Faction Name: Shepaug Dam Survivors (will select a more appropriate name once they interact with others and actually need one) Starting Location: Shepaug Dam (41°26′53″N 73°17′44″W) Capital Type: Bunker Origins: Pre-War Military Traits: Diplomatic, Industrious Background
During the Sino-American war of 2072, ongoing energy brownouts and the strategic value of power led to very real fear of surgical strikes by Chinese commandos at hydro-electric facilities across the united states. As part of the response to this Captain Richard Hill and the 5th Army Ranger Reconnaissance Company (at the time on leave at army base in Connecticut after returning from deep reconaissance in northern China) were instructed to help secure the largest and strategically important local hydroelectric plant, the Shepaug Dam.
While the fact is now lost to history, on October 22, the governor of Connecticut was contacted by the executive and ordered to evacuate to the Poseidon oil-rig. Correctly guessing that the warning was in response to a very real possibility of nuclear strike upon the US eastern coast, Governor Thompson instead fled to the deepest, most secure site in the immediate vicinity, the tunnels beneath Shepaug dam. Captain Hill had been warned by Thompson of the attack and moved to secure rations, ammunitions, weapons, armor, tools, and as many of the locals of Fairfield and New Haven county as his men could. Unfortunately when the bombs fell Oct 23, too few people had been secured.
While the initial blast was sufficient to knock out the functionality of the dam, the bunker’s inhabitants realized that without new source of energy, they would be unable to survive longterm in the tunnels and makeshift bunkers. A dedicated ranger engineering team sacrificed their lives to brave the fallout and repair the dam and soon power was restored and a greenhouse was humming along nicely. There were hardships and many times struggle led to sacrifice or violence, hunger, or death, but ultimately, almost (X) years later, the population of the Shepaug dam had survived.
Today the cisterns are drying and the greenhouse is lacking nutrients; a fundamental resource crisis is brewing. Despite significant stocks of pickled vegetables and clean water, new production has failed and if the descendants of the original survivors are going to continue surviving, they must look beyond their tunnels and venture back into daylight.
The people of the Shepaug dam have maintained a military organization and continue to consider themselves part of the United States army, though if there is an army or even a United States left above the surface remains to be seen. They are led by Captain Hailey, a heroically mustachioed man characterized by his dedication to American values and almost unrealistic optimism for the future. The people have maintained American culture and language and, relative to most survivors, resemble their ancestors quite closely, practicing Christianity, speaking English, and maintaining education and precise military hierarchies and practices. They have also maintained the position of "Connecticut Governor" and have a functioning civilian democracy but this is largely symbolic with all real power in the military.
Faction Name: Wall Street Traders Starting Location: New York Stock Exchange, Wall Street, New York City Capital Type: Urban Ruin Origins: Civilian Survivors Traits: Diplomatic, Industrious Background: By freak luck, the New York Stock Exchange building was not too badly damaged by the bombs. For this reason, many survivors of New York City used this as a temporary shelter. Eventually, by some stroke of irony, the place turned into a bazaar, with traders using the ruined desks and technology as makeshift tables.
Scrap, food, water, weapons and even slaves - all things are traded in the NYSE. And looking down upon it all is Chairman John Armstrong, the undisputed ruler of the Wall Street Traders and the self-proclaimed richest man in New York. Supported by his Board of Directors, he directs the future of the organisation.
Demographics: Primarily human, although anyone is welcome if they have something to trade or can work for food, water and shelter.
Leadership: The Wall Street Traders are unsurprisingly very plutocratic. The Chairman serves at the pleasure of the Board of Directors, made up of the wealthiest members of the Wall Street Traders. To join the Board of Directors all one needs to do is to literally buy a seat at the table. The price of this is set by the Board of Directors and it is not cheap. The Chairman uses their wealth to govern and to pay employees who do the many things necessary to keep this settlement alive.
Faction Name: Sovereign Fortuna Guild Starting Location: Sag Harbour, Long Island Capital Type: Settlement Origins: Boat People Traits: Diplomatic and Maritime Background: (will place in bit)
I took the liberty of making this, and it's not pretty, but I may as well share it, since it's pertinent to those of you who are in inner NYC; it's a map of the the NYC subway, with the above-ground sections blacked out.
Everything else are parts of the subway network that have presumably survived; their tunnels are one option of getting around.
Faction Name: The Point Starting Location: United States Military Academy, West Point, NY Capital Type: Settlement Origins: Pre-War Military Traits: Warlike, Scientific Background: Through some miracle, West Point was spared during the nuclear exchanges of the Sino-American war. With the assistance of some nearby military units, the USMA at West Point survived and evolved through the decades. The academy, now known simply as 'The Point,' continues to act as a place of learning and training, though taken the extreme. All new inhabitants or children are considered 'cadets,' and undergo both rigorous academic and physical training until they're considered sufficiently ready to graduate by their commanding officers and The Point's leader, the Superintendent. Once graduated, cadets become officers of The Point, engaging in further training and research, as well taking on new command and teaching responsibilities. The Point is a hard and brutal place. Those that can't fulfill the demanding requirements of graduation find themselves eternally stuck as cadets, and as their 'potential' (as seen by the officers) fades, they become little more than slave labour.
