"Desolation" - comments please

[RedGoblin]

Just a quick little diddy I wrote up this evening that I thought had some potential for gaming scenarios and possibly a little more story writing. What do you guys think?

I've been watching A LOT of zombie movies again lately, along with some Sci-Fi and a couple westerns. Thought a mixture of all three might be an interesting setting, and thus the plantery colony Desolation was born. This was just a quick exercise to let me put it down in writing and get help my thought process along. Let me know what you guys think about it. Sound interesting?

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Welcome to Desolation, population 30566, or at least it was!

It was the year 2206, mankind was coming dangerously close to exhausting all of the natural resources on Earth and the population was finally becoming a world wide issue. It was at this time that we, the human race finally began to expand into the deep reaches of the cosmos, terraforming and colonizing various planets as we discovered them.

Now, I'd like to tell you that these were the only problems the human race had at this time, however they weren't. War and treachery still ran deep in our veins and the exploration of the cosmos did nothing to quell those flaws. But I'm not here to tell you of a peaceful universe, or of a better mankind, no. I'm here to relate to you, the tale of Desolation.

Ya see, Desolation was one of mankind’s first planet colonizing attempts, and it went pretty well at first. It was called home by some of the most rugged, mean colonials you could imagine. Heck, you'd half to be pretty mean and rugged to attempt settling a world before ya knew it would work. But they did it.

It was really no time before they had a right good town established and began a nice exporting industry with other colonies on some of the closer planets. About 30 years after Desolation was settled it had grown in leaps and bounds, from a small terraforming colony to a rather decently sized city with some thirty-thousand folk calling it home. However as I told you earlier, a peaceful people we had not become, and with all these various colonies it was inevitable that an eventual take over would occur, and that it did! Being that Desolation's primary export was an extraordinary metal, which had become renowned for its strength, the opposing faction saw it only sensible to seize control of that precious commodity and set out to take over Desolation.

They sent an AI-Bomb, developed to eradicate all life within its blast radius yet leave all structures standing and intact, thus leaving them in control of this fantastic metal to harvest and mine. However, they had no way of knowing that the gas from the AI bomb would have a reaction to Desolations atmosphere. Instead of just wiping out life on the fertile planet it caused a reaction that sent Desolation into a sort of nuclear summer. Fires spread, exploding fuel stations and reactor cores causing incredible damage to the planet and city. But that wasn't the worst friend. What it did to the poor folk of Desolation was even more depraved and unthinkable than you can imagine. Those blasted by the nuclear flash we decimated. Some had their life ripped from their bodies, but did not die, instead their bodies still functioned at a carnal, instinctual or bestial, level as it were. While others were reduced to shadows of their former selves, or what we now call Ghasts...they too had been ripped down, mentally, to a carnal level desiring only to satiate what seemed to be an endless hunger. Now it’s rumored a few of those poor folk on Desolation survived. The few salvage missions that were sent to there were said to have never returned, and all attempts to reclaim the mining planet since have ended in tragedy. It has become a Ghost planet and ironically enough, lived up to the name, Desolation.

[supervike]

sounds very interesting...would indeed make a good 'back story' for a mini game...

[RedGoblin]

Thanks Supervike!

The explosion caused by the AI bomb has rendered technological equipment within its blast radius useless, leaving the survivors no way off the planet.

Also the landscape within the radius has become a desolate desert type atmosphere…

Only the forunate people outside the blast radius have survived, along with their vehicles etc… Settlements have started to spring up here and there formed by these survivors…But those foolish enough to settle near Desolation have become plagued by their unliving Kinfolk.

Runners to Desolation risk their lives, but reap great rewards as well by scavaging through the old city remains.

Typical Scenario:

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A team of runners attempting to salvage a well pump for a nearby settlement are set upon by a trove of their dead kinfolk and have to fight thier way out, guns blazing and attracting more of the would be undead diners the Runners find themselves backed into what seems to be a no win sich'iation.

A Little more explanation of Desolation:

The metal is a Natrural Resource of the planet and was mined by the settlers. Its exceptional qualities would be that it is Harder than steel but lighter and more workable. While being mined it was becoming a large commodity to construct various ships and vehicles.

The Colonial revolution:

As refered to, some of the colonies on various planets wished to govern themselves completely and sever all allegience to Mother Earth or M.E., Desolation was a Loyalist planet for various reasons. However because of its metal the Renegade colonies sought to sieze control of Desolation as they believed if they could produce their machines of war with this metal they would be ensured victory against M.E.

Nuclear Summer:

The nuclear event caused by the AIBomb has left the planet effected in a multitude of ways aside from just populace and dead technologies. It has caused freak weather conditions, earthquakes, wind storms, Radiation clouds etc...