Stupid or coolness [My party keep out, on pain of Rule 0]

[Scarey Nerd]

OK, here's the idea:

About a century ago, there was a Gnome civilisation, filled with the greatest technology ever built. In their quest for making life easier, they turned the entire city that they resided in into a construct, every building, every road, everything, all with one collective mind. A plague hit not long after this, and the people of the city were wiped out, not having prepared against such a terrible plight. The city is still ticking away, and the constructs that were used as workers just lie semi-dormant, not knowing what to do, their programming deteriorating with age into "senility". The Pulverisers (MM2) lie in the caverns, having already drilled out all the metals. The Hammerers (MM2) wait in their work bays, not needing to perform their purpose. The shield guardians that guarded the city, that couldn't guard against the plague, still wait there as sentinels.

And the city itself is just waiting for a purpose.

Comments needed :smallbiggrin:

[Connington]

Sounds awesome to me. For one thing, it's a great McGuffin. You just need a plot that requires an automated city. War, relocation an entire populace, something like that.

[Kaje]

Isn't there something similar in The Dark Tower?

[Scarey Nerd]

Isn't there something similar in The Dark Tower?

The Stephen King series? Quite possibly, I've never read them, always meant to though.

[WarKitty]

Where does your party fall on the railroad vs. sandbox line? I.e. some of my players I would just let loose in the city, they'd probably find their own amusement for it.

[Scarey Nerd]

Where does your party fall on the railroad vs. sandbox line? I.e. some of my players I would just let loose in the city, they'd probably find their own amusement for it.

They appreciate sandbox, but need railroading every now and then. This is a very sandbox-y place, specifically designed for my own amusement, as part of legends that they can explore should they choose to, and to allow my modified Techsmith PrC (This city is now the place a PC must visit to become one, and get permission from The Core, and worship Rill Cleverthrush, rather than all the stuff from Forgotten Realms)

[Dusk Eclipse]

umm how about a malfunction in the programing that send the city/giant golem into activity, maybe a War-situation program where the city stars to gather supplies and building war-constructs (the slaughtersomething eviserator MM2 IIRC is a great war machine)... the party must somehow get into the city and stop such activities.

[Crow]

I immediately thought of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, with talking closets and silverware.

[Lord Vampyre]

I can see it going one of three ways.

1. The players enter the abandoned city. Depending on what the players do, the city might latch on to them and try to incorporate them into the city (Borg mentality), or the city determines that their some kind of virus and they have to fight their way out of it.

2. The players have to find a way to keep the BBEG from acquiring the city and using it for his advantage. Generally this means the players have to destroy the city somehow.

3. The party finds some way to get they city to recognize them as its new inhabitants and controllers.

The third option I would probably never use. It would just be too much to give any party that wasn't epic level.

[JonestheSpy]

I suggest you run, not walk, to your local fantasy/sf bookstore and pick up Jack Vance's fantasy classic The Dying Earth. Its story 'Ulan Dhor' is very much similar to your premise, with some very twisted twists.

Short version - people still living in the turned-off city, feuding and unable to cooperate to turn it back on. When it does eventually get turned on, it's not happy.

[Scarey Nerd]

2. The players have to find a way to keep the BBEG from acquiring the city and using it for his advantage. Generally this means the players have to destroy the city somehow.

I was thinking about this option, and I was thinking of the whole Dr. Calvin/Sunny thing from "I, Robot", having to destroy a machine that has sentience and a personality, that the party could grow to like. Could be heartwrenching, if done right.

[NowhereMan583]

I was thinking about this option, and I was thinking of the whole Dr. Calvin/Sunny thing from "I, Robot", having to destroy a machine that has sentience and a personality, that the party could grow to like. Could be heartwrenching, if done right.

Or, for another twist, you could have one of the constructs malfunction, and get a little too much independent thought... and have a Dr. Calvin/Elvex thing. ("Robot Dreams".)

[Toliudar]

Phil Foglio's series of comics (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/) may have some interesting bits of inspiration for this as well. Castle Heterodyne, whose fragmented personalities each have their quirks and fiefdoms. The use of various scales of machines, from tiny homunculus-like pets to giant engines of death. The ability of some people (sorcerer-like in their fluff) to interact with the machines - a built in set of hooks, if you have one player willing.

