1916: After the Trenches

[J.K.Mosher]

Inspired by Onix's "SteamPunkFitters RPG" I've strted dabbling in the setup of
a Steampunk-Apocalyptic game. (I do believe I need a better name then what I have).

Here's what I have so far. This is just the introduction mainly to the world/game premise.
I will be focuing more on a play-by-post system, with a point buy creation mechanic.
What I'm kinda of wondering is, should I go into more world detail? Do I map/describe more of
the basic world or is a setup with in the rules giving that power to the GM and players worthwhile?

This is my first attempt at anything not related directly to "Swords and Sorcerery" so I'm in unchartered
waters

Introduction
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries an era of discovery, modernization, and industrialization enveloped the world. This time generally coincides with the reigns of Queen Victoria and to a lesser extent King Edward.
This is also later age of steam, just before the internal combustion gasoline engine started to become a viable alternative. Electricity was slowly being harnessed to power homes and inventions. The Steam Ship, the Locomotive, the Telegraph, and even air travel all began to connect the furthest reaches of the world.
As the known world became more hectic the urge for adventure exploded. Archaeologists, Explorers, Hunters, and Treasure Seekers roamed the wilds charting the uncharted and searching for the treasures of myth and lore. Modern history details these exploits, proving some true, others as hoaxes. Pseudo-sciences appeared and vanished as advances not only in technology, but also methodology allowed proof of theory and concept easily repeatable.
And if all continued as it should have we would be in the world as we see it today.

Winds of Change
Civil unrest, and colonial aspirations, combined with the increasing power of emerging Industrial figures lead to a polarized and volatile political climate.
Add in a resurgence of Theological doctrine and it was not long until the modern world devolved into barbarism.

The Great War
Starting with minor border skirmishes and several civil uprisings it was not long until all the powers that be became embroiled in drawn out campaigns for conquest and control.
With in a period of but a short couple years the entire world, was scarred by trenches and ordnance craters. Whole countries vanished as neighbours absorbed them or internal strife caused them to explode.

The Armistice
Attrition quickly decimated all sides. Massive steam powered rail cannons obliterating cities, while airship dropped explosives reigned terror on the trenches. Man was facing self-imposed extinction.
Hostilities slowed and stopped as one by one the powers that be choose to cement control of the territories they now had, as opposed to attempting to claim more. While no official treatise was created or signed all sides eventually agreed via action alone to cease outward aggression.

The Free Travel Accord
Arising from the Mutual Armistice, this Accord allows for protected but restricted travel of civilians and trade via pre-arranged routes.
Each region has agreed to patrol and protect these routes, with out undue restriction on activities, if the proper documentation is provided, by the ship, and passengers when requested.

The Year is 1916
The world as we know it is gone. The colonial powers evaporated under the onslaught of Theological, civil and Industrial forces.
Invention has stalled and for the most part all trade is barter and salvage only. Man is starting to rebuild but the process is slow. The machines of war still run, claiming any who tread too close.
The cities of old are ruins, and basics of government barely visible. Regardless of the territory a person hails from, in all respects it is a time of self-reliance.

The Machines
Urged by the industrial powers, skilled tradesman and scientists quickly developed mechanized troops to supplement the limited supply of able bodied men.
These clockworks proved to be effective, expensive and troublesome, as damage to the delicate internal gears could quickly make the creation useless or worse, completely homicidal. Killing any breathing thing with in range.
Rumours abound of these rogue creations wandering the most desolate of trench compounds, or ruined cities. Hunting for victims.

The Cities
The large industrial cities are gone. Only ruins remain, though it is whispered that with in the shattered buildings one may find treasures of great wealth, and items of ingenious design.

Steamships of Sea, Land and Air
Owing to the Free Travel accord steam powered machines ply the trade routes between all points of the world. Pending funds one can travel via Steam-LandShip, Steam-SeaShip, or Steam-AirShip.
Though travel is not without risk. Lacking the proper papers can see one imprisoned, plus there is always the risk of pirates whom also have access to all of the above.

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Very interesting, definitely a setting I'd play in.

More detail is always good. The question is, will the setting be to a degree story based (ie there is a meta-plot/major background actions of the big powers) or setting based (you are creating a map for players to explore.) How heroic do you figure characters are going to be - would they survive "going over the top" in a trench assault, or are they as expendable as the rest?

I would push back the date the setting picks up a bit. 1916 was certainly a blood year, but it gets a bit more interesting if we look at later dates. 1917 is when we see Ghota bomber raids over England - not much damage in real life - but we could get the proper post-apocalyptic feel if they delivered chemical or biological bombs rather than conventional explosives.

