Baffled by Post Apocalypse games

[AndrewBeasley]

I've seen some wonderful terrain created for PA gaming but I'm stuck as to what you would game...

The main scenarios I can think of are:

Zombies - survive the hordes
Find tech
Rescue some one
Fight off the aliens
Gain territory

What else do you do?

The reason I ask is with Necromunda coming soon, I want more than just a stand up fight and what I assume will be a limited list of game types to create a campaign...

TIA
Andrew

[Gibby]

Scavenging missions do seem to be the order of the day in most Post Apoc settings. Resources are scarce and they're ultimately what's being fought over, so I guess any sort of scenario would be resolving the conflicts over that. Grabbing the most look and getting the heck out of there whilst hopefully braining a few enemies, etc...

Then again, if you think about it, you'd be quite attached to every member of your little gang/band of survivors. You could have all sorts of reasons for fighting such as rescue missions, assassinations, gathering intel about the enemy etc. One fun thing you could do is give each side a secret objective that wins them the scenario like you can see in 40k's new Open War card deck. Keeps the players on their toes and they'd be more about trying to achieve their own objectives whilst figuring out what their opponent is up to rather than just trying to kill everyone.

You could also have incursions into other gangs' territory to sabotage vital bits of gear and such!

Depending on your chosen setting, you could have random AI/GM controlled monsters/enemies appear at various junctures as well. We played a Fallout game once that allowed for the random appearance of Ghouls, Giant Scorpions and such, with rudimentary rules for how they were to be controlled. The same would definitely work well for Necromunda. I bet the galaxy's sprawling hives are full of horrors lurking in the rusty and slimey underbelly.

[Modhail]

I've seen some wonderful terrain created for PA gaming but I'm stuck as to what you would game...

The main scenarios I can think of are:

Zombies - survive the hordes
Find tech
Rescue some one
Fight off the aliens
Gain territory

What else do you do?

Safely transport your loot/foraged goods home
Hunt a beast
Patrol your turf
Travel to/from allies with gifts/trade goods or ambassadors.
(Punitive) Raids and/or cattle/resource raids.
Escape from or infiltrate into an area controlled by a more powerful enemy.
High speed vehicle chase.
Pilgrimage to a certain place/person.
Ideological conflict (Topple their blasphemous totems!)
Explore a pre-apocalypse complex or place. (because dungeoncrawls are cool...)
Stake a claim on a recently discovered pre-apocalypse area or item.

Basically, any reason for conflict you see in PA fiction. But look at history and mythology as well, especially towards eras and areas where small scale conflict was common: Celtic/Nordic legend, early European/Asian medieval period, island or jungle cultures, etc... Humans have always fought for similar reasons or causes, look for these "archetypes of conflict" in similar conditions (small population/harsh enviroment/scarce resources) and adapt them to your specific setting.

[Hrothgar]

I don't really do PA gaming, but some of the settings in homegrown sci fi games are similar.

Here is a list of missions that I created that I think could work for your question. When part of a campaign, many of them only play out conditionally. In other words, iif the player's forces are trying to recover some sort of fusion gimlet, say, they roll some sort of test first to determine whether there are enemies in the area. If they do, they have to fight their way to where the gimlet may or may not be.  If no enemies nearby, then they roll to see if they find the gimlet. Then they roll to see if they run into enemies on the way out. In that way, I can get a lot more variability out of a single mission type

Mission types:

Travel to Location to Recruit Troops/Characters (check for ambushes on way to/from)
Travel to Location to Purchase Equipment/Vehicles (check for ambushes on way to/from)
Transport Goods through Hostile Terrain (check for ambushes on way to/from)
Repair Malfunctioning Technology at Nearby Outpost (enemies may show up
Shuttle VIPs to Destination (check for ambushes on way to/from)
Investigate Distress Signal (this could play out many different ways, from being a lure for an ambush to leading to the rescue of a recruitable character or unit to finding tech)
Rescue Stranded Crew
Salvage Wreckage from Crashed Starship
Rescue Informant  (infiltration)
Locate and Rescue Missing VIP
Raid Enemy Outpost
Collect Bounty on Local Scallywag
Hack Mainframe and Steal  Data (infiltration)
Rescue Defector (infiltration)
Provide Escort/Security for Pilgrims or Refugees
Recover Equipment from Ancient Structure
Defend Settlement
Rescue Outpost Garrison that is Under Siege (can recruit any members of the garrison who survive)
Protect Diplomatic Meeting
Steal Light Starship/Vehiclle (infiltration)
Defend Installation/Outpost from Raiders
Steal Technology
Aid Friendly Faction Unit Under Siege
Seize Enemy VIP in Transit
Free Detained VIPs
Sabotage Enemy Installation (infiltration)
Transport Sensitive Materials (check for ambushes)
Transport Important VIP
Deliver Supplies to Insurgents
Aid Insurgents Ambushing Warlord's Convoy
Rescue Friendly Operative
Destroy Enemy Military Unit
Destroy Reaver/Raider Base
Seize Enemy Commander
Destroy Command Center
Find Lost Artifact
Patrol Wasteland/Settlement/Outpost
Transport Rare Technology
Destroy Warlord's  Fortress

