Post-Apocalyptic setting you prefer?

[tiro]

Hi,

i was just wondering, what type of post-apoc. setting you guys would prefere more:

1. massive space ship meant for colonizing earth like planets, evacuates (no one knows why this heppend) population pods to one such planet (starting population ~200k, no communications with earth or mother ship, no rescue is coming) all tools for technological creations are left on the mothership wich is now floating lifeless in the orbit. (only pods to scavange) Planet has biological life forms, and ruins of long lost sentient civilization.

2. allien invasion, in the near futre (50 to 100 years) bearly more advanced alliens try to colonize earth, after some epic scale warfare and tremendous losses on both sides, conflicts are now waged on local regions as no goverment or any central authority left for both sides. (human population wiped to few %, no major cities left / allien colonial fleet destroyed, no more space traveling capabilities, remainder allien population (~100k-300k) scatered on earth surface)

[ghendrickson]

I like them both, but if I had to play one, I would probably choose the second one. I would love to dm the first one though, it sounds really fun

[LibraryOgre]

The first sounds similar to Trigun, and to a setting I sketched a few years ago.

The second sounds like a game I've always wanted to run, which I jokingly call "Bastille Day"... i.e. ten days after the events of Independence Day.

Both sound like a lot of fun, though I think the second has a lot more In Medias Res to it.

[Beleriphon]

The first sounds similar to Trigun, and to a setting I sketched a few years ago.

The second sounds like a game I've always wanted to run, which I jokingly call "Bastille Day"... i.e. ten days after the events of Independence Day.

That one only works if you play in France, or at least Quebec.

[Laughingmanlol]

I recently read an idea that could be used as a twist for the first setting:
The planet had already been colonised by humans that mastered FTL travel, arriving before the mothership due to relativity. These humans are now gone, either through extinction or some sort of singularity, but that's why the ruins are so (post)human-friendly.
As for why the mothership evacuated, there are a few possibilities:
The mothership could be travelling past on the way to the destination planet, and in its star map this planet could have appeared uninhabitable at the time they set off. However, now it's become suitable thanks to the terraforming efforts of the past posthumans, which is fortunate as it encounters a fault and has to evacuate to the nearest safe planet, which is now this one.
Alternatively, the mothership could recieve a signal from the planet that causes it to perform the evacuation, perhaps sent by the past posthumans so the colonists could have a better planet.
In either case, you could have it that the posthumans arranged the arrival, either so the colonists could rediscover their lost technology and ascend with them, or so they could have a better chance of surviving what killed the posthumans.

[LibraryOgre]

That one only works if you play in France, or at least Quebec.

I'm a history geek.

[Brookshw]

I'm a history geek.

Thats.......I mean........Quebec. okay, I'm biased since, stuff.

To the question, the first though I'll add exodus (fallout) is quite interesting.

[Mr.Moron]

The setting is just kind of window dressing really, what matters is tone. Alien Invasion, Massive War, Space Colony.. whatever, it's so much fluff.

Personally I don't want to spend a whole bunch of time RPing out in a super-grim world where the only way to get ahead is backstabbing, murder and theft. If the world has ended, I want to feel like I'm doing something to help those that are left, that we're rebuilding in whatever small capacity we can. Ultimately I want some sense we're rising from the ashes,not crawling around in them desperately hoping to be the last one clinging to the least crappy patch of rubble.

That's just my taste though. Others might want an awful hell-hole of world, where is everyone is doomed but being the most awful person you can might buy you a few more days of suffering if you're lucky.


It doesn't really matter what destroyed the world what matters is how you run the world says about human nature in the face of adversity and change.

[Beleriphon]

Thats.......I mean........Quebec. okay, I'm biased since, stuff.

To the question, the first though I'll add exodus (fallout) is quite interesting.

In fairness, I know that Bastille Day isn't really celebrated in Quebec, its just the only place that is French speaking that I could think off the cuff to continue my joke. In Quebec you could have Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. I always wondered about Canada in that movie though. Did we just not get attacked, and suddenly Canada has the largest, most advanced miliarty in the world with more or less completely intact infrastructure. That would make for an amusing game.

[DigoDragon]

I like the first one more, especially if it goes the way of Trigun where civ takes on a western flavor. :)

Wild Arms 3 kinda/sorta had shades of that as well, though there was lots of magic in that world.

[LibraryOgre]

In fairness, I know that Bastille Day isn't really celebrated in Quebec, its just the only place that is French speaking that I could think off the cuff to continue my joke. In Quebec you could have Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. I always wondered about Canada in that movie though. Did we just not get attacked, and suddenly Canada has the largest, most advanced miliarty in the world with more or less completely intact infrastructure. That would make for an amusing game.

So far as I know, the implication is that pretty much every major city and military base in the world has been destroyed.

[tiro]

what system would be good for second scenario type? grim, survival type, realistic sci-fi (no magic, or super duper ultra tech)
any adice would help, thanks :)