Don't forget the Russian Revolution in 1917, and the continued civil war into the 1920s. Then there is unrestricted submarine warfare, and the difficulty of the time with stopping it. (No Sonar!)

A better opening might be sometime around 1919/1920. The German spring offensive worked, air raids are more devastating due to special payloads, and sub-warfare never listened to American complaints, so there was never a series of big pauses like real life. This would also mean the USA wouldn't go untouched (what would we be doing in 1916?) but the Germans would need those steam-works soldiers to counter US numbers. Of course, this means the 1918 Spanish flu hits while the war is still going/while factories and doctors are being bombed or poisoned.

I really don't like the idea of humanoid steampunk robots. Its hard enough to do that with digital stuff, that seems too advanced for the setting, in addition to a little cliched. (Far too many SF settings have them.) However, automated vehicles run by difference engines - that has some neat possibilities, and would be a more appropriate size and ease of manufacture for the time.

Automatic steampunk tanks would be pretty frighting. Shaped charges aren't discovered until the 1930s - so there would be no man-portable way of actually stopping one. (Well, primitive anti-tank rifles, but those tend to be more for sniping crew or tracks, the former of which the vehicles don't have.)

Worse yet - automatic battleships. With a crew of 800-1,200+ and multi-ton projectiles - replacing people with machines seems like a big savings and boost in effectiveness - not to mention, safer. (Over 6000 Brits died in the Battle of Jutland for example.) You would end up with something akin to the eponymous "Ogre" robot siege tanks from the old war game. No radar and little in the way of scouting aircraft would mean its hard to find, much less stop one. Robot submarines would get around that annoying limitation of crew oxygen supply limiting underwater travel time, and that other limit of good that interferes with long patrols.

You could functionally render the seas impassable, and robot tanks wandering around. Oil is needed for the engines of aircraft (anything other than gas, maybe diesel, just doesn't have the power to weight ratio needed for flight) - which can in turn be cut off by various reasons. (Still Dangerous Ottoman-Turkish Empire, said robot ship embargo, etc.)

Of course, the whole world doesn't need to suffer like this. Perhaps its only the cut-off UK that the game takes place in?

Dada Art was a reaction to the war in a manner of "if civilized nations can murder each other like that - then who are 'civilized people' to determine what is art?". That theological doctrine you mention might be a similar reaction to either technology (science brought us poison from the skies) or economics (no more capitalism/industry - seek god, not money.) Supposedly, Stalin trained to be a priest, so a Soviet Theocracy might be an interesting element of the game, especially if the mostly Muslim Ottoman/Persian Empire persists right to their south - and with the world turning more to oil and that being the part of the world with the most of it...

For some inspiration, look up the video game , videos from films like (its a terribly average movie, though) and WWI . I don't know what this is advertising, but it looks . Also, the anime "" (No, I can't explain the name either) has some similarities to what you're thinking of, and hapens to be free to watch on Hulu.

[J.K.Mosher]

Thank you kindly for the input. I will look into some of the links you added,
and work on more detail to the opening stages of the game.

the Machines:
I was thinking more along the lines of "BattleTech Mech" Style machines, but the idea of automated
Tanks, and ships is much more interesting.

Airplanes:
I am planning on avoiding "conventional" aircraft, and working the histories as to bascially
dictate the use of zepplins (ie Steam-AirShips).

Definately all this gives me more "ammo" to work with.

[Onix]

Reading this on the go. So far it sounds cool. I like the tank idea but the tank as we know it wasn't a settled on thing back then. Maybe they could have a distinct look to them. Not humanoid not tank. I'm thinking of all those weird designs that were in pop mech or tripods from war of the worlds

[Evil Scientist]

How about radio-controlled warmachines? Tesla, Hertz and Marconi being the two main offenders here, of course. I can even imagine Marconi making big bucks through monopolising the production of radio-controlled units.

[J.K.Mosher]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have been looking into many of the ideas mentioned
as well as reviewing more "Great War" articles, and timelines. Here are some of the things
I've come up with to flesh out the setting.

Sea Travel will basically be stopped.
- Automated clockwork mines capable of self-re-arming will have been unleashed
on-masse into the waters. Floating beneath the surface these "Krakens" use the bobbing
motion of bouancy to continually keep the gears and springs armed. Once triggered they
basically turn into an underwater buzz-saw ripping and gouging ship hulls.
- Once the "attack cycle" is complete the device rearms and continues to float on the current
until trigger again. Uncontrolable, and basically undetectable sea routes are abandoned, by
all but the most "brave or fool-hardy" who use exteremly shallow drafted boats.