Faction Name: Vault 77 THE LAST BASTION OF FREEDOM! Starting Location:Valley Forge Capital Type: Vault Origins: Vault Dwellers. Traits: Industrious, Religious Background:Vault 77 is very much a... Patriotic vault. Its members firmly believe in the nation of the United States, and in the fact that it is the last bastion of that good 'ol land. The vault holds a immense patriotic fervor of course, and utterly disdains the godless pinko scum. It is an utterly hostile place for outsiders though, because they hold the belief that they are the only true Americans left. This partially arose when they saw the destroyed state of the wasteland; if there were any non-pinko pure patriots outside of them, the country would've been restored to its former glory by now! We are the only true non-mutated Neo-American people, and we shall rid the stars and stripes of pinko communists and mutant scum, while rebuilding this great nation!
Faction Name: Vault 314
Starting Location: North Montclair (Millis Reservation County Park)
Capital Type: Vault
Origins: Vault Dweller
Traits: Environmentalist, Scientific
Background: As part of one of Vault-Tec's many educational outreach programs, Vault 314 was built in collaboration with the students and faculty of Montclair State University. There is always some new project or experimental subsystem being tested at any given time, and the Vault became a popular hangout for the students. When the Vault were sealed, many of these unregistered students and faculty were sealed in as well, with the Vault-tec officials on site refusing to remove these members of the family. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montclair_State_University
Faction Name: Poxxy's Chem Dogs Starting Location: Valley Forge Military Academy and College, PA Capital Type: Bunker - "The Underhive" Origins: Raiders Faction Trait: Warlike & Environmentalists
Demographic: Purely human. Not out of racism or anything, but because ghouls look like a juicy piece of Salisbury steak when you're tweaking hard on chems so after the tenth "incident" there had to be a ban on ghoul memberships.
Chem Dogs' Background
The Chem Dogs are a savage faction of drug-hazed raiders composed of every manner of poor, shunned and damned individual ever rejected by the American Wasteland and held together by the mutual desire of a moment's relief to ease the pain of living in what is otherwise a brutal and unforgiving world.
From their underground stronghold beneath the Valley Forge Military Academy which they acquired by accident when they were slaughtering the refugee settlers hiding in the academy, these masses of hobos-turned-murderers spew out across the wastes of the US in search of precious loot, salvage, slaves and plunder that are given to their malevolent boss as tribute in exchange for more chems, food, alcohol, medicine, weapons, whores, shelter and other pleasures. The Chem Dogs prey on the minds of the weak, the frail and the wicked - promising them a life of sinful bliss in exchange for simple but complete obedience.
Few argue that it is but Poxxy's drugs and liberal nature towards murder and slavery that keeps this growing swarm of degenerate psychopaths together, but all recognize the potential of such a gathering. Being completely without moral compass and unstable even by raider standards these unsavory individuals make for a truly dangerous community once they put their A game on.
Leader Name: Dr. Poxxy, "The Doctor", "The Cook" Leader's Background
Young Poxxy was originally an inhabitant of Vault 77, living in posh comfort underneath Valley Forge. Living the sweet life with her parents being part of the vault's medical staff, she quickly gained an aptitude and interest in medicine and chemistry at a very young age. As the years dragged her into adulthood however one would begin to see the disturbing signs of Poxxy's true nature. It began with the voices and sleepwalking, which gradually developed into hallucinations and disturbing delusions. Shortly after the tragic deaths of her parents at the hands of a "freak allergic reaction" during one fateful dinner, she was granted her parents' medical bay where she would begin pursuing her own projects. Experimenting with synthesizing chems until perfected were but few of these projects to note.
But enough is never enough. With the inhabitants of 77's patriotic zealots far too occupied with upholding their mantra of 'MURICA to notice, Poxxy slipped out from her workstation with her lab equipment and triggered the emergency evacuation protocol, running off into the wasteland as bullets hissed over her head.
Poxxy had always held an aptitude for manipulation and smooth-talking. Always getting her way and always getting the best out of a deal. Whether it was the voices giving her this special gift or if Poxxy actually held any grip on reality was never really understood. Maybe it simply was because she had tits and ass. Who knows. It didn't take long before she had managed to bind stray wastelanders and small groups of raiders to her will, blinding them with a silver tongue and pure, medical-grade chemical bliss - at the simple cost of their freedom. These men and women would soon grow into a small private army of killers and slavers. Her loyal pets. Her Chem Dogs.
I've posted a full(er) version of the rules, and added the weapons and buildings list. I've taken the advice to remove Water as a mechanic entirely to compensate for the way Food is handled; I've also decided to axe Morale; low morale situations will be represented through Challenges instead, and Religious factions will gain a boost to their luck. I will almost certainly revise the numbers on the weapons/buildings list, as, at the moment, most of it is a pretty blatant copy/paste. Tribal food gathering is also now a lot more powerful.
