Campaign Settings in Apocalyptic Space

Campaign Settings
There are many ways and settings to start your campaign from. The Lunar Resort was used in the basic set as an easy introduction to the basic rules and a transition for players of other RPG's. Here we will detail at a high level several sample starting points that we intend to detail in source books. You are encouraged to develop others as starting points or as destinations for the exploration teams from the Luna Resort to are seeking to revive the ancient places of the old empire.

The Lunar Resort Domes
The Basic Set featured the Lunar Resort Colony here the last of humanity survive untainted by the bio-plagues in large numbers. However, they exist in an illusionary world created for the entertainment of the ancients. In the centuries of peace and plenty, the Moon had been a vacation colony where humans played with their own past in automated, self-sufficient, gravity-controlled domes. Among the historical epochs humans could explore, there was one dome dedicated to ancient Egypt, another for King Arthur’s Camelot, and a third made to resemble Chicago during the Roaring Twenties. As part of the experience, computer chips slotted into the vacationers' brains (common, inexpensive technology in the 25th Century) temporarily altered their own memories so the enclosed, artificial world would seem utterly real. When the vacation ended, their true memories and modern knowledge were again unblocked, but while the trip lasted, their surroundings would have ultimate believably.
When it became clear that Luna would be invaded, the artificial intelligences controlling the Moon bases reprogrammed the chips implanted in the minds of everyone currently on the Moon. They already believed that their surroundings were real and that they belonged in these historical or mythological times, thanks to the computer chips. The managing A.I.’s changed that programming subtly so instead of being primarily focused on enjoying themselves, the people in the domes were instilled with a will to live and fight according to the cultures where they found themselves. Harmless weapons were transformed through nanotechnology into the real things, or something even better than the real things. Disintegrating bullets in gangsters' Tommy guns became jacketed slugs. The dull, lightweight swords and lances of King Arthur's knights became tempered, molecular-sharp steel. The android clerics of Egypt's five gods were given beam weapons.
As the aliens entered each dome, there was massive death and destruction. During the first 24 hours, the domes' nanotechnology defenses attacked the aliens' technology and left them with dust for weapons. (This defense was designed to prevent vacationers from bringing dangerous weapons into the domes, but it worked against the aliens just as well.) On the second day, the army of the Pharaoh, the Knights of the Round Table, and the organized criminal gangs of Chicago counterattacked. The aliens survived—barely—and adjusted, quickly becoming an acknowledged force in each dome, but without their superior technology they could neither conquer nor dominate. 300 years passed . . .

Catacombs of Luna: Moon Base 1
Here Humans are awakened by an A.I. To be sent on missions to established contact with old installations in and near Luna with the hope of contacting the lost Human Fleet.

The Blasted Earth: Aftermath on Earth Prime
Here mutant societies and alien infestations compete for survival among earth and alien fauna and flora twisted by the bio-mutagens, plagues, and xenoforming agents gone wild on the Blasted Earth.

Rings of Terra: Awakening Amidst the Maelstrom
Here the party awakens or is part of a small group surviving in a portion of a star ship. The ship is heavily damaged and not all sections have power. It is adrift among thousands of other craft and debre now forming a ring around Earth Prime.
Apocalyptic Mars: Cyborg Revolution
Here players take on the role of Cyborgs, Robots, and Androids among the automated mining facilities on Mars. War between factions makes this a difficult starting point and highly lethal to players who are not cautious.

The Jupiter Ship yards: Dawn of Man
Normally once would travel to this site from the Blasted Earth, The Rings, or the Lunar Resorts. However, you can start characters here as they are pull from hibernation and sent on missions for resources and at some point launch in one of the ships for a colony world. You might also have them go explore Earth, Mars, or Luna before jumping out of system.

Wolf 359: Humanity Survives on Perth3
Perth3 was a thriving Human World and it survived the Alien onslaught to a point. They now are a Steam Technology culture fighting the Gigantic Alien Striders that roam the surface. The Equator of Perth3 is not inhabitable by Humans being around 130 degrees but the Alien invaders trapped on the surface when their star ships were wiped out thrive.

