Comments on: The Ruined World: 4e After the Apocalypse

By: Tavis

Tavis — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:40:06 +0000

Great post – you cover a lot of reasons why to do a PA campaign I hadn’t consciously formulated. We wrote some about a 4E apocalypse in Goodman’s Forgotten Heroes: Fang, Fist, and Song (working title Heroes of the Apocalypse). Joe wanted us to do the classes that didn’t make it from 3E PHB to 4′s, but we wanted some thematic unity to the book so we hit on the metaphor of the apocalypse as a way of talking about edition change & making its effects literal in your game. Things in the introduction I’m particularly proud of are a table talking about how long PA you choose and what that means for your game, and also how to use tensions between those preserving the lore of the past (monk and bard, for us) and those welcoming the creative renewal that comes from turning that world into ashes & fertilizer (barbarian and druid). Glad to have met you at chgowiz’s OD&D game, btw – sorry you couldn’t stay long enough to die like the rest of us!

By: Freezer

Freezer — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:35:27 +0000

Dark sun announced as the next setting at gen con. So now we don’t have to make up our own post apoc setting, just wait.

By: franciolli araujo

franciolli araujo — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:28:06 +0000

I like this kind of scenarios.
The easiest scenario to create and to roll adventures.
Great post!

By: Canageek

Canageek — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:22:13 +0000

Ohh, very nice. I’d like to see some more indepth writing, but you’ve pointed out some things I’ve not seen before, mainly the relationship between lethality & character/world relationship. I think you also sum up the attraction PostApoc has for me quite nicely, though I’d add discovery to the reasons. My intro to PA was Daybreak 2000 (aka Star Man’s Son) by Andre Norton aka Andrew North, and I still think of PA as being about exploring and discovering a bombed out world.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:43:25 +0000

Nice article–can I ask for more?

In my mind, 4E is about post-apocalypse (PA). Can anyone say ‘Points of Light’ in a dark world–what can be more post apocalyptic than that?! I think that the generic setting implied in all of the books points to a PA world, perhaps much moreso than any of the currently published settings. Although with both Eberron and the re-created Forgetton Realms, they each have a minor-PA feel.

I do agree that some published PA would be a good thing. Which is why our setting–the Radiant Spear–is distinctly PA. Perhaps some day, it will see the light.

I think the best part of a PA setting is a point that you touched upon: Even relatively ‘minor’ heroes, i.e. low level characters, can be really important in the world. Such a setting doesn’t need super-powerful players or NPCs–they probably all died in the catastrophe–leaving the excitement to a bunch of up-and-comers.

By: Wampus Cat

Wampus Cat — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:27:34 +0000

Getting ready to start one of these. My players failed the Age of Worms in our previous (3.5) campaign, and it’s about to come back to haunt them in a major way

:subscribe:

By: gamefiend

gamefiend — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:34:31 +0000

Glad you liked! Yeah, with all the rumours of Dark Sun as the next setting, we’ll get our official ruined world setting soon enough. I’m just going to cross my fingers.

By: Snarls-at-Fleas

Snarls-at-Fleas — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:25:29 +0000

Thanks for the post – I was thinking about post-apocalyptic campaign since the beginning of the current one. It all depends on how the PC would fare, but I won’t hesitate to let them ruin the world.