Anyway, I'm thrilled with all the interest I've gotten so far. I would like to get update zero posted by Friday (27 July). With that in mind, I'll leave signups open until approximately Tuesday or Wednesday. You're always welcome to join after the game starts, and, really, if you join in the first few turns, you won't be at any major disadvantage at all.
Faction Name: Sons of Hope
Starting Location: Nutley, NJ
Capital Type: Bunker
Origins: Pre-War Military
Traits: Diplomatic, Agricultural.
Background: The Sons of Hope emerged from a pre-war military unit that went into shelter north of Newark as the alarms for nuclear strike went off as the Great War came to an end. The unit disobeyed orders when they tried to save as many civilians as they could, bringing them into shelter.
Faction Name: Kings and Queens
Starting Location: King of Prussia, PA
Capital Type: Urban Ruin
Origins: Raiders
Traits: Industrious, Diplomatic
Background: The Kings and Queens are a group of raiders holding control of the King of Prussia super mall dedicated towards profit through slave trade. Their leaders are the twin-siblings "King" Dilly and "Queen" Dally who co-run all operations and spend every day working on turning their gang into a rich and notorious slave trade empire.
Faction Name: The Atlantic Maritime League (AML) Starting Location: Fort Delaware (Pea Patch Island) Capital Type: Bunker Origins: Boat People Traits: Maritime and Scientific Background: When the bombs dropped, not everyone was a sitting duck on land. Ships were on the water, trade was moving apace, scientific expeditions from the arctic were returning to Philadelphia. Then the bombs fell, their homeland was obliterated, and thousands of people on the high seas were stranded. A few dozen sailors and marines, academics and students, washed up on pea patch island, straddling the distance between Delaware and New Jersey.
The Fort located on the island had been abandoned a few scant months earlier as personnel were massed for offensives in the Pacific. But it was still lightly armed and heavily provisioned in case of a prolonged siege, where this lonely fort would have been part of the network protecting Philadelphia and the Mid-Atlantic from naval invasion.
Group by group, people gathered here in the months afterwards. They brought expertise from a variety of fields, but primarily could be divided between people who had spent most of their lives on a ship or in a classroom. Then, 6 months after their country fell into the fires of chaos and embraced nuclear defeat, the island community sealed itself off from the world. Their only time spent off the island was to patrol the nearby waters in their coast guard cutter, and to fish for food so that they could extend the life of the stores in the Fort.
But nearly a century later, the descendants are restless. They want to see the world. They are tired of fish and MREs. An adventurous spirit has taken hold of the younger generation, and so a council was called.
The decision was made.
The date was set.
The first expedition to the mainland was planned.
Soon, very soon, they would discover what awaited them just over the horizon, on the shores their grandparents told stories of.
Armstrong Gals
The Armstrong Gals are a group of young girls who descendants were the wives who worked in the factories while their husband and loved ones went off to War. When the bomb fell the wives did not fell into despair due to a legendary figure called "Rosie the Riveter". She showed them the way thought her song giving hope to these women through these troubling times. Their hard work and determination allowed them to build themselves up repair what can and scraped what couldn't be repaired. Emma Armstrong the founder/ Appointed leader of the group established the faction named Armstrong Gals with Rosie the Riveter being the gold standard for all Gals in their group. Year gone by and now the new generations lead by Olivia Armstrong must brave whatever horrors this wasteland holds.
Spoiler:
Challenge: The somewhat obvious question has arisen of how we should treat those men who happen across or seek refuge in our settlement. We have managed just fine on our own for the past ninety years, but can we continue to do so in the foreseeable future? As other survivors in a less-than-friendly country hear of us and converge upon Lancaster seeking shelter, how should we phrase our reply?
Atlantic Maritime League
When the bombs dropped, not everyone was a sitting duck on land. Ships were on the water, trade was moving apace, scientific expeditions from the arctic were returning to Philadelphia. Then the bombs fell, their homeland was obliterated, and thousands of people on the high seas were stranded. A few dozen sailors and marines, academics and students, washed up on pea patch island, straddling the distance between Delaware and New Jersey.
Spoiler:
Challenge: As we re-establish contact with the outside world, we are coming across people on the shores of Delaware and of Salem County who are seeking refuge with us, hearing distant rumours of our insular fortified shelter. Most oppose having more mouths to feed; besides, space in the fort is already at a premium as it is. However, some feel it is our moral duty to do so.
Beastie Boys
What idols can murderous Jewish street kids from Brooklyn possibly have? Especially if they're survivors after the world went boom and the nature went bleh? Of course, the answer is simple: MCA, Ad-Rock, and Mike D. Some records from the good old pre-war days were uncovered in a ruin of a night club, and daaaaym were they good. Music became not only solace for the streetwise, violence-hardened gang, and it shaped their culture and their beliefs. The called themselves the Beastie Boys, and their gods are the notorious trio of tong-twisting, in-your-face loud rappers. Now, the Beastie Boys are on their way to lay waste to the Wasteland, they are most ill, and they're rhymin' and stealin'.
