Environmental Collapse in T2k

[Drgonzo2011]

In my game, I have fewer nukes being use and most of those that are, are either at sea or tactical weapons in China, India (an ally of the USSR in my modified 1e timeline) and Eastern Europe. However, EMP attacks are carried out on CONUS and the USSR. This, in turn, leads to a rapid breakdown not only of order, but also of all the support systems that modern society relies on. Everything from water treatment to the safety mechanisms needed to keep things like chemical plants from suffering catastrophic failures. This, in turn, leads to more localized ecological crises, but not the global ones posited by the game as written. I really wanted to avoid the Howling Wilderness/Mad Max environment for my game, while making things dire enough that if the players make the wrong decisions, things will get worse - but if they make the right decisions, the world - or their little part of it - can start to recover. I should note, that I try to run games that are less about shoot-em-ups and endless scavenger hunts and more about trying to recover from mankind's attempt at global suicide.

[Raellus]

A lot of T2k campaigns tend to relegate most macro-level game universe stuff to the background. PCs generally have a fairly narrow view of the world, as day-to-day survival is usually the most pressing concern. Regardless of whether or not your T2kU features global or large-region level environmental collapse, local environmental conditions can still affect the PCs' daily existence. In some ways, the local environment can act as an NPC, creating problems and, less frequently, opportunities, for PC parties. How has the environment factored into your gaming experience?

I ran a Pirates of the Vistula PbP for close to a decade. It's seems weird to me now, but I don't remember ever considering throwing a flooding event at my players (although I do recall describing the aftermath of past floods).

In T2k campaign set in 2030 Arkansas, the party was a unit of the State Guard sent to reestablish contact with state gov't outposts after a major hurricane, the PCs encountered a variety of storm-related damage.

I briefly ran a PbP set in New Mexico. It didn't last long enough for the environment to play any role, but I did intend for drought to affect the rural farming communities that the PCs were sent to assist.

Also the 4e core rules have a couple of environment-based random encounters- one involves a forest fire (I can't remember if it's natural, man-made, or cause-unspecified), and another a radioactive ash-fall.

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