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Jonagel
2016-01-21, 11:02 AM
Hi folks!

I am playing a new game which in short, takes place in a post apocalyptic Colorado. AI takes over, nukes the world, and what is left in this wasteland?

- AI trying to stomp out humanity (robots, nano controlled humanoids, let your imagination go wild)
- Chimeras of an unlimited variety due to bioengineering by humans, and a rather bizarre AI that learned quite a bit from the internet/wants to kill everything
- Humans (allying themselves as they see fit)
- Enhanced humans (PCs and other noted NPCs) who are humanity's strongest weapon against the AI. Most are good, and run the remaining few towns or cities, few are corrupted, and some strike out on a neutral path to forge their own society.

Gear ranges from futuristic items that require skill to use/have limited charges, swords, chainsaws, shotguns, etc. A functioning Plasma rifle used 100 years ago, or personal floating drone with a laser gun are artifacts/relics.

For now, Downtown Denver is a giant crater. The Great Plains are a massive stretch of radiated inhospitable terrain void of life and occasionally patrolled by flying AI (very dangerous). Without overloading everyone with the entire back story of this world, does anyone have ideas as to possible campaign hooks, places of interest, etc in Colorado?

Talion
2016-01-21, 01:04 PM
My group and I discussed our options for a post-apocalyptic Zombie style world set in Colorado, and here's basically what we came up with:

-The group's first decision was to hole up in DIA. I shot that down when I pointed out there's virtually no resources past what *might* be physically stored there and at any given point there's a couple thousand other people holed up there. Even if you considered it defensible it would be out of food/water/what have you in a matter of weeks, at the absolute most.

-My suggestion was, instead, to head up to somewhere like Estes Park. By itself, it's not a large population center, but it has a river running through town (water resource) and is close to Rocky Mountain National Park (which has wood, critters for hunting, supplies at ranger stations/tourist spots, and is large enough to consider some self-sustaining farming). In our zombie example we'd get any and all cars we could to form a defensive line around the town, as best we could anyway, while we prepare more permanent defenses. As the gas in those vehicles would be valueless beyond day 90 (optimistically speaking) it seemed the most logical solution.

-There's more than a few other small mountain towns throughout Colorado. The downside is most of those are basically tourist stops for gas and light entertainment for a day trip/trip through the mountains to camp ground. Another option, further away, might be Steamboat Springs, which also has water and a lot of wood. However, it's gone through some notable growth over the last decade or so, mostly as a tourist trap from small resort town. The big plus side of this over Estes is that it's even further from the smoldering crater that is Denver, reducing the fallout and other factors by a significant margin. As such it is also somewhat more remote and thus harder to attack.

-In the category of small, out of the way places, there's also a blip on the map in North-western Colorado called "Buford", which is, for all intents and purposes, a single store with about 20 cabins with coal stoves as a camping spot. Nice territory. Reasonably close to, again, a water source, but also within reasonable driving distance of an actual town (with a Wal-mart and what have you, not that you're concerned about that past the apocalypse).

-There's plenty of old mines and things which could be useful, short or long term, as hideouts for refugees/bandits. Some are tapped out, some are abandoned for one reason or another, and others are still working. However, these present their own hazards, especially if waste water hits a river.

-The pine bark beetle has run pretty rampant throughout the territory, so there's a LOT of dead trees, which are basically a fire hazard at this point.

-There's a fair bit of cattle ranching throughout the plains, though again that won't mean a lot past the apocalypse unless the herds get free and manage to survive on their own.

-There are dozens, if not hundreds, of distinct camping sites throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Some are relatively nice, with outhouses and things, and others are for people who truly rough it. Rifle Falls would be an example of the former.

-It is important to note the dangers of altitude sickness when going into the mountains. Even natives can have problems with it, especially when in conjunction with things such as dehydration or an excess of salt in the diet. The air is also thinner, so its easier to overexert yourself. And then of course on top of that are other natural dangers (forest fires, lightning strikes, blizzards, avalanches, mudslides, bears and cougars).

-In the south-west corner of course there's Mesa Verde. Very dry territory, but there's still trees and some ancient structures that could be used for temporary housing (longer if maintenanced and if enough water could be found). Also in the South-west are the Great Sand Dunes, which are pretty much just that: a sizable field of very large sand dunes at the base of the mountains, with some light foresting and a couple water sources. There is/was also a small water park and, more interestingly, an alligator farm, which also has a variety of fish and semi-exotic animals to view.

It's not a complete sampling, but it should give you a few ideas.

GorinichSerpant
2016-01-21, 01:04 PM
Lionbears! My friends said it so I'm mentioning it. And gigantic moose.

I think everyone is going to be walking around in ski coats, goggles and so forth. In the climate it would make sense to wear that, especially in the mountains.

Talion
2016-01-21, 01:11 PM
In the climate it would make sense to wear that, especially in the mountains.

Actually that is a big thing I forgot about: the weather. Colorado is weird because it can get very hot (110+ in the shade) but it can also get miserably cold (-15 before windchill). It's usually a fairly dry state, but when it rains/snows you can get multiple inches in just a few hours or close to nothing at all. As the saying goes, "If you don't like the weather in Colorado, wait an hour and it'll change." And in the mountains those numbers are drastically increased; you can get a couple of feet of snow to downtown Denver's couple of inches. The wind isn't usually too bad (it's typically infrequent on the planes and rarely at or above 30 mph) but that can make life a whole lot more miserable all the same.

Cealocanth
2016-01-24, 11:39 AM
I'm a Colorado native, so I'll give what I can.

