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Post Apocalyptic Role Playing
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The Black Days

Game Premise
 
[The Masters of the Earth world begins approximately 200 years after The Black Days, which is what the present inhabitants of the devastated lands call the short period of plagues and wars that ended the age of man]:


The Black Days were brought about by a series of dreadful social and environmental disasters that still are not entirely understood. In the year 2110 the world has achieved incredible advances in technology and social engineering. It's scientists and nations were busy stretching the limits of the known and then bringing these new knowledge's to the common man for his everyday use. Many advances were created beyond even the knowledge of the masses. Knowledge that the governments and scientists felt was too dangerous for but a few to know. Though regional conflicts still occurred and were terrible in their effects these were rare occurrences.
For the most part the United Nations and the international rule of law held sway throughout the land and peace was the rule not the exception. Of course, each nation still had it's own agenda that didn't necessarily contribute to the greater good of man.

Mankind had delved deeply into the building blocks of life and with this arcane knowledge fostered new living creatures and near-men as companions and helpmates. Many of the new fantastic creatures were put on display in great zoos for the masses as a testament to the glory of modern creationism. Successful and popular breeds of near-men were highly prized and bred for trade and commerce much as pets were in the old days. It was even popular among a few groups to have genetic alterations or technological implants done to themselves. Enclaves of these like minded individuals set up communities where they would reenact historical or fictional lifestyles on a day to day basis, totally immersing themselves in the behaviors real or imagined that enhanced their experiences.

This bliss abruptly changed one fateful day in May of 2110 when a facility dedicated to researching new ways to feed the masses had one of those mishaps that science fiction novelists often loved to depict.
 
A virulent research virus, engineered for lab purposes was loosed upon the world in a containment breach that would change the face of the world and bring the fantastic accomplishments of man to naught.

This particular virus only appeared to effect specific food crops. Unfortunately they were critical crops that fed the masses. As these crops withered and died across the world hunger drove the nations into direct conflict for the meager resources that would quell the anger and bellies of its peoples. The factories of man turned to developing the machines and tools of war and nation fell upon nation as jackals would upon prey. The nations of the world fought until they were to few to fight any longer. In the end there was not enough infrastructure or manpower to keep civilization from crumbling. Not all the enclaves of man suffered direct assault in the wars and some were able to survive in a semblance of the old ways but still not enough. By October of the same year, the world as man had created it, ended. This was not the end of The Black Days, merely it's catalyst, because from the chaos and destruction of the early days many more genetic and viral epidemics were set loose to ravage the lands. Many plagues came and went and some are still among us yet, but the one that had the farthest reach and greatest impact upon all of man and the world itself was the mutagenic virus that caused the Morphagenic Plague. In the labs of man was hidden a terrible creation that had the ability to alter the DNA structure of man. It was a trained pet used by scientists to effect many of the popular changes that allowed the near-men and new animals, as well as the genetic changes to the Enclavists. Though a well trained pet at first, once loose in the irradiated and plague infested environment of the war torn earth it itself began to mutate. It then had the power to effect random mutations among the rich ecology of the wilds, both plant and animal life, and of course all the new-men(Nomen) and true men.
This period of decline is known today as The Black Days.
 Now, 200 hundred years after The Black Days, each species attempts to claw their way through the wilderness and survive in an environment gone mad in its extreme. The earth will heal, but will any sentient live to see it, and if so which....

For those here to look at the documents under development, simply follow this link : Under Development

PAForge Masters of the Earth PA Setting
These documents had their origins in many a previous post apocalyptic role playing game, in the form of inspiration. I dedicate this site and this setting to those who paved the path before me.

Other than the setting information, most of these documents use the WotC D20 SRD system. This is not because I am a great fan of that particular system, it is because as a realist, you have to give credit to WotC for bringing gaming to a new generation of gamers and for expanding the market. Since a greater proportion of the gaming population is at the very least familiar with D20, I chose this system merely as a vehicle in which to introduce my setting and ideas. MOTE, the setting, will be an entirely stand-alone product that can use any task resolution system, though I will be producing a task resolution system that may be used.

This is for sections of the D20 SRD that I have rewriten and released under the OGL. Rewrites of SRD material are so that they may be altered to reflect a non-magical post apocalyptic genre specific to the MOTE setting and may be quite extensive. Most, if not all of these files may have been produced before D20Modern and D20 Future were released and may be changed to reflect those sources in the future.

NPC/Monster Classes : Updated 03/14/05 : 60 pages : 315kb : .pdf

OGC Traps : Updated 12/17/04 : 21 pages : 141kb : .pdf

OGC Conditions : Updated 12/17/04 : 9 pages : 63kb : .pdf

OGC Moral System : Updated 12/17/04 : 2 pages : 10kb : .pdf

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©1996 Master's of the Earth and ©2002 Post-Apocalyptic Forge and ©1996 GammaHammer are claimed trademarks and are ©Paul S. Williams and all rights are reserved

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