Spoiler:
Challenge: It has come to our attention that, about a dozen blocks east of our turf, lies Flatbush Avenue/Brooklyn College subway station. Some of us with Intergalactic dreams have determined that this station was underground and likely sheltered from the bombs, and that it could be an entrance into the underground network of New York subway tunnels--and therefore enable us to access virtually the entire city much easier than we would manage on the surface. But in this shattered New York, even a dozen blocks could pose an entire odyssey’s worth of danger.
Big Antlers Clan
According to legends, the Mounted Khanate was founded a few decades after the end of the world by soldiers who had survived in underground bunkers. Riding large and impressive radstags and dressed in distinctive red uniforms, they terrorized urban populations, building up a small but mighty kingdom for themselves. There, a lone soldier rose through the ranks to find himself at the right hand of the Khan. But this up-jumped general was ambitious, and when the Khan died he attempted to seize the throne from his infant son, for no child could be Khan. But Leaf-Upon-Flag, the would-be-Khan, found himself outnumbered by the former ruler's allies and was defeated in battle. Now, he and his Big Antlers Clan flee to the south, to a strange new land ripe for conquest.
Spoiler:
Challenge: Our journey into this region has been long and arduous, and we are now strangers in a strange land. That has also brought us into contact with the strange people who inhabit the Mid-Hudson valley, and has raised the question: how should we treat them? On the one hand, we may need them to replenish our ranks; on the other, we are a powerful fighting force in our own right, and there are few other major groups in sight, and it has suggested that we use them to make a slave labour frce if we are ever to settle down.
Brotherhood of the Undead
Made of several groups of ghoul raiders with the shared goal of wealth they are loosely united by the Director the nominal leader. However, the Director rarely takes an active interest in raiding affairs. Sometimes, raiders will bring human captives to him and sometimes, decidedly non-human creatures will come out. To what end does he experiment? Only the director knows. He does make some damn fine weapons though and that's all the ghouls really care about.
Spoiler:
Challenge: Being a significant industrial centre, Hartford was a target of nuclear strikes during the War. As a result, there are significant levels of radiation. That means a large number of ghouls that wander the streets. They do not belong to any of our subgroups, and are definite outsiders, but they are still like us; they face the prejudice of the smoothskins. Should we let them into our community?
The Daughters
They survived the warriors of the great plains and the tribes of the Mississippi. They were forced into the bondage of Angels in Georgia. Fleeing their home Giant birds and silent killers haunted them down the road. They found a city of cannibals and warriors descended from the heavens to take up some of their number. The exodus was total, they had to flee their homes multiple times and when they finally thought they were safe the weather turned and forced them out again. They made their way north, in one last effort to survive and prosper.
Spoiler:
Challenge: We are content here in this remote corner of New York; there is more than enough food to go around, and the immediate surrounding area is clear enough of savages and monsters to keep us safe. However, there is one amongst us, a child, a young girl, who has the same, recurring nightmare: that the Village will soon be attacked by infidels riding evil birds, who will descend from the sky and abduct the Villagers, one by one, into a heaven that is not Heaven. Her words have caught on amongst some of the Villagers, some of whom appear to have begun having similar dreams, and there are murmurs of discontent. Naturally, this is ridiculous, so how should we go about calming the Villagers?
Disciples of Madison
Formerly employees of the US Postal Service across the street, the postal employees retreated into the transportation station under the Madison Square Garden moments before the bombs hit. They were able to survive by learning how to grow food under the streets of the city, using the miles and miles of plumbing in the city to help water the crops and keep themselves alive. The employees over time managed to secure hours and hours of entertainment from Madison Square Garden videos and eventually grew to worship the Madison as a beacon of light in the dark city ruins.
Spoiler:
Challenge: As we are in control of Penn Station, we also have access to multiple threads of this city’s vast, tangled cloth of subway tunnels--theoretically allowing us to travel easily even as far as New Jersey. The reality, however, is rather more complicated and dangerous; while the tunnels most certainly are safer than the surface, there have still been sightings of raiders and other feral monsters down there. It has been proposed that we carry out a vast, sweeping operation to secure the tunnels in our surrounding area. Others have suggested that this is beyond our capacity for moment, and we should focus on other things.
Kings and Queens
The Kings and Queens are a group of raiders holding control of the King of Prussia super mall dedicated towards profit through slave trade. Their leaders are the twin-siblings "King" Dilly and "Queen" Dally who co-run all operations and spend every day working on turning their gang into a rich and notorious slave trade empire.
Spoiler:
Challenge: We have become aware of a Vault, opening mere miles to our west. Rumour has it that this Vault is home to almighty beasts, behemoths not seen in America since before the war, and there are people amongst us who grow restless, fearing the Vault-dwellers may soon turn these beasts against us. Others suggest that we should attempt to remain out of the Vault’s eye for the now. How shall we approach these Vault-dwellers?
Order of the Holy Wound
Don't worry. I'm still with you.