Most of Denver's winds run from West to East, and occasionally North from the Gulf of Mexico. If Denver is nuked, then Kansas and Wyoming are getting most of the fallout. Not good news for anyone planning on fleeing to America's breadbasket for long-term survival.

If we're talking an AI tactical strike on the city, then pretty much scratch Aurora (Denver's satellite city) off the list too. Buckley Air Force Base pretty much ensures that if someone wanted to make sure humans could not arm themselves and rebel, they would destroy or at least capture the smoldering remains of Aurora as well.

Other good targets for tactical strikes would be what's left of NORAD and the Eisenhower tunnel. The tunnel is a mainline of trade and travel between California and the rest of the West. There are also some rumors that nuclear weapons are stored there, for what that's worth. Cutting this off would pretty much ensure that nobody can escape to the other side of the Rockies. We know that a U.S. Arsenal is stored at the NORAD base, though it's mostly just a tourist location at this point. Still, if you wanted to restrict potential of rebellion, this would be the place to capture or destroy.

There are plenty of farms and ranches in Colorado, but without the complex irrigation system that runs throughout the state, most of these will be useless and irradiated in the event of nuclear apocalypse. The towns that do the best will be the former gold-rush towns along major rivers, like Idaho Springs, for example. Ski resorts will have decent food supplies, some weapons, and some medicine, so will be places that a lot of people go. Without power, though, most of these will be a grueling hike uphill miles through snow. Very easy to catch survivors out in the mountains.

Because of what Colorado was back in the Cold War, there are actually a lot of fallout shelters peppering the state. Thousands of private citizens have their own personal shelters to survive a few months, and there are a few large ones in Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Fort Collins. If we are lucky to get into these shelters (and we may not be, people aren't exactly trained to know where they are anymore), then humanity might hold out underground for decent amounts of time. It is rumored that Colorado School of Mines in Golden has a relatively self-sustaining underground hydroponics facility for a similar purpose. Food Bank of the Rockies is remarkably well-equipped for surviving a nuclear apocalypse, though they are located in Denver and thus probably won't survive. It would be the first place to get raided if it did, though.

If a nuke went off in Denver, I would probably be dead. However, if I did survive, I would use what gas I had and make my way to my local fallout shelter (I have a friend in Elizabeth that's a bit of a survival nut). I imagine that others have similar situations around here.

Jonagel
2016-01-25, 12:36 PM
Many thanks for the ideas everyone, especially the slightly cryptic ones!

Are there any other big industries in Colorado, and if so, what and where?

I'm thinking of places that would eventually becomes bases or prime raiding spots. Assorted factories, tech/development centers, etc. Maybe the Coors Brewing Company? Not sure how useful a massive brewing company would be, but quality metal is quality metal, right?

Talion
2016-01-25, 01:05 PM
Many thanks for the ideas everyone, especially the slightly cryptic ones!

Are there any other big industries in Colorado, and if so, what and where?

I'm thinking of places that would eventually becomes bases or prime raiding spots. Assorted factories, tech/development centers, etc. Maybe the Coors Brewing Company? Not sure how useful a massive brewing company would be, but quality metal is quality metal, right?

Golden, which is at the base of the mountains and a bit north of Denver, has a lot of manufacturing in the form of Coors Brewing as well as CoorsTek, which builds ceramics and other goods for industrial and military use, multi-nationally. Other than that I'm not sure of places that are heavily industrialized outside of Denver proper.

A massive brewing company would also be useful in water purification, which'd be paramount in a post apocalyptic setting, especially in close to the smoldering crater that was Denver.

Jonagel
2016-01-25, 01:37 PM
A massive brewing company would also be useful in water purification, which'd be paramount in a post apocalyptic setting, especially in close to the smoldering crater that was Denver.

Water Purification, of course - thanks!

That said, from a fall out scenario, if Denver was super nuked, and nukes dropped throughout the world, would there still be potable water in the form of rivers, lakes, springs, etc? Or would everything be tainted/dried up?

Cealocanth
2016-01-26, 05:13 PM
That said, from a fall out scenario, if Denver was super nuked, and nukes dropped throughout the world, would there still be potable water in the form of rivers, lakes, springs, etc? Or would everything be tainted/dried up?

Colorado has more river sources in it than any other state in the US, with the exception of Alaska. That being said, most of this water is sapped by the cities and towns that cropped up along these rivers, diverted them by dams, and trapped them by reservoirs. The Colorado River doesn't even reach the sea for more than a few hours each decade or so.

Most of the water comes from snowmelt in the Rockies. Along the way the water picks up natural minerals in the rocks as it makes its way to either the Pacific or the Gulf of Mexico. Nuclear fallout from Denver, Wyoming, New Mexico, Etc, will probably travel eastward and away from the river sources. Fallout from places like San Francisco and Los Angeles would likely be carried by winds to the Rockies and deposited as rain or snow before it crosses over. Western Colorado would probably not have potable water anymore, but the foothills could, possibly. If the AI really cared about it, they could bomb the Rockies and easily irradiate the water supply at the source, rendering most wildlife dead in the Colorado area.

However, humans are very resourceful. Towns not fed by rivers in this state usually pump their water out of the Ogallala and Northern Great Plains Aquifers, some of the largest natural aquifers in the world. Assuming they are properly covered or diverted, most well sources would still be potable, meaning a good number of farm and ranch houses, especially up in Elizabeth or Greeley, would still have potable water even if the AI did take out the rivers. If you truly need to use impurity of water as a story point, following a nuclear apocalypse a lot of nasty viruses and bacteria will crop up in isolated populations (such as fallout shelters.) Dysentery is a nasty way to go, and the events that follow usually contaminate the water supply.