D20 Modern: Brownout [Full]

[UnDfind]

The only evidence that Chicago is still there is rough, jerky footage shot from one of those old hand-cranked ‘moving picture’ cameras. Dallas and Seattle are the same way, as well as at least twelve other irregular circles of darkness on the night satellite images of North America.

‘Brownout.’ That’s what they call it when part of a power grid goes down, while the rest remains active. Never thought it was a term that would be used to describe entire regions of the USA. News is saying that nothing works in a brownout area. Nothing at all. No air conditioning, no flashlights, no radios, not even telephones. Everything that runs on electricity, even things running on batteries, are just so much dead weight in the brownouts. Only way in or out is on foot or bike. Cars don’t work in the brownouts…spark plugs and batteries go dead. Needless to say, the rumors are flying as to what caused this: aliens, terrorists, mole people from beneath the earth, spirits of the land…It’s all been said. But the truth is that no one knows.

And maybe no one ever will.


Okay, here’s the deal: D20 Modern, starting in a small town just north of the Dallas brownout. The mood of the game is hopefully going to be suspense/thriller as the characters get pulled into the mystery of the brownouts. There will be a good deal of detective work necessary, but it will be balanced with a fair amount of action.

I hope this is enough info to get some of you interested. I’ll post more details upon request, or once I have a couple of responses.

 

[Starman]

I'm interested. Tell me more.

Starman

 

[Ascending Crane]

Definitely interested. Give me the character details, and I'd love to join.

 

[Yellow Sign]

Sounds interesting. Count me in!

 

[UnDfind]

Characters

I'll post more on the state of the world this evening (at work right now).

But I'll post quick character requirements now:

Abilities: Point system (25 points)

Sources: Currently restricted to the core D20 Modern book, but exceptions can be made. Just ask and we'll figure something out.

Characters start out at 4th level (don't have the book here, so starting wealth will have to be dealt with later)

All feats and prestige classes are open (even the mystical and psionic feats/classes).

All equipment is available, but keep in mind that permits are only available for non-military grade items (unless character background allows for more). Magical/psionic equipment cannot be bought.

Of course that's just the quick and dirty version. Please post any questions below.

 

[UnDfind]

Underground State of the Union Address

Mar 22 2003: American Airlines flight 886, Baltimore/Washington Int. to Dallas/Ft. Worth Int. suddenly drops out of the sky while in a holding pattern above Dallas. It will take three days for the media to root out enough information from a tight-lipped research team to report that the DC-11s black box recording died the same time as radio communications, hydraulics, and engines.

Mar 24 2003: A mainly Iranian terrorist organization known as “Al Bin Mohammad” claims responsibility for flight 886, causing almost instantaneous reprisal from the US and UN militaries. After the fact, it would be discovered that Al Bin Mohammad had absolutely no connection whatsoever to the events surrounding flight 886. It would also be found that the EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) device the organization claimed to employ to down the aircraft was, in fact, physically impossible as well as non-existent. The UN is currently involved with a hearing in which it will be determined if the US acted without due cause as well as decide any damages owed to the nation of Iran.

April 01 2003: Three days after the media seemed to lose all interest in flight 886, the phones went dead. The communications corporations were the first ones to realize the scope of what had happened, as executive boardrooms were hastily filled with call logs and maps stabbed with circles of thumbtacks. News agencies were once again on the scene, following truckloads of experts and repairmen towards the sources of the dead phones, only to lose the live feed as they crossed the invisible brownout borders. The same time their vehicles died.

April 02 2003: The US government officially declares a state of general emergency throughout the continental US. National guard are sent to provide relief and investigate the brownouts, only to find that they don’t have nearly enough manpower to cover such large areas without any transportation or lines of communication. The president and the Joint Chiefs of Staff tell them to do it anyway.

April 04 2003: With the nation in an uproar, the president orders all brownouts to be cordoned off. No unofficial business is allowed in, and anyone wishing to exit must be properly debriefed before doing anything else. Of course it is impossible for the military to patrol such large areas efficiently, so media and curious souls still venture in and out almost unchecked. Although the brownouts quickly become a media blackout as the government “strongly advises” that only official information be broadcast over the networks, it is only a matter of days before reporters have begun underground investigations posted in anonymous sites throughout the internet.

April 14 2003: Rumors begin to appear on the internet of National Guardsmen exchanging fire with people trying to leave the brownouts. These rumors are followed closely by tales of bands of horribly mutated people in the brownout performing acts of violence, cannibalism, and vandalism. Of course these are just the first in a long line of rumors that include everything from the appearance of strange lights (alien aircraft maybe?) seen in the brownouts, to the idea that the brownout story is just a cover for the fact that these sections actually no longer exist, leaving gaping chasms behind. The government remains silent on these subjects, stating “We are doing everything in our power to discover the cause of these phenomena, and see to the well-being of the unfortunate people inside. We will release any information as soon as it becomes available to us.” There are just as many rumors involving government conspiracy as anything else.

April 30 2003: Today. The brownouts are just as mysterious to the world today as they were when they appeared. The government, if anything, has become even more tight-mouthed regarding the brownouts and has set up more or less functional posts along their perimeters. They have become quite adept at locating and seizing border runners to the point that reliable information coming from them has slowed to a trickle. The country seems to be heading fast towards the breaking point between anarchy and martial law. Someone has to do something. Now.

 

[UnDfind]

Any questions?

Edit: Wealth will be rolled for every level, go ahead and roll 'em yourselves...I trust you guys

I can size this campaign for any number of people pretty easily, so I'll take anything from three to six players. (If more really want to play, I have no problem with running two groups in two games...might actually be kind of fun with both groups in the same world at the same time. But there would have to be a strict "no peeking" policy. )

 

[Festy_Dog]

This looks incredibly impressive, I'd like to throw my lot in.

No idea what way to go for a character though.

 

[Kalanyr]

I'm interested

 

[Jemal]

I'll pla... *L* Just Joking, I'm in 1 or 2 games allready. I've only got room for 2 more games on my card slot, and unfortunately while this looks good, I'm waiting for something really special.

Sounds fun, though.. Good Luck + Have Fun