Finger Lakes Area as a possible setting?

[DMH]

I am live just north of the region and have spent a fair number of summers fishing in Canandaigua some years ago.

I have to ask- why the Finger Lakes for an aquatic campaign when the Great Lakes are right next door?

 

[Sir Elton]

It's not Aquatic, it's Helenistic. I wanted to figure out how to do a variation on GURPS Atlantis' "The Orichalcum Age" Campaign in Chapter 4 of the same book. That campaign as written was an extrapoliation of Plato's work.

I've long thought of America being Atlantis in the Greeks' eyes; and there is strong evidience that Ancient Greece had some dealings with the Maya and the Olmecs. Someone even proposed that Oddyseus had sailed beyond the Pillars of Hercules to America. And I've been reading evidence put forth that two great, ancient civilizations (known as the Mound Builders) were in the area.

Instead of the second Mound Builder culture, I decided to replace them with Greeks. That way, the campaign would be much more acceptable to the general populace than the Alternative (although the Alternative would be super cool as well). But it's not a campaign about a sunken city using Ether Pumps or Zero Point Energy modules (or as Rodney would say: "Zed-Pee-Emms"). It's a fantasy, Helenistic campaign.

 

[GlassJaw]

Yeah, the Finger Lakes region is great. I spent some time on (yes, on) Seneca Lake in one of my first jobs.

[*]Seneca Lake is eerily deep. Like 700+ feet down. Rumor for a long time was that the Navy did submarine-skills training in it. (Don't ask me how that could have happened). Anyway, makes you wonder what else could live down there in the cold, cold water.

I'm sure there's all sorts of crazy Navy stuff down there. There's actually a fixed floating Navy platform on the lake where they do a lot of sonar testing because of the depths. It's a lot easier to test on a lake than it is out in the ocean.

Lots of good vineyards too. You can drive up along the lake and easily a few in one afternoon.

 

[WayneLigon]

Some parts of Rage Across New York were set in that area; I think it had one of the largest werewolf caerns in the Eastern US.

 

[Mycanid]

Hey I grew up in the area. Spent 7 years near Skaneateles, 4 in Skaneateles proper, and then 7 years in Syracuse, where the family would go down to my grandma's lake side home in the summers (yeah ... grandma was very well off financially).

The place is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And with a twist of "magical" too.

Hmm ... probably would be best if you could visit it, or at least get a film or documentary or something where you could get the "layout of the land", so to speak.

I cannot speak of the other lakes - Mighty Halfling's suggestions somehow did not really "fit" for me regarding Skaneateles Lake other than the one about the fey and the galeb duhr. (Very nice suggestions these were IMO!)

I HAVE been to Watkins Glen, though. And I like Mighty Halfling's suggestions about that too!

Why not have something different and "characteristic" about all the lakes reflective of different sources' attempts to tap some "overall power" the lakes possess? Lots of places you could go with this....

Hmm.... Alright, I better stop or else I will just keep typing, and typing and typing as I brainstorm online in-post!

 

[Mycanid]

But in that area, it tends to snow a few feet at a time...

QFT!

And I loved it!

 

[Mycanid]

I live in that area! It's a beautiful place. Lots of woods, rivers, lakes, etc.

There is also quite a bit of farmland on the east side of one of the lakes - rolling hills that are especially lovely in the autumn.... I grew up on one.

 

[Silver Moon]

I'm currently running a module set in Rochester, NY in 1882. There have been a few references thus far to the Finger Lakes region.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Also, actual salt mines to send prisoners off to...

Mmm, salt.

I think the best thing about the area, as a campaign, is that you really have an opportunity to make weather play a large role in the campaign.

During the winter strong storms come up from the south (Nor'easters), and lake effect snow pummels hits the mid-region. Also, Syracuse is one of the snowiest cities in the US, and Oswego (north of Syracuse, on Lake Ontario) is known for ice storms as well as excessive amounts of lake effect snow.

During the spring, there's often heavy flooding as the snows melt, often extreme in the southern areas, around Binghamton, but even as far north as Ithaca and Cortland. In 2006, the Susquehana rose so high that it flooded parts of Binghamton. It turns large streams into small rivers, and makes all rivers very treacherous to cross, especially due to debris.

During the summer, it can get fairly hot, though it seldom gets excessive. On a clear day, it can be nice. On a cloudy day, it can turn muggy and uncomfortable very quickly. Also, of late mosquitoes have been somewhat of a problem in the area - perfect for a plague or general sickness to hit.

Fall is by far the most beautiful time in the area, though at night it already gets cold. It also tends to be fairly windy in the area, at least in my experience. It's probably the mildest of the four seasons, IMO.

I've rambled a bit, but my point is the area provides a unique option to make weather very important.

 

[Sir Elton]

Hey I grew up in the area. Spent 7 years near Skaneateles, 4 in Skaneateles proper, and then 7 years in Syracuse, where the family would go down to my grandma's lake side home in the summers (yeah ... grandma was very well off financially).

The place is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And with a twist of "magical" too.

Hmm ... probably would be best if you could visit it, or at least get a film or documentary or something where you could get the "layout of the land", so to speak.

The only other plus to that suggestion that my love will be able to go topless at any time she chooses. But I like your suggestion. If I can pass this test for work, You'll see me there, within the next year. By that time, I'll deserve a vacation away from the U.S. Postal Service's Data Conversion Center.