced technologies").  More of these!  The bits on philosophy and influences just make me ask, "Okay, how will that show up in play?"

[dindenver]

RK,
  Two things:
1) Shior Ah reminds me too much of Sharia (Law for Muslims)
2) I dunno if your sword thing is on target. There are some geek cultures around swords (Katanas for instance). But there are several martial cultures that use swords in modern times (Chinese martial arts for instance). Also, several military units have a sword as part of their uniform. For instance, when I think of swords, I think of modern marine dress uniform, not Terrorists or Samurai.
  The one thing to factor in with a post-modern setting is, a sword might be the highest tech weapon that a combatant has access to...

  Seriously though. As much as it might push your setting into D&D/Mad Max territory, you should stat out archaic weapons for people who only have access to just that, right?

  Anyways, good luck with your game man...

[Ar Kayon]

Shior Ah reminds me too much of Sharia (Law for Muslims)

- Funny you should say that.  I derived inspiration for the Outworlder religion from several sources, including Islam, Native American/Ancient Mexican religions, and Taoism.  However, your observation is merely a coincidence, as I still have a lot to learn about Islam.

I dunno if your sword thing is on target. There are some geek cultures around swords (Katanas for instance). But there are several martial cultures that use swords in modern times (Chinese martial arts for instance). Also, several military units have a sword as part of their uniform. For instance, when I think of swords, I think of modern marine dress uniform, not Terrorists or Samurai.

- A great deal of Nevercast is inspired by the Chinese martial arts.  The Master profession is essentially a traveling Shaolin monk, except in this world, the Shaolin temple never burned and an entire culture was built around it.  The original high concept for Nevercast was intended to be "Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2065".  The Des Xiac nations are the three kingdoms, in this case.

The Masters are split amongst two factions: the Traditionalists and the Progressivists.  In the post-Nevercast era, the Progressivists are the predominant faction, and have a secular outlook.  They like guns - big ones.  The traditionalists are the only group who carry swords, as these objects carry great religious significance (The Sword of Beauty).  These weapons are designed similarly to the Chinese jian, but are modernized (I was thinking tungsten carbide for penetrating modern armors composed of strong nano-materials).  A Traditionalist master must complete his medicine walk in order to be presented with one, and it grants the Master the legal authority to become a tribal leader.

The one thing to factor in with a post-modern setting is, a sword might be the highest tech weapon that a combatant has access to.

- Post-modern, not post-apocalyptic.  Guns are fairly ubiquitous, although they are typically manufactured in less volume and with fewer quality standards than in the past.  The rare weapons are the magnetic accelerator rifles.  Post-Nevercast accelerator rifles require constant maintenance as the heat produced damages the integrity of the rails, but if you can find a pre-Nevercast version, you can shoot that thing all day and carve through walls, reinforced car doors, or class 6 armor like butter.

[Ar Kayon]

How have you chosen the proper names within the gameworld? They don't remind me of any particular culture(s).

- The short, separated syllables of the Outworlder language were inspired by the Chinese language.  However, the Outworlder language is largely phonetic, meaning that what you see is generally how you should pronounce it, like Japanese.

Archaic Des Xiac was inspired both by Middle Eastern and Indian phonetics, with some European sounds added to the mix (to represent northern Urs Prime influence); more Middle Eastern for the northeast and more Indian for the southwest.  "Xiam Mefir" is a name inspired by the former and "Indra" and "Pratnavahatdu" inspired by the latter.

Modern Des Xiac is a combination of archaic Des Xiac and the Outworlder language, so you're going to have a jumble of pidgins and transliterations.  For example, Xiam Archaeon turns into Shiam Ar Kayon.

Is "discover unknown tech" the basic motivator of play? You mention doing this for pay, but it can be unsatisfying to make a discovery only to part with the fruits of it. If I got ahold of some unknown tech, I'd want to tease out its secrets, and in the process derive some personal benefit.

- Although discovering unknown technology is a big one, it is not the basic motivator.  A character's motivations depend largely upon the profession he plays.  For example, a foreign services agent from Urs Prime is more concerned with stabilizing Vanaq Ir than digging up its treasure, although a mercenary contracted by the Republic might have both goals in mind.

As far as obtaining technology, you will need a professional in order to understand what it is you have acquired.  Also, not all tech your character comes across will have immediate value, such as an obscure schematic or a journal abstract.  And just because you've sold the tech doesn't mean you can't get your hands on it later.  A technology cult might be able to sell you a prototype they've made, or they may trust you enough to sell you some other sensitive technology.

Is "overcome obstacles to get to the unknown tech" the basic activity of play? Or "figure out how to use the tech you've previously found"? Both? Neither?

- Again, it depends upon your profession.  What you've mentioned is just the post-modern dungeon crawling aspect of play, nothing more.  And even so, after you've made some real money off of it and established valuable contacts, you can start influencing the game world in a more profound manner: funding powerful groups to serve your agenda, starting your own technology cult, undermining the various political forces and taking control of parts of Des Xi, etc.  Some of these are fringe ideas of course, and I will need to figure out a way to structure that type of play.

As for Swords, I like your arguments against them, and dislike your arguments for them.

- Please elaborate.

The bits on philosophy and influences just make me ask, "Okay, how will that show up in play?"