Spoiler:
Challenge: There are others in the ruins of Mercer County that surround us. Our Order has largely been secluded and isolated, and with good reason; but these are people with very little to live for, people who need help. How should we approach those who would come to us, seeking refuge? There are others among us who have seen an opportunity: people ripe for the spreading of a message.
Poxxy’s Chem Dogs
The Chem Dogs are a savage faction of drug-hazed raiders composed of every manner of poor, shunned and damned individual ever rejected by the American Wasteland and held together by the mutual desire of a moment's relief to ease the pain of living in what is otherwise a brutal and unforgiving world. From their underground stronghold beneath the Valley Forge Military Academy which they acquired by accident when they were slaughtering the refugee settlers hiding in the academy, these masses of hobos-turned-murderers spew out across the wastes of the US in search of precious loot, salvage, slaves and plunder that are given to their malevolent boss as tribute in exchange for more chems, food, alcohol, medicine, weapons, whores, shelter and other pleasures. The Chem Dogs prey on the minds of the weak, the frail and the wicked - promising them a life of sinful bliss in exchange for simple but complete obedience.
Spoiler:
Challenge: When some of us left that horrid Vault behind, some of us took Vault-Tec bobbleheads with us. They seemed like silly trinkets of an unenlightened world, mere baubles of no value or harm whatsoever. But now--bobblehead after bobblehead has been found decapitated in the Underhive, their brightly smiling heads messily torn out of their empty husks and gone missing. How should we deal with this clearly highly pressing matter?
The Point
Through some miracle, West Point was spared during the nuclear exchanges of the Sino-American war. With the assistance of some nearby military units, the USMA at West Point survived and evolved through the decades. The academy, now known simply as 'The Point,' continues to act as a place of learning and training, though taken the extreme. All new inhabitants or children are considered 'cadets,' and undergo both rigorous academic and physical training until they're considered sufficiently ready to graduate by their commanding officers and The Point's leader, the Superintendent. Once graduated, cadets become officers of The Point, engaging in further training and research, as well taking on new command and teaching responsibilities. The Point is a hard and brutal place. Those that can't fulfil the demanding requirements of graduation find themselves eternally stuck as cadets, and as their 'potential' (as seen by the officers) fades, they become little more than slave labour.
Spoiler:
Challenge: As we continued to be connected to the pre-War American military’s communication network, we naturally have occasionally received signals from beyond. Most of the ones we have received have been of little use; desperate cries of help, mostly from Asia and mainly in the first years after the War, that were far beyond our capacity to manage any sort of response. And then all fell silent--until now. In the last several years, we have begun picking up strange, repeating transmissions, clearly encrypted using US Army codes: attempted replies from our end have not been responded to, and they have lasted for far longer than any mayday call ever should. They seem to originate from somewhere in Harriman State Park. Should we investigate?
Reformed Society for Psychic and Paranormal Research
The Reformed Society of Psychic and Paranormal Research remains committed to Clementia Zeffis’ double mission: to investigate the occult and to defend humanity against otherworldly threats. The current head investigator is Hector Considine. While descendants of the original survivors constitute the bulk of the RSPPR, the Society welcomes any immigrant with a healthy curiosity to understand the world.
Spoiler:
Challenge: We appear to have received a request for assistance. A party seemingly have received word of our existence, has arrived at our doorstep. They claim to be from a settlement named Trumbull, to our south, which does match our pre-War records. They say that every person who sleeps within their town has been haunted by some sort of shared nightmares: pained visions of the War, of a million skeletons crying out in agony as their flesh melts away. This party seems legitimately desperate and seem to believe in a very real threat; but others warn that they are complete strangers, and that this may be a trap. Should we accept their request for help?
Sanctuary Guard
The mothers and fathers of the Sanctuary Guard, soldiers who had once bent the knee to the Foul Kings of America and performed many fell acts in honour of their fealty, heard the divine sacrament and rejected the oaths they had sworn to the servants of Baal. They saw that it was their duty to protect the people, not their masters. Even as the lances of Judgement fell in a mortal rain upon the city, the Angel Micheal led the Guard to the sanctuary the psychopomps had adorned with lamb's blood. Hellfire consumed the sinners around them, but yet the stone walls of the Cloisters remained cool, for the noble kings buried within stood upon its ramparts to protect the sanctity of their tomb and keep those wise men who made their craft within. For thirteen days and thirteen nights, the Kings shielded the ancient stone, and the forefathers of the Guard emerged from it’s cool embrace only to welcome others the Angels led to sanctuary.
Spoiler:
Challenge: Some of our sentries have made contact with a party of several dozen necrosis-ridden humans--the “ghouls” who are rumoured to roam the shattered spires of New York. But these ghouls are not from New York; they have been seen crossing the discoloured Hudson and climbing uphill. Most of the ghouls did not speak English, and those who did bore a thick, highly stressed accent. They say that they come from a great ghoul city across the river, and that they have been exiled, although they did not state why, and are seeking refuge. How should we deal with them?
