Weird City (Steal My Idea)

[samwise7]

I'm going to be running a BRP 1-shot at GASPCON (In Pittsburgh, Nov 11-13 2011).

Weird Pittsburgh

Anyway, the idea for the game is that "aliens" invade and set up a spherical energy barrier around a part of the city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I'm going to get a large map of Pittsburgh and then draw a big circle with purple marker. That will be the entire area for the setting. I plan on putting in Mutations (giving some out randomly as the game progresses), as well as Super Powers (also given out randomly) during the game. The idea is that the spherical energy barrier is playing havoc with the humans within it. The barrier also doesn't let anything in or out. It kills whatever tries to pass through it. You can't see through it either. The characters are going to start out as normal human characters and then they will get weirder and weirder as the session goes on.

The idea will be to survive the "aliens" and to possibly try to free themselves (though that is rather unlikely). I plan on having "flying saucers" in the sky within the spherical energy sphere. They can exit and enter the barrier without any problems.

The "Aliens" might not actually be aliens, so feel free to have fun with that too.

So, feel free to steal this idea. Pick a city, draw a circle on a big city map, and away you go!

Edited September 13, 2011 by samwise7

[Pete Nash]

The barrier also doesn't let anything in or out. It kills whatever tries to pass through it. You can't see through it either.

Sounds like an excellent intro to a grim horror scenario with a tragic ending.

Once the barrier materialises everything within goes utterly black, no light in or out. With the electricity is cut off, people begin to panic since few keep flashlights to hand or can locate them in the pitch darkness. Those that have personal electronics with LCD screens use the feeble illumination to grope around and become beacons for the desperate. It soon becomes apparent there aren't enough torches for everyone.

Of course few are even aware that the water has been cut off too. Storage tanks in the older buildings are quickly drained by unthinking toilet use... until of course the sewage starts to back up and a stench starts to pervade the city. Those who have a glimmering of foresight start hoarding water, then food as they suspect that this eclipse isn't natural. The guns start coming out. Before long everyone switches off their lights and return to stygian blindness to avoid becoming targets of looters.

After 36 or 48 hours, people begin to sweat and breathing becomes laboured. It isn't the septic fug or early spread of disease. Those with a bit more technical education realise that no heat is escaping the barrier and worse still, oxygen isn't permeating through. How long does everyone have left? A few days perhaps? So the few leaders gather together the remnants of their community and prepare them for the ultimate conclusion.

Then the aliens come out of the darkness and begin to snatch people from the very arms of their loved ones...

[Agentorange]

You should pitch this to Stephen King as a plot device....it's the sort of thing he might get a book out of

[rpgstarwizard]

Ahh, new neighbors on Maple Street, LOL, with wonderfully shaped heads. Two to each person. LOL

[seneschal]

Reminds me of a B-movie I saw on UHF TV many moons ago, although it was a small town that was isolated in the film. Breathing and water didn't become issues that I can recall, but the characters were too busy being freaked out and trying to solve the mystery to worry about such things. One character died when he crashed his pickup against the barrier. Wish I could remember the movie's title. It might have been a Twilight Zone episode, but I was sure it was a feature film.

[Conrad]

Reminds me of this movie, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film)

[vagabond]

Reminds me of this movie, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film)

I once mused on a list somewhere that "Dark City" would make for a nice Chaotic analogy to Moorcock's Tanelorn. To which Loz Whitaker threatened me to not speak of it again

Ian

[Dredj]

You should pitch this to Stephen King as a plot device....it's the sort of thing he might get a book out of

Yeah, a boring, overlong book. You're right, this is the kind of story Stephen King would do. However, I'd rather see another horror writer write it.

[seneschal]

Lovecraft, channeled by Edgar Rice Burroughs via Lester Dent.

[Dredj]

That I would like to see;t)

[samwise7]

Sounds like an excellent intro to a grim horror scenario with a tragic ending.

