ImpFireball
2007-07-31, 03:15 PM
Thought I'd bring this into the homebrew, since this is an idea that requires a DM to follow through:
I'm looking for a dude to DM a D20 modern (non-future), set in the mid - late 21st century; a time when government power has dwindled to the point of a corporate uprise. In this period (say, around 2068 or whenever), gangs are on the rise, and have become a proffessional business as an 'invisible war' between the largest businesses has become of interest. Corruption is widespread in the oldest capitilist countries of the world (this includes Russia, due to it's size and relatively awesome economy at this point in time), and corporations seek gangs and assassins to help them war against others. It's become viscious, and though the public whine machine spurs the government to take consistent 'moral action', things merely get worse. This time is prophesized to be only a 'healing stage' in the history of man however.
The government still stands as the 'official' ruling authority over corporations and corporate support, though things are dwindling and controversy is everywhere. Anger is also highly quantative. The focus on terrorism has abruptly shifted to society in general. Society 'collapsing' in on itself.
The easy look at this: The government of a country (ie. the united states) is still the ruling body with it's possession of military and the 'major' technological breakthroughs in that area. However, they must depend on the corporations to produce technology and generally get the economy flowing for them. And yes, people STILL pay taxes because this is meant to be a time of controversy. In a few years, or maybe a decade from this setting, the public will be questioning society and even the effect of the government's grasp on things. Having 'big guns' no longer matters, because the environment is now 'decaying' around joe average.
Education has been practically handed over to the corporation, as it is now corporate funded and 'secretly' corporate approved.
And yes, this IS a realistic campaign (no magic, humans only, sex, violence, drugs, and rock and roll).
While technology is consistently on the rise in this highly advanced age, lack of incentive has brought even the greatest scientific feats to a close (unless of course, the product sells). One in particular is the focus of my own character's desperation (and a backstory of horrible drug addiction) whom I hope to place in a campaign setting such as this.
Technology: There are no 'grades' or 'ages', as this is not a 'future' setting. Indeed, everything'll be custom including weapons. The DM can invent weapons themselves, however hand held guns are still essentially (and ideally due to the killing capacity) 'bullet dispensers'. Things will vary however. Fire arms won't be too advanced, due to the fact that right now we have already come to the close and end all around guns that generally dispense bullets (thus the only advancement made is to surpass infantry armor advancement which is still on the rise). Their'll be plenty of exotic armor out there involving everything from nanites to 'spider silk' and 'silk steel'. Plasteel and 'glass armor' will even exist, however all of these things will be difficult to obtain beyond the standard issue ablative, reactive titanium pads that law enforcement officials wear (essentially, forced entry material but even better, and slightly heavier with the same armor check; new weapons will help compensate for this, like I already mentioned). Cyborg super-soldiers exist, but are incredibly small in number due to lack of government demand for them and the exhorbant prices that corporations charge to provide for such expensive projects. Of course, such soldiers are held under the table. Your typical physics bogus about magnetic accellerration and plasma research is on the rise, and lunar projects are highly abundant. However, much to the frustration of Japan, China, Russia, and America itself, a corporation (particularly the UAC) founded back in 2013 has siezed martian territory for later settlement before NASA (now embraced by the US more then ever) could manage it. Cybernetics exist but only a small level, and most of it has to do with minor brain alterations and virtual interfacing (virtual reality is essentially another dimension by this point). The internet is now known only as the cyberspace matrix, or the 'cyberspace dimension'. It's a seperate reality, and synchro stimulations make it as real as real life. AI is on the verge of existing, and corporate 'guardians' of cyberspace company 'territory' are almost seemingly AI as they even speak for themselves. Computing power has clearly skyrocket into the netheregions of yetabites, zetabites, and whatever bite comes afterwards. Biological modification of appearance exists, and drugs are more advanced then ever. Drugs that increase reflexes and even heal you are expensive and exotic however (rare), and only the best warriors in a legion have access to qualitative bio mods that go beyond simple appearance (such as retractable claws). Morality is still a major issue in society, and humanists have begun to get on the case of corporations over such ridiculous and 'inane' semblances in technology. In short, technology has expanded beyond purpose and has by now covered nearly every node and every favour, including the 'inane'. Entertainment has only nearly caught up in variety. Popular culture still exists in some small avenue however.
The role of the players is to either support a corporation or be a part of a gang (whether rival of another gang or otherwise; should make it easy to state allegiances). I'm hoping people can form 'teams', however the DM should only allow for around 3 to avoid confusion and complexity.
