Okay, so basically what I'm thinking is this. Instead of spreading out thinly geographically we can start out in say California, having a few storylines there. Like the one we discussed, maybe moving the brother and sister to California. We could do some soldiers trying to keep some sort of order, maybe a gang. Like the gangs of California, after chaos hit they could have filled the vacuum and tried to expand their influence and power. For example, Los Angeles could belong to gangs at this point, it being a battleground between the Bloods and the Crips. And when we want to move to another place we can use some of the characters, like a soldier getting moved to another place, the brother and sister could be making their way somewhere, etc. Explore this new world area by area, region by region. Needs work I know, but just wanted to share here while it was fresh in my mind to see if it sparks anything for you, so what do you think?