You have to create a near-future fantasy setting that isn't Shadowrun or blatant not!Shadowrun (similarities will be inevitable, but I mean something original in its own right). What's it look like?
>Magic has (probably) been brought back into the world by one of a number of occult conspiracy organizations. Which one and why is the central mystery of the setting. >No not!Matrix and less focus on hacking. The idea of a VR cyberworld is so painfully 90's it was part of the Spiderman Clone Saga, and realistic hacking isn't easy/fun to replicate in tabletop. >Human only. I'm not opposed to the idea of metahumans, it's just that "cyberpunk w/elves" is Shadowrun in a nutshell >Less upheaval caused by the reemergence of magic. It's a shock to everyone, warfare and some other things are certainly changed, but for the most part the world keeps turning as it had been. Probably less revolutionary than the internet or cars, when you get right down to it. >Magic is ritual based. Spells can be cast on the spot but they're more likely to succeed the more time and effort is put into them >Magic is sort of like skateboarding- everyone tries it when they're younger, but most people give up when they realize it takes years and years to do anything actually cool with it. The people who are serious about it stick together and tend to live on the fringes of society. >Overall much less gritty tone. I never thought Shadowrun worked very well as a serious setting and I'm really sick of cyberpunk grimderp.
Nolan Wilson
Global warming has lead to massive floods, over time resulting in a new seasonal landscape, with once-temperate and cold areas now warmer and more tropical. Life goes on, with boating making a heavy comeback to transport between different islands and as self--sustaining floating colonies.
Upper-class societies are generally large, cruise-ship-esque city-boats, lower class individuals are working as farmers/miners on islands and selling it to the ships that pass by.
As industrialism wanes and renewable energies and other clean powers and such rise to prominence out of necessity, nature gradually begins to re-adjust as well.
This isn't a very good RPG setting but it's what I've got. Maybe potential for for post-future ghibli anti-punk RP with a focus on comfiness?
Daniel James
>This isn't a very good RPG setting but it's what I've got. Maybe potential for for post-future ghibli anti-punk RP with a focus on comfiness? I can think of plenty of directions to go with this >SoL game where the players are managing the ship, have to keep everything running and keep the neo-aristocrats entertained >Players are security forces for a ship, fighting off pirates and gradually uncovering an evil plot by some of those on board >Players ARE the pirates
Eli Moore
Why do you think that a futuristic fantasy setting is the same thing as Shadowrun? Shadowrun isn't a futuristic fantasy setting, it's literally real life earth then suddenly magic isn't it?
Gabriel Edwards
It's literally today if today was what the 70's and 80's thought today was going to be like.
Aiden Powell
Humanity's taken its first true, sure steps into space - the moon and Mars have permanent colonies with a massive space station city between the moon and Mars, itself a vibrant celestial colony. But how were such feats accomplished a scant 100 years from now?
When the first private companies began seriously exploring, long periods of experimentation and manned exploration of our solar neighbourhood coincided with two things: emergent human psychic potential, and the first sightings of Spirits. It's not known if one was the result of the other, but some time in the mid 2050s, when small, sleek ships were speeding past Saturn's many moons, explorers began to notice shapes flitting and swimming about the blackness. They were what humanity came to call Spirits, sparse at first, but the further out one went, the more numerous they came to be, until space was positively swarming with them beyond the bounds the Pluto. How we had not seen them before, was unknown. It has been posited that either organic human eyes and minds were needed to see them, or psionics were responsible. Regardless, a great resurgence of spiritualism took hold of Earth and her colonies. Mediums, summoners, seances and more were gathered and held. And they worked. We could communicate, albeit sparingly and only on the most basic of levels. The Spirits knew a great jumble of odd things, sometimes held answers, sometimes held more questions. One of those questions was if they were even benevolent.
As for humanity's psychic abilities, they were wholly supernatural - telekinesis, telepathy, remote viewing and a host of other abilities beyond natural means began to express themselves, but in comparatively mild forms. A man might not lift with his mind more than he could his own arms. A mind, it appeared, was just as hard to read as the outward expression and a remote viewer might not see more than they saw.
Psychic explorers, ghost cults, Human Purists, Ascenders and inscrutable spirits in the void.