My character is already a member of the Shining Eye Ninja Clan in LA, which is a sort of semi-double agented gang assassination squad. We're large, but we're not the only ones. And an even larger association who's job it is to escort and protect (on many, many layers) smaller gangs has managed to declare a well-placed war on us (mostly due to the ignorance of its leader). This gang is known as the Eastside Street Samurais. These are all gang 'legions', which are proffessional gangs that literally train to do what they do (rather then simply a get together of run-down, poor kids).
So essentially, if a character wishes to be a part of a gang, it'll have to be a 'legion' which allows for surpassion of the usual occupational limits (the occupation 'criminal' or 'gangster' now simply makes you a soldier in the gang). Dillettantes in a legion are fine too, acting as backers of anything, however they are barred off from becoming big-time trillionaire corporate owners (otherwise they wouldn't need to make any effort to get any number of bodyguards on their side).
If a character is a part of a corporation, then they're an employee. Whether that be a guy who recruits or highers other employees (employer; whatever occupation that might be), a small subdivision business owner (entrepreneur), or a hired mercenary (soldier), or simply a bodyguard that remains loyal to the company itself, rather then a firm, or a firm that is tied down to the company; it all depends. Being part of a corporation is essentially less restrictive then being part of a legion, because corporations can cover anything.
You can also be a part of the government (any of the large governments, such as the US, Russian Federation, Commonwealth, EU, Japan, China, whatever), however that'll only really involve politicians and people in the military, unless you can use your wits to find some other way that you can be one of the 'good guys'/'moral supporters'/'ass kissers'.
I imagine the DM might demand that players include their own companies and associations under their character backstory. As a matter of fact, this is what I did, so it seems reasonable (unless your joining that specific character's 'team'). This is a depth-high campaign, so we want serious people, of course.
As for the technology limit: let's keep it at information age, unless stated by me otherwise. I had to say that to prevent people from over ridiculizing their backstories. :P
The idea was hugely based off of 'Neuromancer' and the 'Sprawl' series, so if the DM's ever read those books, then that's a huge plus. It's without all the space crap though, since it's unrealistic that a corporation would pool that much money into a space station at this point in time (2068).
So what do you guys think?
I'm looking for a dude to DM a D20 modern (non-future), set in the mid - late 21st century; a time when government power has dwindled to the point of a corporate uprise. In this period (say, around 2068 or whenever), gangs are on the rise, and have become a proffessional business as an 'invisible war' between the largest businesses has become of interest. Corruption is widespread in the oldest capitilist countries of the world (this includes Russia, due to it's size and relatively awesome economy at this point in time), and corporations seek gangs and assassins to help them war against others. It's become viscious, and though the public whine machine spurs the government to take consistent 'moral action', things merely get worse. This time is prophesized to be only a 'healing stage' in the history of man however.
The government still stands as the 'official' ruling authority over corporations and corporate support, though things are dwindling and controversy is everywhere. Anger is also highly quantative. The focus on terrorism has abruptly shifted to society in general. Society 'collapsing' in on itself.
The easy look at this: The government of a country (ie. the united states) is still the ruling body with it's possession of military and the 'major' technological breakthroughs in that area. However, they must depend on the corporations to produce technology and generally get the economy flowing for them. And yes, people STILL pay taxes because this is meant to be a time of controversy. In a few years, or maybe a decade from this setting, the public will be questioning society and even the effect of the government's grasp on things. Having 'big guns' no longer matters, because the environment is now 'decaying' around joe average.
Education has been practically handed over to the corporation, as it is now corporate funded and 'secretly' corporate approved.
And yes, this IS a realistic campaign (no magic, humans only, sex, violence, drugs, and rock and roll).
While technology is consistently on the rise in this highly advanced age, lack of incentive has brought even the greatest scientific feats to a close (unless of course, the product sells). One in particular is the focus of my own character's desperation (and a backstory of horrible drug addiction) whom I hope to place in a campaign setting such as this.