[mellis1644]

Those lists are cool and actually this touches on something I was looking for a while back.

There seems to be a lack of 'generic' skirmish scenario backgrounds/setups. So independent of the system (or setting) having loads different skirmish scenario seeds to build games around would be really useful. This looks to be a great start but I'd love to see more as well.

[has.been]

I like to try mixing scenarios, each player having a different one & trying to figure out what the opposition were up to.
This is an idea I have stolen from that excellent Wargames Research Group game 'Sea-strike'

[AndrewBeasley]

Ta muchly for those

I've just seen the new 4Ground ruined MDF 'kits' http://4groundforums.com/showthread.php?146-BOOM-!-here-s-one-of-the-new-HOMELAND-APOCALYPSE-damage-range so this is bookmarked for 2018...

[Sinewgrab]

Honestly, a scenario idea set would be a good thing to have.

[JohnDSD2]

You can always crossover fantasy games. Frostgrave is a good example, all the scenarios are basically loot gathering but with different settings/locations.

For example the Masoleum game has a few skeletons kicking about, replace them with whatever guardians you like. There is a game with a well, which grants additional exp when drunk from, change that to a computer console and there is something else going on as well as the loot gathering.

Finally, the recent addition of the Ulterior Motives card deck has added another layer. Each side draws from the deck bafore the game and has a further objective to complete. So in one game I played in, there was loot to gather, the basic game premise, the scenario had 2 rampaging monster defending their respective territories, the monsters were pretty powerful and either needed to be avoided or taken on in strength and then my Motive card told me I had to get upto 2 members of my party of my opponents board edge to fetch gear to take away a particularly bulky piece of loot. So the game then becomes layered, do you concentrate on grabbing loot, do you weaken your party by making a dedicated effort to get 2 guys off for help or do you take on the beasties? Plus of course the other warband is doing the same thing but with his own Motive, he had to open a trapdoor, which then suck a number of warband members down it and out of play. I'd really recommend having a look at the Ulterior Motive cards, the extra layer of decision making has move Frostgrave from a very good game to an excellent game and its always fun.

[AndrewBeasley]

Interesting idea - I've seen a few games now coming out with scenario cards and hidden objectives but not considered the genre crossover

[carlos marighela]

Why would a future based game have any more restrictions in terms of scenarios than one set in the past. Presumably there are less constraints than something historical. I can'tsee why you couldn't storm La Haye Sainte, hold the pass at Thermopolaye, capture Arnhem Bridge or hold a farmstead against serried ranks of zombies if it took your fancy.

[The_Beast]

Apologies if I missed this, but I'm intrigued by a meeting 'gone bad.'

Say, gangs get together to trade something, and one side or the other, or preferably both or neither, such at intruders appearing to be an ambush or the like. Canned set up starts as two groups appearing to be casually dispersed, though watching each other warily. Planted turncoats would make it even more a cluster. 

Not that I've ever tried, outside of a weird Full Thrust game many years ago. Several groups of ships, each with secret agendas. Made my head spin, but it was GLORIOUS.

Doug

[dinohunterpoa]

Add gladiatorial games and death races! 

[dadlamassu]

Perfect response

Agreed and done similar things for years.   "Battlegames Tabletop Teasers" http://www.wargamevault.com/product/68983/Battlegames-Table-Top-Teasers-Volume-1  Also if you can get it at a reasonable price "Scenarios for Wargames" by Charles Stewart Grant is well worth the effort.

[eilif]

The reason I ask is with Necromunda coming soon, I want more than just a stand up fight and what I assume will be a limited list of game types to create a campaign...

So you want scenarios for Necromunda...
https://yaktribe.org/community/vault/categories/scenarios.5/
Youre welcome.