Shepaug Dam Survivors
The people of the Shepaug dam have maintained a military organization and continue to consider themselves part of the United States army, though if there is an army or even a United States left above the surface remains to be seen. They are led by Captain Hailey, a heroically mustachioed man characterized by his dedication to American values and almost unrealistic optimism for the future. The people have maintained American culture and language and, relative to most survivors, resemble their ancestors quite closely, practicing Christianity, speaking English, and maintaining education and precise military hierarchies and practices. They have also maintained the position of "Connecticut Governor" and have a functioning civilian democracy but this is largely symbolic with all real power in the military.
Spoiler:
Challenge: We have seen others nearby, plenty of others who have been attracted to the power of our still-functioning dam. Some do not even appear to be fully human anymore. As we are the true state government of Connecticut, some amongst us have stated that it is our duty to help govern these people, no matter who they are. Others have stated that they are not true Americans, and that they pose a threat. How should we handle those who arrive in our area?
The Skylanders
The Highland Clans of New Jersey, inhabiting the northern end of the Appalachians, are a fierce and warlike people. Unlike the savage orangemen of the Jersey Shore, though, they retain a strong sense of honour. They are masters of the rolling hills and dark forests of North Jersey and prey on unwary travelers, but to those who earn their respect they are boon allies.
Spoiler:
Challenge: We often prey on unwary travellers coming along the grand trank route 80. Most say they are from humble villages, if even that. But in the last few seasons, a number of travellers have said they come from a town named Troy, that has blossomed at a crossroads to the east to become what they say is the wealthiest and largest settlement in the region. Some dreamers have even gone so far as to suggest that we migrate east and take the town for ourselves. But the vast majority realise that this would mean leaving behind our traditional lands. Still, surely there must be some way to engage with this town?
Sons of Hope
The Sons of Hope emerged from a pre-war military unit that went into shelter north of Newark as the alarms for nuclear strike went off as the Great War came to an end. The unit disobeyed orders when they tried to save as many civilians as they could, bringing them into shelter.
Spoiler:
Challenge: Word has reached our ears of a great underground Vault, home to hundreds, that has opened its metal door to the sky, mere miles from where we are fortified. This is the first time we have heard news of another group as large as ours in the wasteland, and some have suggested that we attempt to make contact with the Vault-dwellers. Others have protested that this would be terribly dangerous; that so many years living in artificial lighting, in claustrophobic underground corridors, has made these people go mad, and that we should be cautious and defensive instead. How we should approach them?
Sovereign Fortuna Guild
The navally-oriented Sovereign Fortuna Guild have risen ashore from unknown origins to establish a beachhead in the eastern reaches of Long Island.
Spoiler:
Challenge: For some time now, we have been picking up a strange radio transmission, broadcasting what appears to be a random sequence of recurring numbers, spoken by a hollow, robotic voice, the sequence changing on a daily basis. It appears to be originating from not far to the east, from past where our maps say lies the pre-War town of Montauk. The signal has fascinated some of our people who have radios, who seek answers and have none; but others, more cautious, shudder and detect danger. Is it worth investigating?
Ursine Order of Hershey
Over time, the relationship Hershey had with the confectionery grew more and more spiritual, with superstitious villagers blessing the candy itself from sparring Hershey directly. Evidence like the old theme park, the practice of taking tours to the old chocolate factory, and even the old tale that the city itself once had the constant aroma of chocolate was all evidence that even pre-war Americans paid due reverence to the brown elixir of life, and it was assumed lack of proper worship is what eventually brought the old world to its knees. Studious lorekeepers even noted its holy warriors would do battle drapped in chocolate-colored uniforms, adorning the symbol of a bear into battle.
Spoiler:
Challenge: The word of the power of our Chocolate will no doubt spread out to others in the Wasteland, even more so now that it is being protected by our Ursine Order. Instead of us going to them, there are already some coming to us, seeking refuge amongst us. That would mean more mouths to feed. How should we treat these outsiders?
Vault 77
The vault holds a immense patriotic fervour of course, and utterly disdains the godless pinko scum. It is an utterly hostile place for outsiders though, because they hold the belief that they are the only true Americans left. This partially arose when they saw the destroyed state of the wasteland; if there were any non-pinko pure patriots outside of them, the country would've been restored to its former glory by now! In fact, advertised as “America’s Safari for the Future!” Vault 77 was designated as an underground nature shelter, home to a number of wildlife. In reality, Vault-Tec scientists wanted to study how animals would adapt to living underground, and how humans would react to such a limited, confined space. Remarkably, the Vault was a complete success, with Americans and animals living in great harmony, and the Vault has become home to some extremely rare beasts, only whispered of in the rest of the Wasteland. This, however, has made the dwellers of Vault 77 very used to living in quite cramped quarters with nature.
Spoiler:
Challenge: For long, the animals of Vault 77 lived in harmony with the people and with America, as one community. However, with so many living beings sharing confined quarters, space was always a luxury. With the Vault door now open, it has been proposed that the animals be allowed to leave the Vault, giving everyone significantly more living space. But many of the caretakers and veterinarians have advised against this, stating that the animals have long adapted to underground life, and that they would not survive life on the surface. On the other hand, it has also been proposed by a few free-thinkers that the humans move into the surface and leave the Vault itself to the animals. Should anything be done?
