A "new" PA setting.

[Machinegunkelly]

Hi there. I´ve had this idea gnawing in the creative back of my head for quite some time. What would have happened if the Apocalypse of civilisation had happended in the early 40th. What would the world look like say 20 - 30 years later? What do a post apocalyptic Sherman tank look like? et cetera.... The main idea is borrowed (read totally ripped of) a Swedish rpg from the 80-th called Wasteland.

The world was at war. The axis waged war agains the allies, and they were winning. Then the unthinkable happened. Aliens from another star system invaded. They crushed the armies of Earth, and with plagues from biological weapons and starvation we fell. But the aliens were not interested in ruling the whole earth. They seized the most fertile and industrialized lands and walled them in, including the people living there. What happens within the walls we do not know since anyone coming to close gets destroyed by their energy cannons. Out here there is still war. Warlords against warlords using weapons of old to gain power and resources. There are raiders roving the landscape pillaging, raping and killing. But there is also peaceful communities banding together in order to restore peace in a warfilled world.
We know the aliens are still around because if a warlord grows to powerful or a community to wealthy their flying machines attack and strike them down. Their kill teams hunt us down as animals. Perhaps it is for sport or perhaps they have other reasons.
But there is a murmure going on out here as we adapt and learn. There are renowned warriors amongst us, who carry their weapons as trophies. There are rumours of ambushes on the aliens convoys. There are rumours that the aliens are not as strong as they pretend. There are rumours of hidden trade routes from within the walls. There are rumours that we have help from other beings from the stars.

One day we will take our planet back....if we manage to survive.



So what do you out there think ? Is this a setting to work with? Should I move the setting to the late war in order to have allied tanks in Europe? Are there any interest of co-development? I have started out so many settings that just whizzle away so I do not think I want to do it myself. Also I am starting a new job soon so there might not be as much time as I want?

[Machinegunkelly]

What would Berlin be like?

Berlin? Nah, you don´t wanna go there. It took quite a beating during the invasion. Most of it is in ruins and rubbles, but the loot might be good. The germans managed to get the remnats of the lüftwaffe in air to defend Berlin. But they were quickly shot down by the aliens. Lots of airplane wreckage to loot for copper wiring and ammo, though. But the reason not to go there are that the Nazis are still there. It turned out Hitler had built large tunnels below Berlin where they could hide during the onslaught. Of course the bunker and the original leaders of the nazi movement were destroyed. On the other hand there were many officers in Berlin whom could re-build their movement.
As far as I know their HQ are in the vicinity of the airport, The Templehof. Most of the runways have been torn away and replaced with farmlands. All worked by slaves made up of "the lesser people".
When it comes to might they are well equipped and have a significant amount of vehicles running. According to rumors they have more or less functional small arms munition factories going in the underworld of Berlin. Sure, you could try to trade with them, because they pay well for what they need. But it is not unknown for them to deem traders who gets to greedy as traitors to the German people, shoot them and confiscate their goods. Tread lightly.If you run into Nazi patrols out in the wilderness, run, hide whatever. They will most likely deem you an enemy and kill you off. Especially Watch out for their SS squads or The Werwolf commando.
The most interesting rumour about the Nazis are that they have a Tiger tank, whom have been retro-fitted with a powercell from a downed alien flying craft. And the Tiger have replaced the cannon with the weapons from the flying Craft? Is the rumour true. Heck if I know but what is true is that Werner Von Braun is still alive. Think about that for a while....

[Storm Wolf]

Ok did the aliens ignore good old Blighty, whilst they went for the big targets like the USA, Russia, China and Japan etc. Or did they hit London and the other British major cities also?

If they did, did the resistance move into the sewers and bunkers under London, like the artillery man in the War of the Worlds?

Glen

[FramFramson]

Interesting idea!

I doubt they'd ignore Blighty. In the 40's Britain still had a great deal of Empire left (most of it, actually), and London was much higher in the rankings of largest and wealthiest cities of the world.

[commissarmoody]

Kind of has a slight battle field Earth feel to it. The book not the movie.

[Westfalia Chris]

The 1936 film "Things to Come", based on H.G. Wells' 1933 novel "The Shape of Things to Come", features such a post-apocalyptic society (from a 1930s PoV and with some of the aesthetics of that era) that precedes the "New World Order" after a global war and plague have wiped out much of humanity. Worth watching, even if it gets a bit ham-fisted after that.