Automated Land Ships
- I ran into an issue here as to be really automated the machine needs to be able to not only
self fuel, but also self-arm. This removes most fuel based engines, and firearms from the equation.
However I have come up with a couple of ideas, one being massive constructs using Tesla type coils
to not only power electrical enigines but prototype directed energy weapons. Think Dragons
- Also thought of just creating gread behomoths designed to roll/crawl through towns and villages, using
pure weight and size to cause massive damage to infastructure.
- The other is smaller clock work creations using pnematic weapons. Ammo for these could be large
internal stores of ball bearings, or gathered earth & stones. (Mainly anti-personnel in design)

Airships & Airplanes
- With sea routes closed airships have the larger wieght loads to convey supplies over distances
while avoiding ground based hazards. Depending on the size some will run like sail ships using
side mounted sails for wind propulsion, others steam powered engines.
- Planes will be avialable but rare. Ghota Bombers (and similar) being the hallmark of large heavier
than air vehicles.

Some Revised History Thoughts
- I'll be moving the setting date back to 1918. This gives me several more "historical" milestones
to use in creating the setting. Including an increase in the use of chemical weapons, slightly faster
deployment of tanks (Like the French FT), and more brutal 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic.
- The bombers will have dropped chemical weapons on Britain, and to break up US & Canada involvement
with the sea routes closed there will also be the "The Terror of Ten" (not sure if I want this to be ten days,
weeks or months) where automated zepplins have be unleashed on mass to float about the globe and
as the clock works wind down they drop payloads of chemical weapons all over the world. Some will hit
their specified targets (like Boston) and others due to mechanical failure will hit places like Yellowknife.
This attack opens up reprisals, with a similar untargeted tactic.

Note on Game Play/Setting
- Currently I'm looking at this as "setting based" where players deal with an area to explore, over any
heavy meta-plot. Though I am fiddling with the idea of a "Holy Russian Empire", the Conferation of
Free European City States, and similar "quirky ideas."
- Characters will be tougher then NPCs, but I am looking at fairly lethal repercussions for combat. Medical
secince will be slightly better allowing for recoveries from mortal wounds if treatment is provided/obtained
in quick order(ie First Aid); but that recovery will be costly. (Ie 1 or 2 degraded attributes).
- Use of radio, radio detection, and a degree of radio control will also be included.

[Onix]

About the self fueling, a steam powered automated tank could cut down trees (if it was properly designed) and use them for fuel. It would cause them to hang around forests. They could use most burnable substances to produce power really, so grass, timbers, cow patties, etc. It also gives the tank a nasty close in weapon's capability.

As far as ammo, yeah that's kind of a tough one. A steam powered cannon could launch a simple projectile, but you'd still need the projectile.

Now the steam engine could power a generator for the directed energy attack.

[vulpinoid]

One of the games that really set the benchmark for Steampunk was "Castle Falkenstein" by R.Talsorian in the mid 90's.

One of the things I really liked about that game, and somethng that has been largely ignored until a few new game products is the concept of 2 books. The first of which is purely setting (no game rules or mechanisms what-so-ever), while the second book is just the details of how the game is played out (often with plenty of cross linking to the atmospheric book).

This kind of setting would lend itself perfectly to that type of set up.

The first book could be a "traveller's guide to the new world", explaining the exotic places of the world and the methods used to get there. That allows you to focus on some really cool game ideas in that second book (or allows players to use their existing favoured game system within your setting).

Just an idea...but one I'm really favouring within a few projects at the moment.

[J.K.Mosher]

I may try this, though I'm purposely trying not to layout the "Revised World".

Currently the first section of the gamebook is going to be some revisionist history
on main points of the war, and additions for a few spots like "the closing of sea routes"
to add flavor, and a sense of isolation to all parts of the world.

Going back through my notes, my setting is becoming more and more "Clockwork-punk"
than "Steam-punk". We'll see, if I start really expanding the history notes for my own
use I may just do the two book system.

One thing I definately have to include is "Trench Towns", and make a point of having most
of the major cities in ruins. The main aim I'm leaning towards is a GM & Character developed
world, with my ideas as only background setting/fodder.

[J.K.Mosher]

Quick Update and Teaser for what I'm working on.

The Title has changed . . . "1919: After the Trenches"

My appoligies for the mass of text. I'm tempted to start a blog somewhere,
and though I have the RPGlabratory account, there seems to be little traffic there right now.

Anyway, again sorry for all the text, just trying to get some feedback or feel on what seems to
be catchy for the setting.