Based heavily on the map I made as a creative project a while ago that you can see above, I thought it might be fun to run something in. The premise is that there was this player character-tier legendary figure called the Governor-General who came so close to fully unifying Philadelphia with the New Continental Congress to the point there was public works and a professional army. However a sudden explosion that wiped out them and most of their government, combined with their successor horribly failing in leading a campaign against a raider army has lead to the once united city of brotherly love to fall into factionalism with deserters and desperate all over the place.
Two main power blocs have formed and have begun a struggle in an ideological civil war. The Federalists who want to continue the policies of a strong central governance the Governor General enacted during their reign. And the Yeomanists who favor the ideals of freedom and independence championed by the Governor General and want a looser confederation of independent settlements. Of course neither currently reside in the bombed out remains of City Hall and instead occupy the Philadelphia International Airport and the Camden Reclamation Zone respectively. While they fight, the shadow of a Super Mutant Horde once thought defeated by the hand of the Governor-General seeks to stamp out the cradle of liberty.
History A hundred years after the old world burned in the Great War, the cradle of America stirred with the flame of a new nation. Although their origins is shrouded in mystery, the legendary masked Governor-General drove out the mutants and the raiders, uniting the shattered settlements in the City of Brotherly Love. From the ashes, the New Philadelphia Congress rose by the hand of the Governor-General, America born again with the promise of peace, prosperity, and the pursuit of happiness just over the horizon. A new republic with public works, a professional military, and colonial reclamation efforts to restore the birthplace of America was promised a bright future.
But then one day, during a meeting of the Congress, an undetonated nuclear bomb mysteriously went off, vaporizing much of the new government and the Governor-General. However, always a figure of great ability and foresight, the Governor-General had selected a Deputy Governor as a precaution, Commander Benjamin Lincoln. He had been a staunch ally of the Governor since their early days and rallied the grieving nation to action to campaign against a raider alliance forming in the north, only to be decisively defeated by the Raider Boss George "Gory" Gulis. It is said Gulis dropped a building on half of the army Commander Lincoln took with him and drowned the other half by blowing the Tacomy-Palmyra Bridge, drowning thousands of professional Continental soldiers in the Delaware River.
With their senior leadership dead or gridlocked, factionalism took hold. Some declared independence, some turned on their oaths, and others allied themselves with either the Federalists, who wish to carry on the institutions of the Governor General with a strong central government, and the Yeomanists, who value the Governor General's belief in freedom and seek a flexible confederation of empowered settlements. The two sides are locked in a bitter civil war as deserters, raiders, and the desperate surround them. Yet both are blind to a rising force in the west, an old enemy of the Governor General who seeks to stamp out the candle of liberty as a final insult to their ancient foe.
The Remnants Federalists are proponents of a strong centralized authority like the one the Governor General cultivated during their reign. They say the wasteland is too dangerous to go alone and that only by banding together and presenting a strong united front can they hope to withstand and thrive in such a hostile new world. Their stronghold is in the Philadelphia International Airport and the All American Airlines terminal but still hold sway and territory in the city itself.
Yeomanists hold true to the ideals of individual liberty the Governor General espoused during their life time. They believe that the wasteland has already shaped individuals to be stronger than before, and that to have any strong central authority would just invite tyranny. Thus they ardently believe in a confederation of settlements and yeoman homesteads. They have set up a homebase in the Camden Reclamation Zone, the most successful of all the reclamation projects.
Players Character
PCs will be using SPECIAL stats but more as a rough outline of their character instead of using hard rolls for anything. They all have a reason for being in Philly and given both its former prosperity and current dire situation, it has attracted its fair share of wanderers. Just remember this is set 100 years after the bombs fell. I also hold to the philosophy that no one becomes an adventurer because they're comfortable with their current life; you need a good reason to abandon even the relative safety of four walls and a bed to go into the wasteland.
Below is some minor factions that might serve as inspiration for characters and further worldbuilding. Human and ghoul characters are fine. Robot and vault dweller characters will have a little bit of discussion on to what exactly they are. Synths will be restricted to Gen 2 synths as Gen 3 synths are a century away and require more discussion as to why they are here. Super mutants will require heavy discussion on details.
The Rail Clans - While not especially deep, hundreds of desperate civilians fled into the Philadelphia subway as the bombs dropped, desperate for a shred of safety. Their descendants form the modern Rail Clans, each based out of a singular station who often content with raiders and mutants lurking in their subterranean homes. Clad in heavy armor, most are uncomfortable in daylight but do not fear the dark below.