Liam Campbell
The Behavioral Sink has intensified, resulting in a global outbreak of mass insanity and the breakdown of society. Most of the human population is dead, either at the hands of other humans, inability to acquire resources or suicide. The cities are all haunted and the things that stalked the shadows ten thousand years ago have returned to reclaim the Earth.
Brandon Rivera
>Magic has always existed, it's just been awfully fiddly and underdeveloped as a field of study until recently >Alchemists managed to get modern Chemistry started before actually getting their shit to work, Astrology didn't take into account what modern Astronomers now know about the cosmos, and that sort of thing >Similarly, supernatural beings have always existed. >Lycanthropy and Vampirism are simply diseases whose outbreaks tend to burn out quickly, Fairies are just straight up the same beings that in recent years have been reported as Aliens, Dragons have turned out to exist (mercifully in relatively small and unintelligent forms) in high mountain rangers, not to mention the dozens of fucking weird species and locations in otherwise overlooked corners of the globe >Sure, finding out that there's more than a grain of truth in many myths was a great shock (one that's spawned more than a few movements dedicated to 'proving' stories written relatively recently), but usually a pleasant one. >Textbooks are being rewritten, entire fields of pseudoscience are begin sifted through for the truth, strange alloys and artifacts are being dug up and reproduced, islands long-thought legendary can be charted with a few mystical upgrades to modern satellites, and much more. >The world is suddenly a lot larger. Metaphorically.
Nathan Myers
Humanity has become a hivemind. Everyone's brains have been linked via the internet, and their thoughts and feelings are constantly being monitored both by society at large and various government organizations. Players play as Thought Police, preemptively arresting dissidents and stamping out wrongthink.
Owen Perry
Let me expand on this, as I don't think I quite got across the 'near-future' part
>The basic sovereign entity is no longer the Nation-State, but instead the Megapolis >Not quite the endless sea of skyscrapers once feared and anticipated, but more a collection of tightly woven cities, their suburban dependencies, and whatever resources they've managed to get their hands on >This was not an overnight process, and indeed many once-prominent polities and organizations still exist on paper. Others simply made the transition by shifting all their priorities to their largest urban areas. But for most, they just fell apart. Despite what BosWash might claim, the 'ReUnited States' will never come to be, and the less said about China's resemblance to the last few times a dynasty fell apart, the better >While large corporations do play a role in these new powers, they mostly play the part of a loyal producer of whatever that Megapole might need. Even when a corp plays a larger role, it's mostly to prop up a market. There's way more money in serving kings than being king, after all. >The vast areas between these regions are occasionally interrupted by infrastructure connecting said regions or the resources the cities need. Unless there's a skirmish over who gets to extract what resource, the rural regions go mostly unnoticed. >And as rural regions have emptied out, they've become less and less relevant. Montana is now in the same league as Mongolia, if you catch my drift. >This lack of civilization's interference has allowed vast stretches of wilderness to reemerge into these areas, oftentimes exposing once rare, once mystical creatures to modern surveillance equipment
Jordan Watson
Continued because I apparently have more to say.
>Similarly, this lack of oversight has allowed many a fringe political movement, weird ass hermit, secure labs, or unorthodox religious group to move out beyond the grasp of normal authority. While most of these are benign and keep to themselves, occasionally they'll make a move or security teams come a' knockin. >And there certainly are a good number of such groups these days! The collapse of nations and the mainstream acceptance of magic sent many ideological and theological shockwaves. Despite most ideologies managing to incorporate the new reality into themselves, it was inevitable that a few crazy fucks managed to cobble together something compelling enough for those looking for a cause to latch onto.
Chase Butler
A breakthrough in energy and particle physics allows humanity to harness a cosmic force to drive such technologies as quantum computing, FTL, hard-light projections, and sustainable energy, pushing us towards a post-scarcity age. On top of that, there's now artificial sapience and genetically engineered humans designed to take advantage of this advanced tech. We are moving too fast, too soon, no longer pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human but outright crossing them.
In the global conflict that results, Earth is made barren. The awesome power unleashed upon our home planet has scorched it to cinders, and all that remains of humanity is the uneasy union of its three races drifting around the solar system.