- This aspect colors the setting more so than directly influencing play.  Masters of the Martial Arts and Internal Arts will have a more direct link to philosophy, as such understanding is tantamount to their skill development.  The GM can present this process in the form of mini-games, such as when the player is in a drug-induced meditational trance.

[Ar Kayon]

Nevercast
A deep economic depression that crippled nearly every developed nation in the world, and completely shattered up-and-coming nations with weaker infrastructures.  Businesses died out in countless waves, currency collapsed rendering commerce to barter systems, and riots guaranteed that communities would not bounce back. 
Consumerism died.  Innovation died.  Hope died.
The post-Nevercast era presents the players a very dark world with a glint of light at the end of the tunnel.  On the outside, there's nothing but struggle and despair, but beneath that layer is the foundational theme: a return to nature.  The entities that thrived during the Nevercast share two things in common: fluidity and de-centralization; they were organizations and communities that weren't ruled by a faceless machine.

Urs Prime Republic
In the face of danger, institutions that weren't directly related to infrastructure were ruthlessly hacked away and importation was heavily cut off; trade agreements were abruptly severed and the Republic focused on domestic production.  Their most outrageous move, however, was when they forced the commonwealth of Des Xi to cease all exportation of oil to other nations (the regions of Vanaq Ir and Ectanoc being the largest reserves in the world) and sell only to Urs Prime itself and its assimilated territories at a fixed price.  Although the king of Des Xi was infuriated, there was nothing he could do as the privately owned oil giants were peculiarly docile with the arrangement. 
In the end, Urs Prime was spared, and everybody knows only a president without any moral qualms or ethical scruples could have cut through all that red tape and pulled off such a feat.  They weren't complaining.

[Mobius]

Interesting.  How did the Outworlders come about?  Are they just humans who developed (naturally or otherwise) a different skin tone or are they somehow connected to another world?

[Ar Kayon]

The Outworlders are humans.  Their name is just a colloquialism; they've always been around, but haven't always had that skin tone.  It takes a very isolated and internally-conditioned society to change on a wholesale level, independently of an interconnected world.  In the beginning, it was just paint used during war and ceremony to garner favor from Pio Mon.

As I'm no biologist and don't know any, I have no clue if the retrovirus idea could at all be feasible.  I was thinking the genetic source come from a tropical animal or something...hahaha!  So, I may make some alterations; maybe they were always that way and Pio Mon was envisioned as a reflection of their society.

[Luminous]

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/27338236/

Genetic alteration of skin pigments is a reality in the present day.  You might change their name to Outlanders though, to remove the perception that they're aliens.

[Ar Kayon]

That's quite interesting.  I should really start looking up more stuff on cutting edge biology and the sort (genetic modification as well as medically-related), as the technology in this world still progresses at a steady, albeit slower pace.

[mark2v]

I have a question brought about by reading your posts, this one and the ones about combat, and simulationist gaming.

If I were to be a player in this game (on a side not it sounds like great fun to play) considering the deadly nature of combat, my first inclination would be to develop a network of others to do my dirty work for me.

(for example: I played a game under another system -Mayfair's Dc Heroes- where the direction of the GM was to make 1 main character and 3 enforcer types to send off for the dirty work. That game is obviously not as deadly as the one I have seen described here.)

Does the setting support such activities? Are there ways to garner support built into the system, Guilds, organizations besides broad cultural ones?
Would my Traditionalist Master Monk be able to call upon others to aide him or her?
At some point in play would a player's role be to send others out looking for lost tech while manipulating the merchants and tech dealers behind the scenes?

When you start talking about "magnetic rail guns" and "bullet hoses" I start thinking about ways to keep my character out of direct harm, being the spider in the web, as it were.

I guess where I am rambling to boils down to; I am not sure where a player's role falls within this rich but apparently deadly world.

-Mark.

[Ar Kayon]

On Lethality
- Despite the fact that I've worked so hard to make the combat system graphic and elaborate, I fully expect players to avoid violent confrontation.  After all, most people wouldn't jump into the thick of a heavy firefight in real life.  I strive to create the illusion that the world of Nevercast is an actual place with real people and real consequences.
However, there are some instances, especially for combat specialists, where mortal combat cannot be avoided as a result of lifestyle.  A technology hunter would rather risk going to Vanaq Ir so he can hit pay dirt, party and fuck than live off rice as a mechanic or factory worker in an economically crippled world.
As far as contracting others to do your dirty work, I don't intend to design any meta-game rules to prevent this.  If you have the money and contacts,  go for it.  Also, each profession will have its own set of external resources, like contacts, to help them on their way.  Because the world is so harsh, you begin play as an experienced expert (naturally, average character age should fall somewhere in the early thirties).

On Player Roles
- Although I do not want to restrict player development and style, I found it necessary to introduce player professions into the system in order to give the GM and the players some sort of direction towards meaningful game experiences.  I didn't want the game to result in campaigns full of aimless generalists unable to gain momentum.  Thus, I started work on developing very well-defined specialists but made no arbitrary restrictions on how the player may develop going forward. 
So, let's say you began play as a mercenary who, over the course of 3 firefights, lost half his team, got shot in the leg and twice in the chest, shattering your outdated armor, and took some shrapnel to the face.  You might start spending experience hours sharpening your social skills - skills unrelated to the mercenary profession - so you can haggle for better armor or con some other merc into accepting payment only when the job is done, and then kill him afterwards.