And yes, having the machine develop a charming personality (ies) will DEFINITELY add to player connections. A great idea.

[WarKitty]

If you want more fun, maybe the machine has developed multiple personalities in all this time of being left alone. So maybe one personality is friendly and charming, another is overtly hostile, etc.

[Traveler]

Ever play portal? You could set it up the players have to get in/out of the city that wants them dead. Create your own GLaDOS, odd levels that require brains and brawn. I would not advise the portal gun. In D&D it would be BROKEN.
Oh, and actually have cake. Do not lie about the cake.

[Ravens_cry]

Castle Heterodyne from Girl Genius could be good source of ideas for this on a smaller scale.
If you don't know what I am talking about, read it now! (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021104)
We'll wait.

[Snake-Aes]

Ever play portal? You could set it up the players have to get in/out of the city that wants them dead. Create your own GLaDOS, odd levels that require brains and brawn. I would not advise the portal gun. In D&D it would be BROKEN.
Oh, and actually have cake. Do not lie about the cake.

Subvert the cake. Make it a stale cake, since it's been around for so long.


How sentient is the city? I understand that it is a city AI that also commands the AIs of all automata in it, right? Make them behave as if they didn't care that there wasn't anyone to work for, just waiting for new orders and such. Players who investigate and discover a way to Authenticate themselves to the AIs could get limited usage from them. Maybe a civilian ID, and a military ID and so on.


The idea is great, just make sure to detail as much as you can in the forms of:
1) Automata Quirks. They have to feel that the city is alive. Machines who do regular maintenance should still be doing so. Guards still guard. Builders renew any crumbled building, vending machines still operate and so on.
2) Purpose. The infamous plot hooks. Maybe the city is headed towards another, and it won't detour. Or (likely) a corporation or government wants to study and take advantage of it. The players could find an inert, fully sentient construct(hi warforged!) that was being built.

[Force]

There needs to be a teleportation circle in the center of the city. Preferably in a tower of some sort. It should lead to various places populated by sleeping vampires (which the PCs promptly awake) and Planets Villages of Hats. Make sure to have some flying golems that just barely fit through the teleportation circle. Also, there needs to be much emphasis on finding power sources (having someone who screams "MORE POWER!" is optional). Make sure that the players are aware how godlike they will become when they power the city.

[Androgeus]

Subvert the cake. Make it a stale cake, since it's been around for so long.


So the main computer is a mix between GLaDOS and Miss Havisham from Great Expectations? I knew my English GCSE would come in handy one day

[Yahzi]

I suggest you run, not walk, to your local fantasy/sf bookstore and pick up Jack Vance's fantasy classic The Dying Earth. Its story 'Ulan Dhor' is very much similar to your premise, with some very twisted twists.
What he said.

[TheMeMan]

umm how about a malfunction in the programing that send the city/giant golem into activity, maybe a War-situation program where the city stars to gather supplies and building war-constructs (the slaughtersomething eviserator MM2 IIRC is a great war machine)... the party must somehow get into the city and stop such activities.

I think this idea could be interesting. If you set it up like in the movie "9" something that the players do could inadvertently set the machine off on the course. Some point in the town where they do something they probably shouldn't have, such as looting something very important, and initiating the process. Give clues as to the items significance, and let them figure out for themselves what to do also. This idea is just to good to railroad them along the path. Being vague with information would definitely work best.

[PapaNachos]

The city could have been heavily damaged over time (natural disasters, attacks, etc...). When the players arrive only a few of the systems still remain online.

Edit: The city ran out of natural resources to repair itself with. The players will have to secure some way to acquire these.

[Weezer]

It could make for some very paranoid players if it's hostile for some reason, on war footing like some have suggested, and the players don't know it's an animated city. They walk into what seems like your standard abandoned city and all of a sudden the buildings are attacking. I did this with a wizards tower once, they were wary of large buildings for quite a while after that one...

