Haven't done much with this in awhile, but I'm still thinking about it. I'd kind of like to pick a very simple, easy to expand upon base system, one that already exists, and then use Nuclear Beasts as a setting for it. See how hard it is to customize that system to my needs.
In particular, I'm thinking about making the default setting to be that all PCs are Rangers. They'd serve the Goddess and the Caretakers by pacifying outlying areas, organizing people against the Blight, exploring ruins that need exploring, et cetera. The All-Mother could be portrayed as a benevolent ruler... or a cynical manipulator... or just a mad A.I. with delusions of grandeur.
PCs would then have access to the full range of abilities... psychic powers (Rangers who manifest them get the best training), cyberware (at the behest of the Caretakers, of course, but they're flexible if you've earned it or need it) and plain old competence (the Rangers are picked from among the best candidates). There would be a built-in rationale for adventuring (they need Beasts who are loyal, tough, and can go places that the Caretakers can't... oh, and they have to be expendable, too).
I could delve into more detail on the Rangers, breaking them up into various groups. The Monitors, for example, have built-in radios. They exchange info with other Monitors and are the best at communicating with robots... they can talk to an Exterminator at a safe distance and can often identify a robot's type, purpose and current activity by studying its radio traffic. When a military unit suddenly switches to high encryption or complete radio silence, it's time to get out of there.
I'd probably still keep the "psi interferes with cyberware" theme, but tone it down a bit so that it's more of a tradeoff than an either-or thing. The presence of "psi-demons" and evil spirits might become a bigger deal, as that adds another major form of opposition. The Rangers should feel like they're desperately trying to keep this civilization running but there are a dozen different ways it could be destroyed if they screw up.
What little I've seen of Dogs in the Vineyard looks very interesting. I want to pick up a few more specialized systems and playtest them. Since they're generally very specific to their genre, I'd probably have to make major changes in order to support the setting that I'm looking at... which is fine; then I could actually publish it without it just being a ripoff. But I want a good starting point.
Posted by Kiz at August 25, 2004 10:47 AMComments