The Constitutionalist Cult - Vault 74 was located under Independence Hall and had a single goal: to create the most patriotic, nationalistic populace who believe in America with every fiber of their being. In this, Vault-Tec was a little to successful as the nationalism of the vault dwellers turned into a religion which worshipped America and its Founders as divine beings. Having twisted every scrap of American myth, culture, and history they were given, they are now guardians of large parts of the city, including the ruined City Hall that both Federalist and Yeomanist forces desperate try to claim.
The Huabu - Pre-war America was not kind to its Chinese and Chinese-American citizens and the Huabu remember it well. Thought to all be communist spies or agents, Chinatown was turned into an open air concertation camp with high walls meant to "protect" its inhabitants although it often just caged them in when the mobs came. They were not spared when the bombs dropped. It was only through a personal connection with the Governor General that the xenophobic Huabu leadership even agreed to join the NPC. Their status as perpetual outsiders in their own home however has made them a haven for all kinds of outcasts, chiefly ghouls who find common sympathy with the Huabu's own storied history.
The Brawlerball Gangs - Fearsome, brutal warriors hailing from South Philly, they are known as much for their antagonizing savagery as their respectable grit. Often seen as barbarians by the rest of the Delavalley, their stadium strongholds are training grounds and arenas where all are welcomed to test their strength and join them in their animalistic worship of fanatical spirits and flying eagles. Despite often being labelled bandits, they're loyal mercenaries hired by other factions. While they may not have many friends, few doubt their strength as they are the type who will fist fight a super mutant with nothing but a football helmet and burning couch cushion.
The Ivory League - Inhabiting the ruins of University City, the Ivory League traces its lineage to not only Vault 61 under the University of Pennsylvania, but the ancient, aristocratic Philadelphia Union League. They see themselves as a beacon of enlightenment and progress in dark times, dedicating themselves to the studies of the Degrees. Everything from medicine and agriculture, to engineering and war is taught in their halls. Although their elitism finds them few friends among the laymen, their research and development has been critical in the continued rebuilding, redevelopment, and reclamation of the Delavalley Wasteland.
The Threemiler Atomites - Being the cultural cradle of America, China's nukes did not spare the City of Brotherly Love. Even by the time the Governor General rose to power, many areas were heavily irradiated beyond what any sane person would dare venture. However, the many undetonated nukes and rad-soaked craters brought pilgrims from a nearby Children of Atom citadel at Three Mile Island. Striking a deal, the Governor General allowed these pilgrims to settle in the most irradiated sites, setting up communities and rad-churches in the hopes of being able to exploit whatever land they were in, making use of otherwise dead space.
The Deitsch Gebiet - When the Unity Crusade swept from the west, Amish refugees fled into the city to flee the oncoming horde of super mutants and raiders. It was the Governor General themselves who lead the newly formed Continental Army into battle against the Unity Crusade, crossing blades in a series of great battles never seen on the East Coast since the time of the Revolution. Despite their victory, hundreds of acres had been burned and pillage. By the decree of the Governor General, Amish refugees were given land in Fairmount Park to call their new home, the "Amish Grant". While most cling to their traditional, peaceful ways, a growing number of radicals lead by "The Batenburger" believe that only through blood can they find peace and with the civil war around them, they no longer see a difference between whose blood they must shed for it.
The Germantown Quakers - Ever since William Penn, Philadelphia had a connection with the Society of Friends or the Quakers. Known for their pacifism and empathy, they took on a mission of charity after the bombs fell that became so well known that even some of the less bloodthirsty raider gangs voluntarily avoid their territory. They have become critical in the aftermath of the collapse of the Congress, taking on hundreds of refugees begging for food and shelter. Like their Amish cousins, they too are struggling with rectifying their pacifism with the more brutal world around them as both sides of the civil war "request" aid for their causes.
The Devilmen Tribes - A catch all term for the strange, esoteric cults hailing from the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, worshipping the Jersey Devil as an emissary for otherworldly powers. Having taken part in Gory Gulis' coalition, some were gifted Petty Island as a reward, turning it into the Isle of the Devilmen.
River Pirates - Flanked by the Delaware on one side and the Schuylkill on the other, Philadelphia's waterways were once safe under the reign of the Governor General. But with the collapse of central authority, raiders, pirates, and deserters take to the waters once more to the dismay of all sailors.
