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View Full Version : How to build a steampunk adventure.



McSmack
2014-02-10, 04:50 PM
I recently picked up the Pure Steam 3rd party suppliment for PF and I'm planning on running a game in the next couple of weeks. But I'm coming up with a lot of writer's block trying to develop interesting encounters that fit the theme. I've never done steampunk before and although I've got quite a bit of DM experience and I've read the book, I still feel a little out of my depth. Anyone mind critiqueing my ideas and giving feedback/suggestions?

The campaign is set in Second City - which is analagous to turn of the century Chicago. (I stole the basic plot from a forum post made years ago) The villain is a mad scientist and anarchist who is buying/stealing the bodies of the recently deceased and bringing them back to life with a Frankenstein-esque device. The corpses have just enough intelligence to follow orders. Planted inside each is an alchemical bomb. They are ordered to go to a specific location or a specific person and drink a potion which sets off a chain reaction...and BOOM! Early on these bombers are being used to target local industrialists with political ties (the council of industrialists pretty much rules the city through corruption). The scientist is planning on upping the ante soon by having a large number of these bombers set themselves off during a World's Science Exposition in a few months. With even bigger things to come.

The PC's are hired to investigate. They can find clues through forensic evidence (alchemical traces on the bodies), tracking down the connections of the victims (they all worked for the same company and made a lot of money by stealing the villain's father's research) or by interviewing witnesses, some of which recognize the bombers as recently deceased loved ones.

I'm planning on the final encounter being at an abandoned dockside factory where the scientist has a giant Frankenstien monster that she plans on using to unleash on the city to give her time to escape.

I'm running into a block looking for encounters to take place early and mid adventure. And ways I can subtley point the PC's in the right direction.

OzymandiasX
2014-02-11, 11:01 AM
Keep in mind that, especially in a civilized setting, you don't need tons of combat encounters, especially if the game's theme is going to be investigative. As you have it written, there are already a handful of encounters that fit perfectly.


The players find some way to identify one of the 'walking bombs' before it goes off. However these things will defend themselves if attacked (including some sort of ranged/thrown weapon). The party could encounter one or more of these things at a time. If attacked, the bomb could also try to run towards the nearest crowded area to blow up there. (This may help if the PCs are trying to snipe or 'kite' it.)
As a side effect of her research, some of the alchemist's chemicals have leaked into the nearby sewers and are mutating animals (rats, dogs, gators) into aggressive dire creatures. These could attack the party if they're approaching the lab, or may begin attacking random innocents... and the party has to investigate.
After the players interfere with one of the 'bombs,' the alchemist hires some thugs to beat them up. If one player was particularly effective against the walking bombs, perhaps have the thugs mug him when he is alone and steal his weapons/gear. This can lead to another couple of encounters with the thugs (getting the stuff back) and may lead to clues as to who hired them.
The players break into one of the alchemist's smaller labs. There may be some alchemically-enhanced guards (or even guard dogs) that attack them if they begin tampering with things.
The alchemist has a sidekick who has some lesser alchemical abilities... or perhaps just a different focus. Perhaps he has an invisibility cream and throws acid bombs... or he poisons the party's food at a restaurant...



Another thing to keep in mind that I find very different between high fantasy games and more modern (civilized) games is the killing of people. If your players are playing good guys, try to give them options other than killing humans. While even a good guy will kill a human (self defense, an uber-evil mastermind, etc), it begins to feel like a mass murder game if it happens more than occasionally. (For some reason, in a fantasy world, remorseless murder seems to be expected of heroes. And bad guy mooks are always willing to die for their boss. Dunno why... it just is.)

To combat this I usually have human opponents run away or surrender. This gives the PCs an opportunity to roleplay as well as to take a moral high road. Alternatively, make the bad guys less human. If the gangsters are high out of their minds on PCP or alchemy, or if they're brainwashed cultists who want to die for their cause it becomes less of an evil thing to kill them off.

Those are just my 2 cents from running similar game settings. :) Good luck!

McSmack
2014-02-12, 01:20 PM
Those are some great ideas! Thanks.