Modern Setting Campaign Help

[Primoitaliano89]

Hey guys, I'm putting together my first campaign for 3.5 and I'm just not finding quite what I'm looking for. So the premise of the setting is no electricity, post-apocalyptic USA (think the show Revolution). How can I cut magic out, add guns, makke a cohesive story and still have the game be enjoyable for my players and not feel like they're playing through a video game cut scene. Any suggestions would be really appreciated and welcomed.

[GilesTheCleric]

Cutting out magic is cutting out a whole lot of D&D. You might consider using another system that's better suited for that kind of thing, like D20 modern, Shadowrun, or any of the numerous post-apocalyptic games.

[BowStreetRunner]

D20 Modern (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd) is really WOTC's answer to what you are looking for. I would start there.

[T.G. Oskar]

d20 Modern has an entire splatbook devoted to post-apocalyptic campaigns of every kind: viral-based zombie apocalypse, "Mad Max"-esque post-apocalypse, post-Rapture, post-Nuclear War (Fallout!), and so on. Do note that d20 Modern is based on an intermediate state between 3.0 and 3.5, so it might be easy to understand but 3.5 knowledge might creep and affect the game; otherwise, it's the same Core mechanic and mostly the same rules.

There is an SRD (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd) for d20 Modern, which includes hints on D&D classes (Urban Arcana) and futuristic content (d20 Future), so there's a start; there's one that's easier to read (http://www.d20resources.com/) as well, in case you need to grok the rules. From there, you need to get the d20 Apocalypse splat to complete everything.

For your idea: the splatbook offers a way to handle things without electricity and with guns - ammo is scarce, there's no such thing as GP/money (or Wealth, which is what's used in d20 Modern) but rather a trade system based on food, where 1 unit of food can be bartered for other necessities or commodities. You can also make gas out of food, depending on whether you get a fuel still and what kind of food you use. Most of the adventures will be scavenging quests, so the best way to handle it is to do like on Revolution or The Walking Dead and have the PCs manage the needs of a small group of people, perhaps even a small community, that by necessity has to always be on the run. The day-to-day quests will be mostly scavenging, whereas the bigger arc would be to figure out what caused the "Big Blackout" or whatever you wish to call it. Scavenging quests could serve as plot hooks, as you find someone who knows the secret but is dying, or maybe find a secret compound entrance; maybe even a place where electricity works! (And because the PCs tampered with it, the lights go out, making the mystery run deeper).

[Janthkin]

There's also a d20 version of Call of Cthulhu, with rules to run from the 1800's through (semi-)present day.

[Primoitaliano89]

Thanks for the help everyone. Appreciate it!