XCom Seattle
While on my current GMing hiatus I am going to spend as much time as possible cultivating my pet projects, this being one of them. In fact, this will be my prime subject, likely followed by HP Lovecraft's American War of Independence. This page is here to discuss a proposed game set in the XCOM: The RPG world.
Contents
System
As of right now I do not know what system would be best. I will put a few ideas under this heading where the pros and cons of each possibility can be discussed.
World of Darkness
This is kind of a strange dark horse. Combat is not a focus of this system, and it seems like a good deal of fighting will be occurring in this environment. Yet, if the aliens are to have strange mental and/or physical powers, this system is ready for it. Character generation is fast and furious, and so far those who have expressed interest in this game have indicated that player death needs to be a real fear, so this facilitates that.
WoD Proposal
Use standard WoD character generation rules. Utilize team experience from Hunters. Create some new merits and develop a flaw system.
Twilight: 2000
This system does a good job of setting actual combat veterans apart from non-combatants in what they can do under fire. This is important and could be an interesting factor. I could graft on a few new skills and create a more comprehensive system.
Twilight: 2000 Proposal
Players would choose their military experience base. Then there would be methods for generating stats. Combat characters would be really good at it, while non-combat characters would be much more well rounded.
Hero
Hero is always a possibility. The major issue is the clunkiness of combat. Once you know it, it works. But it tends to be quite deterministic in many things that should be variable. The character generation is really excellent, likely the best anywhere. For some reason, however, it lacks excitement.
Hero Proposal
In Hero this would be a 175 point 6th Edition or 140 point 5th edition game of normals. Power would be strictly controlled, but allowed under certain circumstances. Experience would be moderate.
Deadlands/Savage Worlds
See all of the content that was originally here, here: Deadlands: Invasion.
The Morrow Project
This is a post apocalypse game system developed in the very, very long time-agos. It has strange advanced tech and a very realistic-esque combat system. More research is needed.
Aftermath
Another old time post apocalypse system. I would need to read it more before I have an idea how to use it.
Characters
There are plenty of archetypes which make sense in this game. It would be important to know what the players want to do, but there is a storyline brewing here.
Militant
Whether or not you have been in the military, fighting is your forte. These characters are tough and practical. Hunters and others skilled in using weapons likely fall into this category, even if they have never killed a sentient being before.
Scientist
These kinds of characters have an interest in deconstructing alien technology. Another possibility would be a doctor. Engineers would be useful in building many types of structures or reproducing alien technology.
Survivalist
Survivalist characters are general purpose types, able to fend for themselves in a wide variety of situations. These people were likely loners or members of local militia groups. This concept is very compatible with other concepts, almost like a character overlay.
Diplomat
If you live by your wits and tongue, you are a diplomat. Negotiating with turncoats, trading with settlements or just gleaning important information, diplomats have many applications.
Group Concept
This is a crucial decision for any game, and in this one it is especially important. It is likely the group will be itinerant, and making decisions about where and how to travel will be the focus of many sessions. I believe all of the characters need to be committed to the same common goal. Connecting them to each other is optional, but encouraged.
Suggested Goals
Here are a few suggested goals players can discuss, pick one or develop one of your own. Either way, have a goal.
1. Eradicate Alien menace.
2. Keep local area free of Alien menace.
3. Stake out a new area and create a home, and then defend it from Alien menace.
4. Ignore Alien menace and frustrate the GM.
Equipment
In general, games which include a lot of combat and interesting high tech often have a strong connection with available equipment. It makes sense for ex-military types to obsess over their weapons and to plan for the destructive capability of the opponents, and I do not want to discourage that. What I do wish to limit is the escalation that can occur when there is too much granularity in what items are capable of doing. To that end, I am going to describe things generally, and keep the game stats of most items pretty similar, but have actual world effects which are not reflected on paper, but show up in the world itself. In other words, it wont be obvious what is better than other things just by looking at a writeup on paper. Players will need to try things to see how well they work, and some of the extra effectiveness might be luck rather than actual utility.
Setting
The game setting is called Seattle, but its more closely identified as Pacific Northwest. During the alien invasion the northwest was devastated. Bremerton and Bangor were completely leveled along with Fort Lewis and McCord. Seattle took a good hit from falling debris left from starship hulls. Portland was the second North American alien base, after Mexico City.
It is likely the initial setting will be in the heavy forest, either on the peninsula or east of I-5 between Olympia and Portland. We have so much green here that DB Cooper parachuted into the great unknown with thousands of people on his trail. The aliens will have even more trouble than that. The exact location will coalesce when characters are more concrete.
With the destruction of the armed forces major bases came the fracturing of many governmental controls, yet halls of government were not major targets of the alien invasion. Areas of high concentration of air capable military might were targeted and hit hard, but many land based military establishments as well as National Guard type areas were left alone. Civilian governments have gone into exile, and are of little effect in strongly rural areas, but they still nominally command their armed forces and attempt to rally and govern the people.
Local Governments
Many areas continue to be in a state of anarchy, but most have achieved some sort of order either through martial law, civilian government or survivalist militia. Families and family groups often create their own wilderness cells and survive for their own benefit.
Daily Life
Though the aliens are the primary enemy of people in name, often it is those who are close and compete for the same limited resources who are the real enemies. Competition for food, shelter and supplies is violent and often deadly.
Survivalist militia are often the most ruthless when dealing with other humans, blaming 'liberals' for the invasion and following devastation. They clash most strongly with the remnants of civilian government, which they seek to eradicate just like the alien menace.
Military forces, including National Guard, often utilize their armor superiority to threaten violence and achieve their aims without incident. They have the means to take prisoners and often do. Among all factions they tend to be the most expansionist. The military are sometimes willing to submit to civilian authority if it can be shown to be valid and competent. They negotiate with survivalists for tangible assets, such as buildings and territory, yet never submit to their rules.
Civilian government are supported by local authorities such as sheriff and police departments, and sometimes National Guard. They also are supported by local populations and any weaponry owned by those people. They are rarely expansionist and rarely negotiate with Survivalists. Their main goal is to maintain the status quo in their general area.
Antagonists
What good is a game without enemies? Maybe Gabe might like to explore empty tunnel complexes (Zing!), but most people want something to interact with. Here are your enemies and what you need to know about them.
People
I, for one, welcome our new alien overlords! That makes you a Turncoat.