[Machinegunkelly]

I guess the aliens would be quite few and thats why they primary objective would have been destroy civilization in order to destroy threats against them. I guess they would have targeted civilian leadership, military leadership and global trade as main objectives. So I envision London to be akin to "Mordheim". In rubbels but filled with loot, fought over by gangs. Perhaps some more stable communities around the Thames as they would have access to water and fish. Also possible trade routes with surrounding farming communities. All in all avoid London or come well armed. As long as the survivors aren´t a real threat to the aliens, it is not cost effective to eradicate them. But some culling might be necessary.

The rest of England. Considering that it is actually quite small and surrounded by Ocean, it is a good Place for the aliens to settle. Perhaps a small number of Industrial/ Living/ military complexes surrounded by food/ mining complexes supporting them. As Englands infrastructure was in quite good shape the aliens would probably use them for supply network, with human trains and lorries. All Alien supplies/ materials they brought with them would go to the military crafts.

Expanding on these ideas would make it possible to have intergang warfare, but also partisans attacking supply convoys as basis for tabletop warfare. If anyone wants to write up small "pitching" stories like mine above feel free to do so. The only thing I ask is, try not to describe the aliens or their crafts. Do not give them something aking to a personality. Let them be "Bogeymen" for a while longer.

Also thanks for the tips. I haven´t read the book Battlefield earth or seen the movie. And the movie "Things to come" to come are now officially on my bucket list.

[commissarmoody]

Ok I will give you the quick no thrills synopsis.
Aliens kill off most of the earths population to strip earth of it resources. But screw up when some of the few humans they kept alive is thought how to read their language. Tricks the Aliens and eventually saves earth, kills the invaders and their empire and retires to live as a hunter/gatherer/famer. 

[Machinegunkelly]

Thanks commissarmoody. I googled it and it seems the movie weren´t a success   .

[commissarmoody]

Thanks commissarmoody. I googled it and it seems the movie weren´t a success   .

yep fall's under the Entertaining, but nothing you want to brag about enjoying categories of movies. 

[Ultravanillasmurf]

TV Tropes page:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/BattlefieldEarth

[Machinegunkelly]

Just ordered myself a squad of British WW2 army from Bolt Action. I am going to see how to make them Post Apocalyptic. I´m thinking the easy route. Metallic shoulder plate on one arm. Everyone knows that when the civilization falls everyone will use metal shoulder plates. Swap some heads for beardy GW Empire milita if they are the correct size. Add some extra pouches and stuff. Et cetera....

[Machinegunkelly]

If ya go heading into London, stay away from the "Sabinis Razors" gang. Murderous psychopaths all of them. Sure they´ve got guns and all, but most of them prefer to look you in the eyes as you realize you´re dying. As far as I know their home turf is around "Big ben". They use the Clock Tower ruins as a natural watch tower. But they rove around in large parts of London. Some times they go by foot and sometimes they use their old motorcycles. Apart from their knives I guess the motorcycles are the only thing they love.
If you head in to London I recommend going by boat. On the north shore you´ll pretty soon run into heavily fortified settlements. They are run by the "Bulldogs". They are the major partisan fighters in all of England. But don´t mention it to anyone. If the Bulldogs finds out you know, they´ll kill you for sure. The Bulldogs are well equipped and trained. It is said that they control the old underground and use it to transport themself through London. Those are the major players in London, but of course there are many gangs. After all being in a gang is the best way to survive the daily warfare, that is known as the London Blitz. To mention a few of the gangs; Abbey Street Boys, Black Boy Alley Gang, Finsbury Park Gang etc. etc.....

And a small list of historic streetgangs for those of you who want to go into a ruined London; http://londonstreetgangs.blogspot.se/2013/02/london-gangs-mobs-firms-before-1950s.html

[Hupp n at em]

There was an interesting alternate history set within an alien invasion during WW2, Harry Turtledove's World War Series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar_series.

[Predatorpt]

There's also some good ideas here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%2748_(novel)

'48 is a 1996 alternative history novel by British horror author James Herbert. The book follows an American pilot stranded in a dystopian London after Adolf Hitler, moments before being completely defeated, uses a biological weapon in the shape of V-2 missiles, that mostly wipes out the human race.

Plus the game series: "Resistance: Fall of Man" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance:_Fall_of_Man