Vault 314
As part of one of Vault-Tec's many educational outreach programs, Vault 314 was built in collaboration with the students and faculty of Montclair State University. There is always some new project or experimental subsystem being tested at any given time, and the Vault became a popular hangout for the students. When the Vault were sealed, many of these unregistered students and faculty were sealed in as well, with the Vault-Tec officials on site refusing to remove these members of the family. In Vault 314, every brother and sister is content; the robots take care of them, and they take care of the robots.
Spoiler:
Challenge: Not long after the Vault door opened, we received an extremely peculiar signal: a series of unrecognisable numerical tones, encoded with what our robotics technicians recognised as a Vault-Tec encryption key. Analysing the signal, our technicians believe that it could not have originated anywhere but another Vault--one that seems to be located some distance to our south, in Edison. Is it a distress signal? Is it some other attempt to communicate? Whatever the case, news of the signal has given us hope that there may be others out there, other Vault-dwellers like us. Should we attempt to make contact?
Wall Street Traders
By freak luck, the New York Stock Exchange building was not too badly damaged by the bombs. For this reason, many survivors of New York City used this as a temporary shelter. Eventually, by some stroke of irony, the place turned into a bazaar, with traders using the ruined desks and technology as makeshift tables. Scrap, food, water, weapons and even slaves - all things are traded in the NYSE.
Spoiler:
Challenge: The streets of Manhattan are hazardous, littered by the glass and concrete shards of fallen skyscrapers, pockmarked by detritus and bomb craters, and littered with the rusting husks of automobiles. The street maps that have survived from before the War now appear to be utterly useless. We could always use the subway tunnels to ensure secure routes, but some who are…less inclined to the dark have suggested we send people to clear the streets around the Exchange. But others have suggested this is a waste of valuable human resources.
The Warriors
After the failure of the abortive truce between the raider gangs of postapocalyptic New York and the death of its instigator Cyrus, Cleon, Warlord of the Warriors, is killed in the ensuring chaos. The Warriors, led by surviving Warchief Swan, fight their way back to their base of operations in Coney Island, fighting through the assorted Turnbull ACs, Orphans, Lizzies, Rogues, and Grammercy Riffs. With Cyrus dead and the raiders of New York at war once again, his dream of a united gang-run city appears dead. But Swan thinks otherwise, and hardened from the Warrior's own personal anabasis, is ready to build that dream anew - by force if necessary.
Spoiler:
Challenge: We have heard rumours of a faction who have set themselves up in the ruins of Wall Street and transformed it into a grand slave bazaar. Since we are inclined to that sort of thing, even though Wall Street is quite far removed from our location, there are those amongst our people who have suggested we find a way to make contact with this Wall Street gang in the near future--if we can find a reliable way to maintain communication, something that’s easier said than done. Is this even worth pressing?
Notes:
I’ve given everyone a base storage of 2000 Food. This is mainly for the benefit of tribals. Everyone who has settled has more than this, via silos.
Please let me know if I’ve missed something in the stats. I most likely have.
The Point/Decamper
Pre-War Military
Warlike, Scientific
Total Population: 210 (210 Humans)
Total Slaves: 300 (300 Humans)
Food: 1000 (+1000/+0) /4000 (-510)
Energy: 25 (+0/0)
Scrap Parts: 0
Tech Parts: 0
Ammunition: 3450
Other Items: Intact Computers
Education: General
Military Skill: 7
Spoiler:
The Point
(Settlement, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY)
-Population: 210 (210 Humans)
-Slaves: 300 (300 Humans)
+1000 Food: 100/100 (Average)
-Structures: Fortifications (4), Farms (2), Silo (2)
-Items: 380 2H Guns, 90 Laser Weapons, 160 Combat Armour, 25 Early Power Armour
Poxxy’s Chem Dogs/Zappericus
Raiders
Environmentalist, Warlike
Total Population: 450 (450 Humans)
Total Slaves: 310 (150 Humans, 80 Ghouls)
Food: 4000 (+0/+0)/4000 (-760)
Energy: 0 (+0/-0)
Scrap Parts: 0
Tech Parts: 0
Ammunition: 2650
Other Items: 160 Alcohol, 610 Chems
Education: General
Military Skill: 3
Reformed Society for Psychic and Paranormal Research/Marcher Jovian
Civilian Survivors
Industrious, Religious
Total Population: 620 (620 Humans)
Total Slaves: 0
Food: 1000 (+1500/+0)/4000 (-620)
Energy: 0 (+0/-0)
Scrap Parts: 760
Tech Parts: 0
Ammunition: 540
Other Items: Laboratory Equipment
Education: General
Military Skill: 1
Sons of Hope/Trigo238
Pre-War Military
Agricultural, Diplomatic
Total Population: 420 (420 Humans)
Total Slaves: 0
Food: 3000 (+0/+0)/3000 (-420)
Energy: 20 (+0/-0)
Scrap Parts: 0
Tech Parts: 0
Ammunition: 3310
Other Items: None
Education: General
Military Skill: 5
Sovereign Fortuna Guild/Ailedhoo
Boat People
Diplomatic, Maritime
Total Population: 540 (540 Humans)
Total Slaves: 0
Food: 1000 (+700/+200)/4000 (-540)
Energy: 0 (+0/-0)
Scrap Parts: 0
Tech Parts: 0
Ammunition: 330
Other Items: None
Education: General
Military Skill: 1
Spoiler:
Sag Harbour
(Settlement, Sag Harbour, NY)
-Population: 540 (540 Humans)
+700 Food: 50/50 (Average), 10/10 (Dock)
-Structures: Fortifications (1), Farm (1), Dock (1), Silo (2)
-Items: 90 1H Guns, 90 2H Guns, 20 Leather Armour, 3 Canoes, 1 Small Boat
Ursine Order of Hershey/Omega124
Civilian Survivors
Agricultural, Religious
Total Population: 490 (490 Humans)
Total Slaves: 0
Food: 1000 (+1000/+1000)/3000 (-490)
Energy: 0 (+0/-0)
Scrap Parts: 430
Tech Parts: 0
Ammunition: 390
Other Items: 470 Chems
Education: General
Military Skill: 3
sometimes doctor, i'm hit by these moments of lucidity. they smash into me like a wall, and it's like... like nothing before that matters.
