Apocalypse in Super-World
In about 3 hours, I’m gonna play in an Apocalypse World setting that’s set in a world where there’s evidence of a superhero past*, MCed by Judd Karlman and featuring DeWitt Davis and Jason Bowell and I’m really looking forward to it.
This isn’t going to be a superheroes game, though. This is going to be a world of mundanes who, if they remember superheroes at all, probably do not do so fondly**. It’s going to be a tricky balance since there are so many things that sort of hedge close to superheroic tropes (Battlebabes, the psychic maelstrom, etc.).
I have so damned many character ideas for this!
The Marmot: I could make The Marmot work for myself for once, because it could be possible in this world, and the mystery mechanics work great for the theme. I would only want to see this played for seriousness though. See also Space Marine Mammal.
The Touchstone: I’ve wanted to play one of these since I heard about them, but being a beacon of hope in a world stung by superheroes strikes me as a very interesting balance.
The Hardholder: Who keeps having to deal with uncovered hypertech and the incredible destruction it causes. I’m imaging someone like a hyper, overworked, harried sort. Something a little more white collar. It’ll be tough to go that route being so Hard-focused but perhaps worth it.
The Hocus: Who’s creating a dangerous religion of bloodthirsty psychopaths who venerate the dead gods of the before time.
The Savvyhead: Another take, probably easier to work with, on the Hardholder concept, above.
The Skinner: As a stand-up comic; has little to do with the setting, just something I wanted to try for a while now.
The Faceless: The mask is the meme of superheroism biding its time through the apocalypse like a pocket of viruses hidden out in a gland somewhere.
The Quarantine: As a pro-superhero nerd who everyone is going to hate but need (if there’s a Quarantine around, anyway).
The Hoarder: A comic book shop owner who is the historical trove.
* Convoluted language necessitated to leave the “what caused the apocalypse?” question an open one.
** Or I think, based on a few emails; we haven’t played yet.
I really, really don’t get the Marmot.
I don’t fully yet either. I’d love to hear people talk about it.
…now I am seeing the Faceless as Batman, and I can’t stop.
No, seriously, I can’t stop. Rasputin for all those scenes where he’s sneaking around taking people out one-by-one. As one, because nobody ever unmasks the bat. “oh, yeah”ing through a skylight.
I’ve seen the Marmot in play once and I still don’t get it.
The Marmot is a detective. The Marmot is also a rodent. What else is there to get?
The rodent part!
Have you seen The Muppet Show?
The marmot is the hat tip to Gamma World. If you use it, it implies that the apocalypse upjumped animals or opened the Maelstrom to animals (subtle difference). IMHO, YMMV, IANAL.
For some reason the marmot bugs me and the dolphin doesn’t. Shrug?
That aside, a solid first session.
A hardholder, a savvyhead, and a gunlugger running a water purification plant. Good stuff.
Interestingly, the superhero stuff barely came off so far. Only in a couple of subtle references.
I am making fronts and so far, it is all pretty subtle, with little bits here and there.
We’ll see…
Interesting to hear that the Marmot is a Gamma World reference, because the description of this campaign kind of makes me want to run a Gamma World World game.
I asked Vincent Baker if it was a GW reference when I heard about it and my memory is he said no.
So I decided to find out why the Marmot was created in the first place, and it makes as much sense as anything else related to Sea Dracula.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1422390839/animal-crime
To understand the marmot you must understand that God : Abraham : Isaac :: Sea Dracula : Me : Apocalypse World
Seems accurate to me.
Now I want to see a crazy gamma world mutant playbook.