Deserters - Once the pride of the New Philadelphia Congress, the Continental Army has since shattered following Commander Lincoln's crushing defeat at the Tacomy-Palmyra Bridge and the now infamous Fist of Gulis. With their best soldiers and officers dead, the power vacuum saw ambitious warlords and commanders take control of local garrisons for their own ends, refusing to accept orders from either the Federalists or the Yeomanists.
The Brotherhood of Steel - They possess only a minor role in the geopolitics of Philadelphia, even before the collapse of the Congress. Their occupation of the Navy Yards was another deal signed between their Elders and the Governor General in exchange for aid against the Unity Crusade. Some speak of a their desire to create a warship equal to that of Big J, aka the Battleship New Jersey currently under Constitutionalist control, while others believe they are simply interested in the pre-war military tech at the naval yard.
The Ghoul King of Kinoprus - The origins of the Ghoul King are just as mysterious as that of the Governor General's, however all agree that he is a mad, but not feral, ghoul who rules over Castle Kinoprus, the former King of Prussia Mall, in the north east. There he rules as a monarch over a host of his ghoul kindred in a great delusion of medieval royalty and nobility. Despite their seemingly shared delusion, his ghoul Necroknights are among the deadliest single fighters in the Delavalley Wasteland, riding atop petrified steeds at the head of feral ghoul swarms that obey their liege lords' every command. Common gossip said that the Ghoul King even desired to marry a Ghoul Royal to the Governor General to seal an alliance, but nothing ever came of it.
Lockreeder Republic - Before the war, the Lockreed Aerospace Corporation had their headquarters in Morresville, playing a critical part in America's war effort. Such a legacy has not been forgotten by their descendants who have become famed weapon smiths who even created aerial gliders, rare flying machines in the post-war era. Access to their smiths and arsenals was why the security of I-95 was critical to the Congress to the point they let Constitutionalists set up their own forts along the highways to increase safety for caravans.
The Unity Crusade - When the Master's army was defeated in the far west, his Super Mutants scattered far and wide. One contingent fled eastwards, gathering Super Mutants, tribal, raiders, and madmen willing to follow their leader, the Warlord Charon, in his quest to continue to Master's vile plans. Bought with promises of loot, conquest, or threats, his host descended upon Pennsylvania and the Delavalley Wasteland in the 2170's where they were met by the Governor General's Continental Army. Although beaten back and bloody, the NPC was never able to hunt all of his horde down, or find the Warlord himself. Now with the Congress dissolved and the city in chaos, his horde grows as he eyes his long desired prize with certainty in his supremacy.
Expectations
Be civil. The Federalists and Yeomanists are based on the irl Federalists and Anti-Federalists and while there is certain a political element baked into their feud, do not let it spill over. I will come out and say it that both sides have a viable end goal in this situation and both sides have a "fail state" should they take power but certain things happen.
This is aimed somewhere between casual and advanced. No post length requirement beyond no one liners and good grammar. You should be able to write about your characters internal thoughts and have the awareness of their position in the world. While I know there is a lot of information in the hiders (and more behind the scenes, trust me), I don't expect you to become a knowledgeable expert on everything. Still you should know stuff like "Who is the Governor General" and "Why are the two sides fighting".
It has been a while for me. (Hello if you are reading this, yes I am alive!) We're all here to have fun. I know a good amount of Fallout lore but there might be things I overlook or don't realize. Do not hold this against me, we're here to roleplay in this setting I cooked up and not argue over brahman lore. There will also certainly be things I am rusty at but its all a learning process.
Characters shouldn't be Sole Survivor tier or similar. Companion-tier at best, the GG already took that role. You should be capable but not dominate in any field you are in.
Could be interesting, but to be honest I have a few questions.
Do you anticipate our characters being natives or not to the local commonwealth?
If they can be natives, would you allow our characters to begin as members of a faction?
Where would the applicable starting location(s) be?
Do you anticipate keeping our characters together throughout the game?
Are you running the game with the aesthetics of Fallout 4 in mind (As far as Assault Rifles, tanks, Combat Shotguns go) or with Fallout 3 / New Vegas in mind?
Could be interesting, but to be honest I have a few questions.
Do you anticipate our characters being natives or not to the local commonwealth?
If they can be natives, would you allow our characters to begin as members of a faction?
Where would the applicable starting location(s) be?
Do you anticipate keeping our characters together throughout the game?
Are you running the game with the aesthetics of Fallout 4 in mind (As far as Assault Rifles, tanks, Combat Shotguns go) or with Fallout 3 / New Vegas in mind?
What sort of Super Mutants do you have in mind?
