HELP ME BARF FORTH ON MY LANDSCAPE
HELP ME BARF FORTH ON MY LANDSCAPE
So hey, I’m still MCing the APocalypse world game I posted about a few weeks ago, set in the Montana mountains. I’d written earlier that I was experiencing a creative failure of apocalyptica, and that’s still the case. The environment has been merely a pristine wilderness, with a sleepy little town nestled into it (underneath the facade the town is anything but “sleepy,” and I’m not worried about Fronts or the human element in general just now).
When I try to think of how to apocalyptify an animal or the vegetation, I get nothing. I don’t want anything cartoonish. I turned to the text and the “dogs have a second bone eyelid that goes click click” bit stood out, and I thought that could guide me, but when I try to think of my own all I can think is “click click eyelid.”
So, here’s what we have to work with:
>The apocalypse was not nuclear; it was the result of biological warfare.
>There’s a sealed bunker near the town that’s related to the biological weapon programs of old.
>The town has clean, drinkable water in abundance, due to the mountain stream that runs by.
>Nobody in town seems cautious about disease or contamination.
>The town basically behaves like a genteel rural community of bygone days, partly because of a deliberate facade.
>There are trees and wolves, so presumably also prey animals for the wolves.
>No flora or fauna introduced thus far have any strange traits or adaptations.
>No flora or fauna is sickly or diseased.
>Weather patterns appear to be normal.
>There are hills and valleys and ravines and cliffs and stuff.
>There was a forest fire about 100 miles west of the mountain, the result of marauders razing a settlement. The fire didn’t reach this patch of woods, but the smoke could be seen on the horizon.
SO please help with apocalyptifying things! How would you give the wildlife and vegetation a tweak toward the weird given the world I’ve described?
Now, I’m in a bind because we’re too far in to revise or tweak the imagery too much. I can’t just say “oh I never mentioned it before now but the leaves on the trees are all black.” I’m thinking mostly I’ll need to up the apocalyptica via incursion from outside the area. What if someone arrives in town who’s from an area where the water ISN’T clean and safe? What physical afflictions might she suffer, what culture clashes might she bring?
But in general, if you give me ways to dress things up I can do my level best to incorporate and modify toward these needs. So bring it! (please and thank you)
Peace,
-Joel