Once the barrier materialises everything within goes utterly black, no light in or out. With the electricity is cut off, people begin to panic since few keep flashlights to hand or can locate them in the pitch darkness. Those that have personal electronics with LCD screens use the feeble illumination to grope around and become beacons for the desperate. It soon becomes apparent there aren't enough torches for everyone.

Of course few are even aware that the water has been cut off too. Storage tanks in the older buildings are quickly drained by unthinking toilet use... until of course the sewage starts to back up and a stench starts to pervade the city. Those who have a glimmering of foresight start hoarding water, then food as they suspect that this eclipse isn't natural. The guns start coming out. Before long everyone switches off their lights and return to stygian blindness to avoid becoming targets of looters.

After 36 or 48 hours, people begin to sweat and breathing becomes laboured. It isn't the septic fug or early spread of disease. Those with a bit more technical education realise that no heat is escaping the barrier and worse still, oxygen isn't permeating through. How long does everyone have left? A few days perhaps? So the few leaders gather together the remnants of their community and prepare them for the ultimate conclusion.

Then the aliens come out of the darkness and begin to snatch people from the very arms of their loved ones...

I am definitely going to be using a bunch of what you just posted. Wow, the players might be in for more than they bargained for. This is going to be fun.

Reminds me of this movie, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film)

I was thinking a bit of Dark City when I came up with the idea. A big chunk of Pittsburgh being teleported into the darkest reaches of space...

You should pitch this to Stephen King as a plot device....it's the sort of thing he might get a book out of

I'm no Steven King, just a hack that likes RPGs, hehe.

Reminds me of a B-movie I saw on UHF TV many moons ago, although it was a small town that was isolated in the film. Breathing and water didn't become issues that I can recall, but the characters were too busy being freaked out and trying to solve the mystery to worry about such things. One character died when he crashed his pickup against the barrier. Wish I could remember the movie's title. It might have been a Twilight Zone episode, but I was sure it was a feature film.

Children of the Damned? There was an invisible barrier where everyone fell asleep if they were inside of it. Then a bunch of evil kids were born 9 months later. I prefer the original film to the remake. It's probably something else you are referring to.

[mark alexander]

Wouldn't there have to be some sort of barrier below ground too? Otherwise people could just dig out, or even easier follow the sewers.

[seneschal]

In the movie I saw, I'm not sure anyone thought of that. They did try to dig right at the barrier, but following underground tunnels wasn't something they thought of. Of course, it was set in a small, rural town, so everyone probably has individual cesspools instead.

[samwise7]

The energy barrier is actually a sphere, so if they dig enough they will encounter it below the ground too.

My 1-shot of this at GASPCON in Pittsburgh went over VERY well. They liked the idea of normal everyday people being horrible disfigured with mutations in various stages during the game, and some of them got psychic powers too. I ran it very rules-lite, and I included horribly drawn illustrations of their characters too, which they all loved.

[Max_Writer]

Reminds me of a B-movie I saw on UHF TV many moons ago, although it was a small town that was isolated in the film. Breathing and water didn't become issues that I can recall, but the characters were too busy being freaked out and trying to solve the mystery to worry about such things. One character died when he crashed his pickup against the barrier. Wish I could remember the movie's title. It might have been a Twilight Zone episode, but I was sure it was a feature film.

I saw the last half hour or so of that movie as a kid and it FREAKED me out. I remember some kind of weird, human-shaped table that the main characters could go to for sustenance - but it changed you. One guy freaked out and smashed it and all these tubes started flailing about on it, spewing liquid. At the end, they felt air coming down from above and realized that the invisible saucer or whatever kind of ship the aliens had used had finally left and they hoped they'd be able to escape. Am I thinking of the same movie.

Strange 60s/70s feel - you know, those depressing movies that are almost disturbing?

Found it: The Bubble (1966). Links:

http://www.the-losthighway.com/2008/08/21/the-bubble-in-3d-revised-review/

http://classicscifi.blogspot.com/2011/01/bubble.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bubble_(1966_film)

Edited December 10, 2011 by Max_Writer