No problem.
1) While local is preferred, if you have a good enough backstory then you don't have to be strictly from the area. With the previous NCC being a beacon of stability and relative prosperity prior to everything hitting the fan, people came from all over to make some caps or make a new life for themselves. In the time since, mercenaries and wandering soldiers have likely also came through looking to side with one power bloc or warlord. Of course you can also start as a faction but I'm going to come out and say that the BoS isn't going to have a large role, they're mostly sticking to their firebase. The others are more open though.
2) On starting location and cohesion of the group, I was planning on having people all start together on a ship being attacked by river pirates. I'm looking for more of an adventuring group style of play if only to keep things easier to keep track of in my head. As for why you guys are all sticking together, I'm working on it but the current idea is that each person has a piece of a macguffin related to the GG.
3) On aesthetics, I am thinking of somewhere between 4 and 3 but leaning towards 4. The F4 Assault Rifle would be more like an LMG and the F3 Assault Rifle would be base. Combat shotgun is F4's style where as combat and pipe rifles would still be around.
4) Super Mutants in this case are a lot more rare as they're actually mostly from the West with the leader of the Unity Crusade being one of the Master's creations. The Unity Crusade is actually mostly comprised of other raiders and mutants with some Super Mutants acting as the elite. Some might have wandered in from Appalachia, but for the most part Super Mutants aren't "native" to Philly. They have Fallout 4's aesthetic for them though.
I'm very interested in this. I did want to ask if you were envisioning this being a heavy combat RP, or if there would be a mix of combat and story. I saw that you wanted to make this an adventure type RP (which is fine!), but I also think the lore for this would potentially include a lot of character exploration.
I'm very interested in this. I did want to ask if you were envisioning this being a heavy combat RP, or if there would be a mix of combat and story. I saw that you wanted to make this an adventure type RP (which is fine!), but I also think the lore for this would potentially include a lot of character exploration.
I would say mix, there would certainly be enough time for characters to interact with both each other and the world.
Alright everyone, thanks for your interest so far! Here's the character sheet to get you guys thinking. If you want to just post your character idea or concept ahead of time without fully fleshing out a CS, by all means go ahead so we can talk about it here. Use whatever format you want but ultimately it should be readable.
Name: (Self Explanatory) Age: (Self Explanatory) Gender: (Self Explanatory) Origin: (Are you a local or someone from out of town? Are you a wastelander or vault dweller? The TV show has confirmed that people outside the vaults did manage to survive and in Philly both the Rail Clans and the Huabu are larger groups who claim direct lineage from the non-vault survivors. If you have some tie to a local faction mention it here.)
Background: (What was your childhood like or earlier growth period? Something you did that help define you before taking on your modern role. Keep it short.) Occupation: (What do you do at the outset of the story or right before it? This is what your career is basically. Also keep short.) Backstory: (This is where you can elaborate more on an in-depth backstory if you want. Where as Background and Occupation are more supposed to be quick references so people know what you are at a glance, this is for the juicy lore. I would recommend putting it in a hider)
SPECIAL: (This is less a hard number and more of a rough guideline on your abilities. Everyone starts at 1 in all categories and has 35 Points to distribute across all stats.) Skills: (Pick three skills that are especially noteworthy and you want to highlight. Not having a skill in something doesn't necessarily mean you are entirely unskilled, its just the three you pick here are your exceptional abilities. Click here for a full list of skills.) Initial Equipment: (What you are starting with. It should be reasonable and line up with your background and occupation.)
Now as for the starting scenario, everyone for one reason or another is on a boat on the Delaware River. Upon reaching the rules of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, the ship is attacked by bandits and river pirates once part of Gory Gullis' gang and is ultimately marooned on the shore by the extremely dangerous Fist of Gullis and having to make their way down south to more relative safety in one of several ways. More plot concepts to come so people know what they're getting into. I'm a believer that the only secrets should be in charcter.
@ClocktowerEchos, I'm thinking of a former member of the Continental Army who survived the defeat of the Deputy General; what's the age of conscription/recruitment?
@ClocktowerEchos, I'm thinking of a former member of the Continental Army who survived the defeat of the Deputy General; what's the age of conscription/recruitment?
Recruitment started at 18 and I want to say its been about half a year since the Deputy General fell in combat. With more desperate times of course you'll start seeing the recruitment age become lower and the recruitment perhaps become less voluntary. For a more veteran soldier though, I'd put them around at least early to mid 20's.
