>year is 1964 >a pair of archealogists find a wierd piece of technology (unrecognizable by any degree) and write reports on there findinga >Before they can even publish the scientific article the two archeealogists find themselves in a little white room in a generic office building and are given 2 nda's and 10 million dollars each to keep quiet. >As it turns out, what these two archealogists found was some sort of spaceportal the government had known about for some time now. >They didn't have the time to send out excavation crews, but now that it was "out in the open" so to speak, it was a more pertinent issue >A few weeks later, when NASA gets a hold of it, they do research and probing to see how to "turn it on" >After a few years of research they are about to turn on this portal when a message comes from upstairs >due to budgetory constraints caused by the recent cuts to nasa's budget, they need to shut down the department. >The shut everything down, lock the doors, and leave.
Campaign starts here: >It is now the year 2016 >3-5 teenagers are taking a field trip to the Nasa headquarters in Washington DC >They get plot hooked into getting lost around the center >eventually they manage to get to one of the really low basement levels >they accidentally stumble upon the gate >somehow by way of cunning, wit, or DM fiat they manage to do what NASA never could and turn it on. >The PCs, are just testing the waters when armed gaurds break in and enter from all sides. >The DMPC that is with the PCs ushers everyone through the portal and then shuts it off, sacrificing themselves in the process. >The PCs find themselves on an Alien world with a similar atmosphere to earth and have to explore to find out how to get back.
I'm thinking I'll start with a plot hook wherein the PCs always here about another "one of their kind", a legendary bounty hunter who travels around the galaxy. His current whereabouts are unkown.
What does Veeky Forums think?
Nicholas Lewis
Also what's a good system for this, I've never ran a sci-fi game before.
Adam Lee
GURPS is always the best system.
Also this seems fun, having the PCs be teenagers in particular seems like it has great potential both to make things interesting and to make them frustrating, as teens aren't particularly competent at things.What sort of planet are we talkin' anyway? Tech level, and intelligent population in particular seems relevant.
Dominic Robinson
I think you're just trying to write a story or campaign rather than a setting.
Mason Wright
Population of the "starter town" planet is intelligent with technology oddly similar to human tech, but about 100 years ahead. Spaceahip transportation between planets is like early commercial flight, using mostly retired military crafts. It is also probably prohibtivley expensive, which should keep the pcs grounded for awhile.
Jeremiah Perry
Nah, even if there are 200 hallways in the Kennedy space center they'll all lead to the same place.
Adam Gutierrez
I read that as >intelligent technology oddly similar to human tech,
The whole town is made of sentient technology.
Isaiah Walker
And it looks like human tech, so it's a town of toasters, washing machines and gaming consoles.
Robert Allen
An addendum, the reason I used setting is because I believe anyone can use that framework to create a story from. I can (and probably will) talk about ideas for a campaign based around that setting in this thread, but I mainly want to know if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing, so they can help me out.
Nathan Sanchez
Do they speak English for no reason, or will the kids have to stuff a fish in their ear?
Is the whole thing gonna be like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or more like Stargate?
Samuel Butler
>Nah, even if there are 200 hallways in the Kennedy space center they'll all lead to the same place. So you ARE writing a campaign, and not a setting.
This is a plot, not a sandbox. You're even saying what happens and what the characters are.
Joshua Torres
Fish in the ear and neither. Ill probably draw more inspiration from.cowboy bebop or something similar.
Justin Morales
See
Matthew Moore
That hardly seems fair. If people can start campaigns by arbitrarily meeting in a tavern, I think OP is fine by providing an actual reason for being there, with a bit of fiat magic. Sounds fun to me.
Juan Carter
Sure, but let's use your example to help show you where the problem is.
>I have an idea for a setting. The characters are 5 former coalminers who go to a tavern. This tavern was built by a man 55 years ago to be a place where the farmers could plot against the counties Duke.
>These coalminers end up finding a document outlining plans to sneak into the Dukes bedchambers and assassinate him.
>The barman, a DMPC, convinces them to follow through on this plan on the Dukes son, who inherited the position, pointing them the right way.
Now is what I just described a setting? Or a campaig/plot?
Henry Anderson
I would say a setting since I'm op, but every setting must include some backstory, including that of how the pcs got to where they were going.
Aaron Nguyen
Sounds good
Savage Worlds
Traveller
Noah Baker
No, a settings backstory includes how the current nations/creatures/peoples/geography etc got to be how it is.
A grander scale of time and history. A specific story about a group of people is not a setting.
Setting backstory explains why magic exists, who the gods are and what theyve done, why there's a city at the foot of a volcano.
Can somebody else chime in here? Is it just me?
And I'll make it clear, the only issue I'm having here is how OP is using the word setting. I know it's not a big deal, but I'm curious to know if I'm in the wrong
Lincoln Peterson
Well, you've described a plot that sheds some light on its setting due to the set pieces described in it. OP has clearly had an idea for a portal (science) fantasy setting, and has described his first idea of the beginning of the campaign, in order for the PCs to enter the setting proper. This information is useful in establishing some facts about the setting from which we can help build it.
Cooper Smith
>you've described a plot That's all I've been saying this whole time. Thank you.
OP hasn't even started on the setting yet. Especially because these teens travel through dimension and end up on some unspecified planet anyway which he has said nothing about
Evan Gray
Well, they did say . ...anyways OP, neat concept, but are you looking for thoughts on that or places to take the setting/campaign?
Hudson Diaz
Well mostly I wanted to know if it was a good setting/plot/campaign but since that's been answered I'd like some advice on running this sort of campaign/setting.
Jose Harris
You're not wrong. OP might have an idea for a setting, but they only described the starting scenario to establish the setting for the PCs.
You need to define what the games are going to be like: wacky Sliders hijinks, fun Stargate adventures, fish-out-of water Farscape exploration, or careful SGU resource management? What will the PCs be doing?
