Extended Mediography

  • 147 Replies
  • 108833 Views
Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #45 on: August 19, 2010, 08:23:55 AM »
Still waiting for my copy of AW, but I'm thinking about the first two Mad Max films (and less Costner's water remake of Mad Max 2: Waterworld).

Has someone mentioned The Road yet? Good film, great book.

Are any of these on or off the ball regards AW?

Per


Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #46 on: August 19, 2010, 08:48:37 AM »
I just noticed nobody's mentioned FreakAngels yet. So allow me! I consider this more or less a must-read webcomic for Apocalypse World, it hits a lot of the same notes as the game, scarcity and suck, weirdness, the lot.
FreakAngels is a damn near perfect Apocalypse World, and applying the various character roles to the story's protagonists is a rather easy thing to do. I love how they keep Opening Their Brains; it's really inspiring for my upcoming game. The back story that develops as you get deeper into the comic is really creepy as well.

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #47 on: August 19, 2010, 05:09:33 PM »
Still waiting for my copy of AW, but I'm thinking about the first two Mad Max films (and less Costner's water remake of Mad Max 2: Waterworld).

Has someone mentioned The Road yet? Good film, great book.

Are any of these on or off the ball regards AW?

Per



I'd say yes, since the Road and Road Warrior are listed in the media influences in the book :) Sorry, I know you said you don't have yours yet, so not trying to be mean. Honestly, I think Bartertown from Bryond Thunderdome is an archetypal hardhold, and that the "Master of Ceremonies" at Thunderdome must have been an influence on the MC, so yeah, I definitely agree with you!

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #48 on: August 19, 2010, 05:32:43 PM »
Honestly, I think Bartertown from Bryond Thunderdome is an archetypal hardhold, and that the "Master of Ceremonies" at Thunderdome must have been an influence on the MC, so yeah, I definitely agree with you!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Ceremonies

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #49 on: August 20, 2010, 10:11:53 AM »
Ha, thanks! Got my PDF now, so I'll read that first, probably a good idea :)

Per

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #50 on: August 20, 2010, 12:20:06 PM »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Ceremonies

I hope you're being sarcastic, because otherwise you have a pretty dim opinion of my intelligence/knowledge :)

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #51 on: August 20, 2010, 12:39:21 PM »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Ceremonies

I hope you're being sarcastic, because otherwise you have a pretty dim opinion of my intelligence/knowledge :)


Oh yeah!

^ Take that how you will. ;)

*

Arvid

  • 262
Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #52 on: August 20, 2010, 08:06:01 PM »
I've watched the Bad Romance video extensively, lately. It gives me inspiration for Apocalypse World.

The Alejandro video has me convinced Lady Gaga is a Brainer with Unnatural Lust Transfixion and Preternatural At-Will Brain Attunement. It's the only explanation.

(Skim to 2:18 to see what I'm talking about. Although a handful of the other outfits she wears in the video aren't bad for apocalyptic wear in general. The gun-bra might be over the top, depending on your game.)

Yeah, and the AW cover looks like something out of her next video! :)

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #53 on: August 25, 2010, 12:49:07 PM »
I like finding inspiration in real-world examples, and my apocalypse-media diet consists largely of non-fiction. There are, of course, lots of modern-world ruins scattered around the world that can provide good AW scenery- Pripyat and Hashima Island being the most famous, and notable on account of the depth of the disaster or the sheer scale of stuff that was left behind.

But there's a little apocalyptica just about anywhere if you're willing to look for it. Urban explorers going to abandoned sites and ghost towns are turning up some great, frequently eerie material.

Check out http://www.uer.ca/forum_showthreads.asp?fid=1&catid=103 for some visions of what you can throw at your players.

For a "living apocalypse" you could turn to accounts of life in Kowloon Walled City which was, for all intents and purposes, an enormous holding, or maybe several sharing a very tight, almost vertical geography. Picture an urban "island" surrounded by foreign territory, a jumble of sunless narrow streets, run by informal associations and triads but largely anarchic, recycling and re-purposing and jury-rigging their living space with limited material, making it all up as they go along. Consider http://www.archidose.org/KWC/.

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #54 on: August 26, 2010, 12:07:46 AM »
"The End" by the Doors seems like it would be a very fitting song for this game.

I personally don't like the show the Colony on the Discovery channel, but it can give you some good ideas on hardholds and neat color for devices and tech.  It bills itself as a reality show, but it's pretty fake for the most part.   Still watching them puzzle out ways to take junk and make working lighting and things like that is pretty cool.

Similarly Survivorman is a good show to see what survival in extreme environments entails.  It will you give you all sorts of ideas on what possible things people will resort to eating when food is a scarce commodity. 

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #55 on: August 26, 2010, 04:14:42 PM »
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=death-to-humansl

Death To Humans: Visions of the Apocalypse in Movies and Literature

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #56 on: August 29, 2010, 09:41:21 AM »
The Great Bay: Chronicles of the Collapse by Dave Pendell.  Most of it is *way* after, but the first chapter or so is all about what things look like while modern civilization is going under.

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #57 on: August 29, 2010, 01:36:13 PM »
@ Jere: 'The End' is a fantastic suggestion for mood-/theme-music/soundtrack for play. One of those things that's just f'ing obvious, but only once it's been pointed out.

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #58 on: August 31, 2010, 08:35:59 PM »
I know it's in the mediography in the book, but I'm reading it right now and I want to heartily second the recommendation of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. A tree hung with dead babies. How's that for apocalyptica. Gah. It's also I think by far the best-written, most lyrical novel I have ever read. That includes The Road.

Re: Extended Mediography
« Reply #59 on: August 31, 2010, 08:41:21 PM »
You know, I was just thinking about 'lyrical' and 'good' writing and how much I love Cormac McCarthy after reading your post, Hans, and that made me think of one of my other favorite authors: Michael Chabon. All of his stuff is flipping great, but I'd say the book probably the most applicable to AW is "Gentlemen of the Road" which reads kind of like Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser but without the sorcery. Seriously though, you have a couple of rough guys who wander into a teeteringly stable city state in a vast nomad/bandit haunted wasteland and seriously screw up the fragile status quo. That's the only story I can recommend for AW specifically, but all of his other stuff will make you a better person, which *might* make you better at AW too.