Sometimes doctor, I'm hit by these moments of lucidity. They hit me like a wall, and it's like nothing before it ever mattered. No, more like I can't understand what happened before these moments. And then they fade away into...
Sometimes doctor, I'm hit by these moments of.... oh I dunnow. What was I saying?
Ah yes.
Apprehension. Yes. APPREHENSION.
I am hit by apprehension, and the world feels like nothing.
We've all been twisted, you see? Twisted by people who thought it would be fun.
Or maybe we were the ones doing the twisting.
Or maybe they kept us the same and then twisted the world.
Doesn't matter.
a teacher asked a student: "what is five?"
student answered back: "where the hell did your face go"
First there was the Division.
The Colonel (who has many names) took his blade and divided the Sun. It fell upon the earth in rags and ashes. Cold descended upon the earth. The Colonel, regretful, but also perversely prideful at all that he has accomplished, demanded that the Sun fix itself.
What a foolish man.
broken things don't fix itself
There were children locked in the basement, where there is the Machine. The adults said: "Children, We don't even know what your names are. Let us bleed you."
And then the children bled and they giggled.
what fun
no wait they said "DON'T MAKE US DRINK IT"
"WHEN CAN WE SEE OUR PARENTS?"
i dunnow, go dig them up if you want.
Where did the adults go?
There were only children around at some point. Blood on the walls. People nursing wounds.
Faction Name: The Hoboken Shipper Boys & Girls Starting Location: Hoboken, NJ; particularly the sea portions Capital Type: Urban Ruin. Origins: Boat People Traits: Industrious, Maritime. Background: The beginning of the Hoboken Shipper Boys & Girls, unlike most factions, didn't really begin in this century of darkness, but rather, the past that still stalks us all to this very day. The years of 2075-2077 are key for the Shippers. As the situation within the U.S continued to become worse and worse, with no end in sight, an old thing of the past arose. Despite the systematized attempts to purge the labor movement thorough the 20th & 21st century, it never quite died. And with the slow and obvious collapse of order within the United States since the 2060s, it was only became more and more resurgent.
The Hoboken Dockyard Workers Union was one of those unions who spontaneously began to arise as this process occurred, away from the big and "official" unions (that had no teeth at that point), and started to engage in a ferocious battle for a better, fairer treatment. To crush them, the local government applied spies, detectives, and eventually, power armoured troops to quell the dissent. The movement never quite died, and was never quite crushed.
Then came the day. The day of Revelation, as the Bible calls it. Fifty power armoured troops sent out to dispel the strike against the creation of yet another tool of destruction and devastation. At that point, however, the strike was joined by various food & energy rioters, and had grown quite big. Eventually, they were pushed out to the dock itself, with only the water behind them. Last warning, that if they do not comply, they'll be shot.
That is when across the Hudson a blinding light exploded, followed by many more. It all went bright...then dark.
And some of the strikers didn't wake up from their slumber, simply turned to charred meat.
But others, those who did wake up, they were changed. They became ghouls, a terrifying monstrosity, or at least one if you are a human...
The history of the Hoboken Shipper Boys & Girls, however, isn't really the same as that of the Hoboken Dockyards Workers Union. The latter is merely the beginning. Those so very few that survived knew that their numbers were small. But it was also obvious that they couldn't possibly be the only ones who survived. Trekking around with the nearby wastelands with the relatively well-functioning PA they found in the rubble next to them, they began recruiting ghouls, humans, looking for those expelled or found wanting. The Hoboken Shipper Boys & Girls were open to all of those who wanted to live a peaceful way of life.
The revolution that was supposed to free all people did not happen in the founder's (human) lifetimes. But perhaps, just maybe, a better & fairer corner of the world could be created here and now.
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