Aaron Myers
That's really well thought out. I think I'm going to borrow a lot of that for my own setting. Megapoli seem really well suited to an RPG campaign. How about this: >Global warming is starting to reverse itself >Ecological necessity ironically favored the cities, which rapidly sped up rural decay. >Renewable energy sources aren't as geographically dependent as fossil fuels. Any coastal city can have the bulk of its energy needs met by offshore wind farms, for example. >Cloned meat and crops (which are far more space and resources efficient than traditional farming) are commonplace. Meat that came off living animals is increasingly seen as barbaric and unclean, while growing crops are for the very rich as a hobby, or the very rural as a necessity. What specifically caused the decline of national governments? Were they rendered irrelevant by technology and increasingly fluid borders, or did gridlock and infighting over the early 21st century force more local governments to become increasingly independent and self-sufficient?
Blake Lee
The world has suddenly increased an uptick in weirdness. No, not magic like in Shadowrun, no, but a more abstract type of strange. First public official contact between Bigfoots was achieved, and now they have their own reservation in Yellowstone. Skinwalkers become famous youtubers, some of them achieving citizen status. Ghost sightings rise through the roof, reality glitches happen more often and in increasingly predictable circumstances, all the while technology rises to quantum computing and colonization of the solar system. There's still no magic, but more and more esoteric beliefs crop up. Tulpa making is considered a pasttime, and new laws are made up to protect their rights. There are people and para-people who embraced this age of high strangeness, and there are those who wanted things to return to 'normalcy', whatever that's like in this age.
Nathaniel Allen
Emergence >By Digging down or other digging up, human civilization has clashed with a vast subterranean network of deep tunnels and underground domes, primarily located under the oceans of the planet, hence their previous undetection. >These tunnels and domes are home to a number of races who are magic-capable, but not as technologically capable. After a brief period of turmoil after first contact on following the emergence, humans and the underfolk make a series of treaties and trade agreements, the main effect of which is the magic and technology being taught and exchanged between the races.
>Smallfolk Communities and cities of Dwarves, Hobbits, Halfings and Gnomes. Demihuman variations who have taken over the majority of the tunnels with their greed, and population growth. Supposedly originated by early human tribes who found ways down into the tunnels at various points in their evolution. They have cities and communities, and underground train lines that link their settlements. Limited magic use taught to the by the Saurians.
>Grays Several isolated domes contain the remnants of the gray-skinned orc-like races, their domes sealed off from the network by magic and the collapsing of their tunnels. They're highly aggressive and large and were originally trapped in the tunnels and exiled from the surface by forces unknown in eons past. Originated from an offshoot of the Neanderthal race, that was warped by magics long ago.
>Saurians A saurian race with millions in hibernation who originally dug the tunnel network when they fled underground during the great dinosaur extinction event. The 'wardens' watch over the sleeping millions and have begrudgingly maintained relationships with the dwarves and their kin, but attack any Grays on sight, as they have lost several hives full of sleepers due to their invasions. Adept Magic users, the hibernation is in part to hide from the Ancients - a race they warred with upon their first at emergence millennia ago.
Ayden Green
>The Ancients Essentially a group of highly reclusive magically gifted humans with longevity who learned magic from the saurians after their first emergence attempt millennia ago. They have been warped by their exposure and reckless use of powerful magics and this had caused them to have a fey/elf-like appearance. However due to their reclusive nature and illusionary magics they and have lived on the surface with humans undetected. Each ancient is thematically tied to an ancient human civilization (normally where they tried their hand at being a ruler/deity) and often has access to a network of followers who are unaware of their master's nature.
The underfolk carry tales of the Ancients >The Grays tell stories of the creators, as some of the were the ancients were the ones who uplifted they into a warrior race to fight the first saurian emergence. However, only some tribes know that it was the Ancients who sealed them underneath the surface magically.
>The Smallfolk know of an ancient called the Elder, who was the one who remained below the surface to complete the sealing spell from both sides. The Elder has been known to appear at smallfolk settlements, aid them, teach them magics and help with Gray-eruptions before disappearing again. He has not been seen in generations.
>Lizardfolk know the ancients but are under the impression that they would be long extinct above the surface by now, due an infertility curse being placed upon them during the first emergence.