Technology: There are no 'grades' or 'ages', as this is not a 'future' setting. Indeed, everything'll be custom including weapons. The DM can invent weapons themselves, however hand held guns are still essentially (and ideally due to the killing capacity) 'bullet dispensers'. Things will vary however. Fire arms won't be too advanced, due to the fact that right now we have already come to the close and end all around guns that generally dispense bullets (thus the only advancement made is to surpass infantry armor advancement which is still on the rise). Their'll be plenty of exotic armor out there involving everything from nanites to 'spider silk' and 'silk steel'. Plasteel and 'glass armor' will even exist, however all of these things will be difficult to obtain beyond the standard issue ablative, reactive titanium pads that law enforcement officials wear (essentially, forced entry material but even better, and slightly heavier with the same armor check; new weapons will help compensate for this, like I already mentioned). Cyborg super-soldiers exist, but are incredibly small in number due to lack of government demand for them and the exhorbant prices that corporations charge to provide for such expensive projects. Of course, such soldiers are held under the table. Your typical physics bogus about magnetic accellerration and plasma research is on the rise, and lunar projects are highly abundant. However, much to the frustration of Japan, China, Russia, and America itself, a corporation (particularly the UAC) founded back in 2013 has siezed martian territory for later settlement before NASA (now embraced by the US more then ever) could manage it. Cybernetics exist but only a small level, and most of it has to do with minor brain alterations and virtual interfacing (virtual reality is essentially another dimension by this point). The internet is now known only as the cyberspace matrix, or the 'cyberspace dimension'. It's a seperate reality, and synchro stimulations make it as real as real life. AI is on the verge of existing, and corporate 'guardians' of cyberspace company 'territory' are almost seemingly AI as they even speak for themselves. Computing power has clearly skyrocket into the netheregions of yetabites, zetabites, and whatever bite comes afterwards. Biological modification of appearance exists, and drugs are more advanced then ever. Drugs that increase reflexes and even heal you are expensive and exotic however (rare), and only the best warriors in a legion have access to qualitative bio mods that go beyond simple appearance (such as retractable claws). Morality is still a major issue in society, and humanists have begun to get on the case of corporations over such ridiculous and 'inane' semblances in technology. In short, technology has expanded beyond purpose and has by now covered nearly every node and every favour, including the 'inane'. Entertainment has only nearly caught up in variety. Popular culture still exists in some small avenue however.
The role of the players is to either support a corporation or be a part of a gang (whether rival of another gang or otherwise; should make it easy to state allegiances). I'm hoping people can form 'teams', however the DM should only allow for around 3 to avoid confusion and complexity.
My character is already a member of the Shining Eye Ninja Clan in LA, which is a sort of semi-double agented gang assassination squad. We're large, but we're not the only ones. And an even larger association who's job it is to escort and protect (on many, many layers) smaller gangs has managed to declare a well-placed war on us (mostly due to the ignorance of its leader). This gang is known as the Eastside Street Samurais. These are all gang 'legions', which are proffessional gangs that literally train to do what they do (rather then simply a get together of run-down, poor kids).
So essentially, if a character wishes to be a part of a gang, it'll have to be a 'legion' which allows for surpassion of the usual occupational limits (the occupation 'criminal' or 'gangster' now simply makes you a soldier in the gang). Dillettantes in a legion are fine too, acting as backers of anything, however they are barred off from becoming big-time trillionaire corporate owners (otherwise they wouldn't need to make any effort to get any number of bodyguards on their side).
If a character is a part of a corporation, then they're an employee. Whether that be a guy who recruits or highers other employees (employer; whatever occupation that might be), a small subdivision business owner (entrepreneur), or a hired mercenary (soldier), or simply a bodyguard that remains loyal to the company itself, rather then a firm, or a firm that is tied down to the company; it all depends. Being part of a corporation is essentially less restrictive then being part of a legion, because corporations can cover anything.
You can also be a part of the government (any of the large governments, such as the US, Russian Federation, Commonwealth, EU, Japan, China, whatever), however that'll only really involve politicians and people in the military, unless you can use your wits to find some other way that you can be one of the 'good guys'/'moral supporters'/'ass kissers'.
I imagine the DM might demand that players include their own companies and associations under their character backstory. As a matter of fact, this is what I did, so it seems reasonable (unless your joining that specific character's 'team'). This is a depth-high campaign, so we want serious people, of course.
As for the technology limit: let's keep it at information age, unless stated by me otherwise. I had to say that to prevent people from over ridiculizing their backstories. :P
The idea was hugely based off of 'Neuromancer' and the 'Sprawl' series, so if the DM's ever read those books, then that's a huge plus. It's without all the space crap though, since it's unrealistic that a corporation would pool that much money into a space station at this point in time (2068).
So what do you guys think?