[Scarey Nerd]

It could make for some very paranoid players if it's hostile for some reason, on war footing like some have suggested, and the players don't know it's an animated city. They walk into what seems like your standard abandoned city and all of a sudden the buildings are attacking. I did this with a wizards tower once, they were wary of large buildings for quite a while after that one...

I like this idea a lot, they already fear the written word after they read a sign and got dropped into a chasm...

[Psyx]

Cool.

And maybe just as the players are getting to grips with things and planning to leave; the city cottons on... and doesn't WANT it's new inhabitants to leave...

"I don't think you want to do that, Daeva..."

[Scarey Nerd]

Cool.

And maybe just as the players are getting to grips with things and planning to leave; the city cottons on... and doesn't WANT it's new inhabitants to leave...

"I don't think you want to do that, Daeva..."

The city has regressed to a childlike state, and gets upset when its friends leave... Whilst a good idea, it would make me cry whilst I was DMing it, because a crying child is a sound that I cannot stand. Most people's answer to that would be comforting the child, I prefer not hanging around kids in the first place.

Slightly off track...

Some further details and clarifications: The city itself is controlled by one construct, but the seperate Automatons and guardians etc are their own entities. The main construct is called "The Core", and the city itself cannot move, it is stationary.

[jiriku]

OK, here's the idea:

About a century ago, there was a Gnome civilisation, filled with the greatest technology ever built. In their quest for making life easier, they turned the entire city that they resided in into a construct, every building, every road, everything, all with one collective mind. A plague hit not long after this, and the people of the city were wiped out, not having prepared against such a terrible plight. The city is still ticking away, and the constructs that were used as workers just lie semi-dormant, not knowing what to do, their programming deteriorating with age into "senility". The Pulverisers (MM2) lie in the caverns, having already drilled out all the metals. The Hammerers (MM2) wait in their work bays, not needing to perform their purpose. The shield guardians that guarded the city, that couldn't guard against the plague, still wait there as sentinels.

And the city itself is just waiting for a purpose.

Comments needed :smallbiggrin:

It's cool, it's not stupid. In fact, it's been done, many times before. Check out The Strength of Stones, by Greg Bear.

Teaser Line:

In a theocratic world far into the future, cities control their own movements and organization. Constantly moving, growing and decaying, taking care of every need their inhabitants might think of, the cities have decided that humans are no longer a necessary part of their architecture, casting them out to wander in the wilderness and eke out a meager subsistence. To the exiled humans, the cities represent a paradisiacal Eden, a reminder of all they cannot attain due to their sinful and unworthy natures.

[Scarey Nerd]

OK, general consensus is cool, done before but can be done again, and The Core should be a bit like a charming/childish GLaDOS.

Thy will be done, playgrounders... :smallsmile:

[FelixG]

I really like the idea! you may also wish to check out some of the lesser golems from dragon mag 341, they could have been produced to give the city the life like feeling it missed, shopkeepers who work on clockwork schedules

come into work, sweep stoop for 15 minutes go inside, interact with customer a then help customer b ect

these ones never respond to the players as they are on a pre built routine to give it a more creepy air :D

[Lord Loss]

What if their arrival sets the machines into civil war. Some want them dead, some want them as rulers, others want to let them live, but not to keep them as rulers?

[Snake-Aes]

I'm not sure how well that would work. If they have an AI that doesn't realize everyone is dead and change accordingly, the machines would hardly recognize new leaders in the first place. They'd still cling to protocols, and the players would have to discover them to get some control on the machines. "Mecha civil war" requires a free will that this city doesn't have.

[Scarey Nerd]

I'm not sure how well that would work. If they have an AI that doesn't realize everyone is dead and change accordingly, the machines would hardly recognize new leaders in the first place. They'd still cling to protocols, and the players would have to discover them to get some control on the machines. "Mecha civil war" requires a free will that this city doesn't have.

That's a very good point. These constructs are still trying to fulfil their old orders, for instance the Pulverisers in the mines continued mining long after the city's inhabitants died, until they dried up the mines. The guard golems still patrol the city walls, ever vigilant against a threat that will never come.