With underfolk moving above the surface, and human adventuring and diplomatic parties venturing beneath the surface. The two worlds seem to be merging. Human Campaigners for Gray rights, seek to unseal their domes, Saurian wardens seek to reclaim land above the surface so they may awaken their kin and smallfolk try their best to make lives above the surface in a world far too big for them. Meanwhile the Ancients watch on from the shadows, having lifted the barrier for reasons unknown.
Benjamin Fisher
It is discovered that magic is behind the majority of physics laws, a world without magic would be a completely static world.
Scientists study ways to overcome the entropy of mana, discovering more about magic makes the world more capable of movement based technology.
Warpgates and Warppistols are a thing, there are also espers which basically do the same thing without needing tools.
Science education is replaced with magic education but people are bored of magic because it is too scientific.
Bentley Davis
I like it. Any more?
Henry Reed
bump
Chase Turner
Atlantis returns. As in, a whole island appears in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Anything we send there doesnt come back, not even radio waves, but we can clearly see an island from a distance.
As soon as Atlantis returned, magic started coming back around the world. People with the blood if ancient wizards, godkings, or ancestral deals with demons suddenly found themselves manifesting new powers or gaving those deals enforced.
The gods are waking up, and the only reason we know what the fuck is going on is that the Fair Folk are back.
In the old days, Wizard King Atlan stole magic from the goblins, created the gods as giant magical servants from his own stillborn children, and used their power to create Atlantis. Magic was life under his rule, and his people used it to extend their lives and turn themselves into beautiful superhumans, what we call Elves.
But after unlocking the secrets of the World, Atlan turned his eye beyond it. He tore Atlantis from our world to act as a way to explore the worlds beyond. But doing so broke our world, the magic draining from it. The Fair Folk retreated to pocket realms to preserve their way of life, visiting our world in secret across the ages.
No one knows why Atlantis is back, or what it means. Strange new gods, unfamiliar to the Elves, call it theirs now.
Magic is back. The rules have changed. And no one knows what happens now.
Oliver Rivera
I want to do a proto-biopunk setting where magic is linked to nature. An increasingly organic world, instead of an increasingly artificial one like classic cyberpunk. The precursors of plastics are now grown by genetically modified bacteria. Cybernetic implants never really got off the ground, having too many inherent flaws. Growing organs and limbs in vats is now far cheaper, and harnessing the power of the spirit makes rejection pretty much unheard of. On the other hand, it's a world that's increasingly "sterile" and isolated. Increasingly urban, probably along the lines of what said. City streets lined with trees planted by the local government, because only the rich have a yard of any appreciable size, even out in the suburbs. "Natural" in the Whole Foods sense of the word while more and more cut off from actual nature.
Andrew Bennett
>Cybernetic implants never really got off the ground, having too many inherent flaws. Oh, also cyberpunk fiction exists in the setting as its version of steampunk. Instead of people gluing cogs to tophats, they glue old microchips to pleather jackets
William Scott
Magic can only be used via the careful manipulation of small marble-like objects. Everyone thinks it's silly or too complicated be worth mastering aside from 'magicians', until someone invents a gun that can fire them.
Ayden Martin
I like the solarpunk aesthetic a lot desu So dome cities Ecoterrorists Hippies who execute people because they're bad vibes man Fungus-based hivemind AI computer that will eventually become neurally integrated Overall very relaxed and peaceful society but with a very, very black and white morality that's based on growth vs corruption. Everyone is basically a subtly hateful, virtue-signalling SJW who is blindly "positive". Evil isn't really seen as existing, there's only illness and wellness, but accusing one of illness is a commonly used tactic to enforce one's opinions. Violence is abhorred except when it's an act of the state, bad vibes man we should live in harmony Soma is a big thing Psionics do exist but they're mostly divorced from ritual spiritualism, instead they're seen as very organic processes. Spiritualism is almost heresy in a way because believing in better worlds or what have you is anti-nature. Most people are capable of light empathy, some who are well-trained or born prodigies can perform telepathy. The most gifted psionics users can manipulate life on a minute biological level, sort of like a science druid, and can shape trees or synthesize toxins in a victim's bloodstream using chemicals already in their body. Telekinesis is like a macro version of this that's very uncommon.