I have been thinking of an alternative start. Awaking on the Alien star ship in a sample container which was to be carried back to their home world. We are working on a damaged (hulled) Alien carrier floating between The Blasted Earth and Mars. So who would like to wake up as cargo with nothing as a starting point on an Alien ship?

So for sometime now we have talked about LS1: The Lunar Surface. Well this series of modules if now under development. Lunar Surface Adventures (LS series) are stand alone adventures which can be used by characters from either the Lunar Resort for Moon Base 1.

Moon Base 1 is one of several alternative starting location and campaign settings coming in 2017 as we discussed earlier in this thread.

Catacombs of Luna: Moon Base 1
Here Humans are awakened by an A.I. To be sent on missions to established contact with old installations in and near Luna with the hope of contacting the lost Human Fleet.

Anyway, Back to LS1: Ancient Asternauts
Back Cover

This adventure is the first in a series of modules that take placed on the Lunar surface, within ancient installations, or within derilct space craft on Luna. Each adventure can be played independent of the others.

The ancient astronauts adventure can begin with characters from the Lunar Resort or with character who awake from crystal sleep 300 years after the Earth has been destroyed. This book includes new equipment, new skills, new mutations, and new encounters.

The party will need to explore the surface looking for the source of a signal. Along the way they will gather resources they may need for continued survival and return those things to their base camp.

The modules includes

• two small space craft floor plans.
• one small sized lunar installation.
• Pre-Generated NPC's are provided for those new to the lost 77 Worlds whom have not played in the Lunar Resort setting included in the basic boxed set.

Prelude
Luna was quite a different place than what we know today. 300 years ago it housed research complexes, exotic vacation resorts, manufacturing plans, and some mining though that was winding down with the next ships that could get to Mars or even many asteroid settlements and back nearly as quickly as they could the moon. While mining was falling off research and exotic tourism was picking up, Evening manufacturing for NEO satallites and spacestations were doing quite well. Then the aliens attacked Sol System. The moon was mostly by passed. The Lunar space port was targetting and went offline. A dozen other installations were blow away. Yet, most of luna was left alone. The Earth died. Few ships moved in space and most of those were making for safer ports. Left alone, for 300 years. The resort closed down and no one got in or out unless you happened to run across a patrol from time to time during the first 20 years. Then the Aliens returned. Some Sships came to meet them and destroyed them. The Sships limped back toward Jupiter. Most likely made it. Some never made it very far beyond Luna orbit. They were left alone with few choices and not one good choice. Some staired at the skys and went mad. Some choose crystal sleep for hundreds of years, other choose cold sleep for a few decades. Some kept working on their projects and programmed Aritificial Intelligences to carry on for them when they were no longer able to do so. Many starved before age or retro-viruses brought back from Terra got to them. For a few years surviving bases on Terra sent biological data and air samples to Luna, We never heard from them again after the second Alien wave.
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Game Master Notes
This adventure is designed to get players used to adventuring in mixed environments. Expect some to die quickly. Keep tracks of time carefully and if they do not charge their envrio shields or space suits or weapons let the cards fall where they might. Remind them of the importance of sustainment systems while they draw their creation cards for the next character. You should remind them at the start of the game to pay attention to such things but never do so during play.

If starting from cold sleep, Your players will need to collect resources to build their stock piles as they explore the Lunar Surface. They will encounter space craft, installations, robots, and other things out there. Give them most any common equipment they request (10 items) and one item off Equipment Table A and one Item off Equipm ent Table B. Ensure they have an environmental shield and an energy weapon or firearm of some sort. Keep in mind fire arms on ships and in above ground bases can have leathal effects on bad draws if a critical fail is determined.

If starting from the Lunar Resort, Your players will be looking for minirels and data from the research installations to take back to the A.I.s running the Under Dome. If your characters start from the Lunar Resorts you can provide them with the special weapons in any of the resorts. Power Staff from Egypt, Tommy Gun from Old Chicago, silver wands or vibro swords from Camelot.

The adventure begins when your characters are ready to begin exploring the source of the strange signal. The hatch to the surface is over there. Suite up.

Give them any supplies they wish to bring that is common in their home and ensure they have one item from table B provided from the Archives by the Druids, The Boss, or the Pharaoh.

When your characters are ready. The adventure begins... The door to the surface is over there. Suite up.