Barf Forth Apocalyptica
barf forth apocalyptica => Apocalypse World => Topic started by: SJE on July 17, 2011, 07:14:35 PM
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Apocalypse World: Oasis amongst the Acid Jungles and Poison Seas.
The Apocalypse: The end of the world came through environmental pollution (acid rain) and GM crops. As the skies and oceans were poisoned by pollutants, plants either died or adapted to the acidic rain. If they adapted, they became inedible, if not poisonous or mutagenic to humans. A supercrop was needed, and created by a Biotech company - a non-seeding corn substitute called Florins (TM) which grew incredibly fast and was incredibly nutritious - it only needed clean water and sunlight. The biotech company also released a virus to wipe out competitors crops, but this spread faster and further than planned and killed off the remaining edible types of plant and thus all grazing animals. With climate change accelerating and the soil and surface water poisoned, society collapsed in a mass die-off of humanity. Without a sufficient population base, trade, technology and government collapsed. Survivors gathered around sources of clean water to grow Florins- either deep wells or alkali sources, as the Acid Jungles sprung up in the intervening wilderness, thier mutated plants and animals now lethal and dangerous to humanity. Now men must go out to scavenge for Florin seeds in old farms, factories, or seek the wild White Florin variety which manages to seed even in the Acid Jungles. Seeds of Florins are a defacto currency.
PC's
Colonel Vega - A Hardholder with more gold braid and medals on his chest than Gadaffi. His number 2 is Sgt. Vespa. He sees her as a mother figure. He inherited his well-defended Hardhold, Oasis from his father. His paramilitary gang are disciplined but savage and protect his cave complex set into a sea-cliff.
Verity - Locus - elected by the Daughters of Truth, all women cult. No. 2 is Lillian, also Io. Looking for the Messiah to fix the planet or reverse the Apocalypse. They have wandered the hardholds, guided by their visions and have recently come to Oasis.
Dornier - Savvyhead - a stunted but intelligent dwarf he lives in a private cave, cultivating acid-plants, trying to make them edible to humanity. Then when the Florins run out, he can rule the world through hydraulic despotism! He is brother to Vega and possesses a nuke. Children attend to him and aid him in his experiments and he often needs replacements. He is close to a breakthrough in making the Poison Pear fruit edible.
Waters - a transgressive, gas masked, rubber-clad Operator. Has travelled between nearby Hardholds and knows the lands well. Team of assistants: Apple, Cherry, Vanila and Cola. Knows Verity from Roughs Place- past history there, she let Waters down there somehow. Gigs include deliveries, brokering and murders. Has a map of the local jungle from Lillian in the Daughters of Truth. Seems to have no fear of the blustering Col. Vega.
Hardholds
Roughs Place - a floating aircraft carrier, which roams the Poison Coast- it regularly changes its character as Captain Rough force off the existing inhabitants and take on new crew every few years. They have been traders, pirates and explorers over the years. Rumour is that they are coming to Oasis next.
The Brewery - The Last Pub on Earth, they offer Southern Comfort to the poor and homeless. Staffed by monks who follow the Cider House Rule, they have a enough clean water to produce alcohol. Vega has been barred from their pub.
Rutina - a former hardhold in the jungle, nothing has been heard from it since half a year ago when there were reports of a great light and then a pillar of smoke in the sky.
Oasis NPC's
Nana Sun - an old woman who remembers the World Before and has a kind word and wisdom for all. Much beloved by the people.
Dufus - a not very bright soldier in Vega's army. Fancies the pretty girls in the Daughters of Truth.
The Bushwhackers - a chopper gang who roam the Acid Jungles, scavenging for Florins. While they use Oasis as a local base, they are independent of Vega, who needs them to supply the Glasshouse. Led by a man called Balls, they havent come back from their recent foray yet.
First Session/Establishing Shots:
Oasis is running out of Florins and rations need to be cut - Vega approaches Waters to get some more, and Waters tells him of a Florins factory that he could annexe out on the coast. Vega is suspicious and reluctant to venture out of Oasis. Waters gives Vega proof in the form of seeds wrapped in scrap paper.
Vega gives the seeds to Dornier for him to eat. Dornier discards the scrap of paper (with writing on it- it goes into a corner) and finds the seeds seem newly created. He turns back to his project - deciphering Rutina's near breakthrough in making Poison Pears edible to humans. Unfortunately he cant make it work, meaning that his destruction of the city by backpack nuke was a waste.
Verity is suffering from a crisis of confidence within her cult - they believe the Messiah is not in Oasis. She appeals to them to keep the faith and if not, they can sacrifice her in a year. The cult performs an augury and senses a buzzing, terrible darkness approaching through the Acid Jungle. She goes to warn Vega, but he is contemptuous of her weirding ways.
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All good so far. Nice premise, too.