So you want to build a T2K setting...

[atiff]

Hi all,

So I've been working on building a T2K setting. A farming and population model (http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=2489) was the start of it, and got me thinking about more of the other 'details' in the setting. A big thing of course is what assumptions you make about lots of things.

Which then got me thinking, what am I forgetting about? So, a question: what are some of the big things you need to decide when building your own T2K setting. Here's a list I have come up with - anyone want to add more?

(Note: I'm looking at this as a list of things to consider, not the decisions about the state of these things. I.e., "availability of oil" is a thing to think about, whereas deciding that "oil production is 5% of prewar levels" is a decision about the state of the thing.)

• Population
• Farming production levels (and the % of people required to produce food)
• Public infrastructure levels (e.g., roads, water supply, sewerage treatment, etc.)
• Forms of currency (including availability of debt/credit)
• Availability of oil and petroleum products
• Availability of electricity
• Availability of general chemicals (e.g., acids, nitrates, etc.)
• Availability of medicines
• Level of surviving technological machinery (e.g., how many computers still function? e.g., how much did EMP wipe out? e.g., how much coal can pre-war mines still produce? etc.)
• Level of surviving technological knowledge/expertise
• General status of nations / regions / provinces / etc.
• Forms of local government
• Forms and standing of local laws (e.g., private property rights, attitudes towards 'violent crime', etc.)
• Level of intra-national communication / trade / cooperation
• Level of international communication / trade / cooperation
• General status of the Twlight War itself (i.e., is there still organized fighting going on)
• Level of resourcefulness displayed by survivors (related to their level of optimism?)

[Tegyrius]

Reasons for PCs to be there and things for them to do once they're there.

- C.

[Snake Eyes]

Originally Posted by Tegyrius

Reasons for PCs to be there and things for them to do once they're there.

This. The necessity of a compelling reason to play in that setting cannot be overstated.

[oldschoolgm]

Originally Posted by Snake Eyes

This. The necessity of a compelling reason to play in that setting cannot be overstated.

I totally agree here...

While a lot of the information Atiff outlined above would definitely be of some use, a lot of that also depends upon the players. If there is a good reason for the players to stay in a particular place or region for a fairly lengthy time, then I'd definitely want a good amount of such information.

When I'm putting together my games here are some of the things I plan for;

• Availability of resources the players will need (food, water, ammo, vehicles and parts, medical supplies).

• Oppositional units in the area along with their available equipment.

• Points of Interest - here I mean a listing of places, people or objects that can be found via reconnaissance that would interest to the players for any of a number of reasons.

• A quick outline of possible subplots for an area

• One or two fairly fleshed out advernture hooks that could be possibly uncovered depending upon how long the characters are in an area as well as how involved they become in what is happening in an area.

[atiff]

Hi,

Agree with all your points. The main thing I am looking at here is kind of the operation of the world without the players in it. The best RPG I ever played in was run by a guy who had the world (in D&D) tailored and so well set up that it ran without needing PCs, and made it much more believable, IMO. While I love T2K as a game, I always felt there were some problems with the setting description of the towns and villages, etc., (e.g., populations) from the various adventures that didn't gel so well. While it makes for some good adventures as described, I personally look at it and go "so how does this work?" Blame the analytical streak in me and each to his own, of course.

[firewalker]

some ideas of were the seting is going?

1.are things still going down or has it bottomed out and genral rebilding started.

2.a hand full of develpments and a time line that run's along side the PC actions

[atiff]

Originally Posted by firewalker

some ideas of were the seting is going?

1.are things still going down or has it bottomed out and genral rebilding started.

2.a hand full of develpments and a time line that run's along side the PC actions

Yeah, that's kind of what I am getting at. I'm wanting to make the setting a 'living' one, which moves along as the PCs move in it. And one that their actions can influence in some ways, and if they're smart, they can also figure out what and how much they can influence in it.

[copeab]

Another important consideration is the influence of outside command structure: are the PCs actually on their own or are they part if a "regular" (if understrength and undersupplied) command?

It's been my impression hanging out on various T2K boards over the years (back to the Town Hall forums, at least) that ex-military players tend to prefer a solid command structure while non-military players tend to prefer independent PCs.

(My preferred compromise is the "Stargate SG-1 Solution", where the PCs are largely on their own most of the time, with the command structure existing largely as a plot complication or plot point, to be ignored or overcome.)

[helbent4]

Atiff,

I think you can add a couple notable categories:

• Religion: Location of churches, monasteries, cathedrals, mosques, synagogues. Religious leaders and congregations, amount of influence, etc.
• Crime: organised crime, petty crime. Black marketeers, drug dealers/cartels, prostitution rings, outlaw motorcycle gangs. Involvement with corrupt elements in the police, military, government.
• Refugees: transient population from nearby within the region could have relocated there and/or additional population from further afield. Location of refugee camps, squats, hobo jungles.

Tony

[atiff]

Added to the list as noted by people above, and a few others I thought of mentioned in other threads:

Originally Posted by atiff

• Population
• Refugees - people leaving/entering the area, their habitations, etc.
• Military units in the area, and their resources
• Militia units in the area, and their resources
• Farming production levels (and the % of people required to produce food)
• Public infrastructure levels (e.g., roads, water supply, sewerage treatment, etc.)
• Forms of currency (including availability of debt/credit)
• Availability of oil and petroleum products
• Availability of electricity
• Availability of general chemicals (e.g., acids, nitrates, etc.)
• Availability of medicines
• Availability of other resources/hardware, such as ammo, vehicles, etc.
• Local forms of transport (horse, vehicle, etc)
• Level of surviving technological machinery (e.g., how many computers still function? e.g., how much did EMP wipe out? e.g., how much coal can pre-war mines still produce? etc.)
• Level of surviving technological knowledge/expertise
• Local forms of communication
• General status of nations / regions / provinces / etc.
• Forms of local government
• Local command structures (civilian and military)
• Forms and standing of local laws (e.g., private property rights, attitudes towards 'violent crime', etc.)
• Level of local criminal activity - activity, groups, personages of importance, influence in everyday affairs, influence over local leadership, influence in the economy, etc.
• Local religions, religious sites, personages of religious importance, congregations, etc.
• Level of intra-national communication / trade / cooperation
• Level of international communication / trade / cooperation
• General status of the Twlight War itself (i.e., is there still organized fighting going on)
• Local feeling about the war - sympathies, vendettas, etc.
• Level of resourcefulness displayed by survivors (related to their level of optimism?)
• Current trendline for all of the above - rising, steady, falling, etc.
• Compelling reasons for the PCs to be there, and things for them to get involved with
• Several fleshed-out adventure hooks in the area (or each area), and possible sub-plots
• Points of interest (places, people, sites, objects, etc)
• Timeline of events that would probably occur if the PCs are not present, and likely PC impacts on this timeline