If they're a bit older and have been in the army for longer, they might even remember the golden years of the Continental Army when the Governor General was still around and led them in person against raider gangs and even the Unity Crusade. The war against the Unity Crusade is more popularly known as the Valley Forge Defiance where Philadelphia had become so stable, that the GG was comfortable taking the bulk of his army out of the city and to Valley Forge to fight the Unity Crusade in a proper battle with logistics, formations, and strategies not seen since the old world and a far cry from the wasteland raids and caravan ambushes that were more common.
@ClocktowerEchos, Hmm, I was thinking that he was new when the Continental Army suffered its great defeat, yes.
Other ideas I have are a rich merchant who is also relatively young and naive, or some sort of older scholar/political theorist who wants to bring together the Yeomanists and Federalists under a more moderate consensus. Would those be viable?
@Letter Bee That still works, a new recruit to the Army just after its fall and in the first desperate scramble after the death of the General.
Both the merchant could work, late to the prosperity but chaos brings its own opportunities. As for the scholar, both sides are pretty deadset in their ways at the moment, it will take a lot of talking at this point but its still reconcilable as the war is young.
@Letter Bee That still works, a new recruit to the Army just after its fall and in the first desperate scramble after the death of the General.
Both the merchant could work, late to the prosperity but chaos brings its own opportunities. As for the scholar, both sides are pretty deadset in their ways at the moment, it will take a lot of talking at this point but its still reconcilable as the war is young.
All sound good, yes. Let me look for an idea to commit myself to.
Sure living in an old underground rail station wasn't perfect, it was no vault after all, but it was a lot more than some others had. Having a clan, a community, a home. He should have never brought that old damaged junk bot back, he was stupid to think he could reprogram it. But how was he to know what the raiders had done to it... Either way, there were those in his clan that couldn't even look at him any more, and others that could barely restrain from attacking him on sight.
After one little lapse of judgment and after ignoring one simple order, he was no longer welcomed at his home.
But wow... who would of thought a reprogrammed mr handy could reap so much carnage.
Gear: Makeshift motley heavy armor. Tool belt and tools. Welding goggles. Faulty shock baton.
I'm curious about the Deitsch Gebiet. Do they specialize in anything or focus in anything? I have a character in my mind, but I want to know before setting anything in stone.
@Dark Light Nice start! I don't expect you to know the Philadelphia subway system, but do you what station they'd be from? I know off the top of my head, the Broad Street Line (Orange Line) runs entirely underground going north-south from the Sports Complex (which is a Brawllerball stronghold in this) to Fernrock Transport Center in North Philly (which is basically a no man's land and possibly even lost/fallen to raiders). Sort of like a lost dwarf hold in fantasy only you know where it is. The Market-Frankfort actually goes above ground from 69th Street to after 46th street and goes underground.
@Raqueltrper No problem, the Deitsch Gebiet/Amish Grant is pretty much just a chunk of land the GG gave to the Amish refugees who were fleeing the Unity Crusade. Originally Fairmount Park and the other areas, its been turned into a decently idyllic agrarian area built in the fashion of the old Amish communities that were destroyed by the Unity Crusade. On the map it extends from the Please Touch Museum to the Emissary of the Ghoul King.
In its hey day it was the single largest food producing area in Philly and its leaders of the Old Order Council signed agreements with the GG and the Congress that gave them access to like 90% of their export crops which they then used as a mean to build up communities and settlements with food shipments with the surplus of food allowing other settlements to become more specialized in their own labors. It was thanks to them that the Rail Clans could stop rationing food, settlements finally had excess food, and distant forts were able to be resupplied. Plus a strong presence in the food trade gave the government caps to spend as well. Aside from farming, they were also the primary point of contact with the Kinoprus Ghoul Court and were in the river trade along the Schuylkill River.
Of course now, the roads aren't safe and there is no central government to negotiate with. A bad harvest prior to the start has meant they don't have the food to share like they used to but there are still mouths who need food. As Philadelphia starves, more and more are turning to banditry and stealing food from places like the Quakers and the Amish and to say nothing of the deserters and factions also asserting their "legitimacy" to the old treaties. This is part of what is pushing some away from their solely defensive brand of limited pacifism towards the very hostile and very aggressive radical Batenburgers who you could liken to a radical Amish supremacy group who take the phrase "peace through excessive bloodshed and violence" to heart. They believe once they've secured peace for their people they will be able to repent for their violence but the Council just barely tolerates them as they are willing to defend the Amish Grant regardless. Deitsch are Deitsch after all.
