The world of The Electric State Roleplaying Game revolves around the player characters going on a journey in a 1990s California sliding toward total ruin.
The pre-apocalyptic world has familiar 90s elements juxtaposed against a virtual world that is so alluring that users sometimes enter via neurocaster and never leave, allowing themselves to starve to death. The campaign is not about the world or the destination but the journey itself and what the PCs encounter along the way. A great world building exercise but on a smaller scale, focusing in on one journey.
Preparing the Journey
Ten steps walk the GM through creating the journey which in turn provides a glimpse into the dystopian 90s of this world. The players can be involved in steps one to seven while step eight to ten should be done by the GM alone. Here is an example Journey highlighting some of the options the GMs and players choose or create.
1. Choose the Starting Point.
2. Choose the Destination.
A map of California is included with towns and roads. The PCs start in Big Sur and plan a trip to San Francisco. A PC may be wanting to reach San Fransisco for the supposed freedom found there, could be a veteran looking to forgot the past and forge a new future, or someone wanting to travel along the coast and find themselves or maybe lose themselves.
3. Choose the route.
4. Decide the number of Stops on the Journey.
Traveling along the coast, the PCs will head north. Seven Stops include Carmel Valley, Monterey, a Stop on the open plains, Scotts Valley, a forest Stop, Half Moon Bay, and a Stop when crossing San Francisco Bay
5. Decide each Traveler’s personal Goal for the Journey.
6. Decide each Traveler’s personal Threat.
These options are going to be tailored directly to each PC. Each personal Goal reflects that PC’s Dream, and the goal is clear and specific unlike the Dream. Often, the Goal is connected to the Destination in some way, but it could instead relate to another PC or NPC.
Each Goal is directly connected to a personal Threat. Something or someone who want to harm the PC or stop them from reaching their Goal. Threats can be shared between PCs, and will typically play a more prominent role during the Journey than individual Threats. Each Threat has an escalating series of events (normally three) that bring the Threat into play that the GM designs.
The PCs need to decide why they’re sharing the same vehicle. If they aren’t sure, there is a d6 table to roll on to make the decision.
7. Describe the vehicle used for the Journey.
For a group of six PCs, a van or a car with the Roomy trait is essential. For this Journey, the PCs have a Van with the Traits Reliable and Custom Paint Job. It is well maintained and easier to repair but it stands out. The Traits can be picked or randomly rolled and include both good and bad results. The PCs can decide what the paint job looks like as well as the 90s make and model.
If you decide to play a Journey solo, you can even pick a horse as a vehicle just like Rick Grimes did. Hopefully it works out better for your than it did for him.
8. Create a personal Threat Countdown for each Traveler.
Threats options described below include countdowns. These countdowns can serve as examples of each personal Threat the GM is designing. Personal Threats do not have to be tied to a particular stop. For example, if a federal agent is pursuing a PC the first countdown might be rumors of a ruthless agent asking pointed questions and showing a picture of the PC around. The next countdown might be locals who try to bounty hunt the PC to take to the agent. And finally, the agent finally showing up to try to take the PC in. Basically decrease the distance from the Threat to the PC and increase the harm as the Countdown moves forward. A list of options to use in Countdowns is included with options like a location is seized or a former ally is turned into an enemy.
9. Create the Stops on the Journey.
Each Stop is made up of six elements. The Setting is the location and environment along with key Locations maybe including a map. What make the PCs stop and stay is the Blocker. The main conflict is The Situation complete with an escalating Countdown which like includes Threats. Threat options include violent ones like secret agents and gangs, cultists and business leaders are possible manipulative threats, options like drone growths and robots are technological threats, extreme weather and disease serve as environmental threats, past sings include unfinished business from another Stop, and each PC’s personal Threat. Additional threats are included in the book.
A variety of random tables are provided to help the GM round out a Stop. For example, to generate a conflict at a Stop, the GM rolls three times. A farmer and a rich investor are fighting over a natural resource that is straddling the farmer’s land. When the PCs’ vehicle breaks down, do they go to the store owned by the investor or try to bargain for parts with someone else (likely the farmer)? And how does the other party react to the PCs “picking” a side?
When the PCs are Blocked and encounter a Stop, the GM follows them around as they make decisions and try to removed the Blocker. The ongoing conflict is going to engulf the PCs and they make more decisions as to what they want to do. Because the game is about the Journey and not the Destination the PCs are likely going to get involved. Like Reacher stepping off the bus into a new town for the first time.
10. Create a few minor Encounters.
These encounters are much less involved than a Stop and the PCs may not have to leave their vehicle. For example, the road could be closed for repairs and all torn up, but all the construction workers are zoned out using neurocasters. Their truck blocks the way forward.
Ending the Journey
When the PCs arrive at the Destination, the Journey ends. They may or may not have accomplished their Goals. And maybe not everyone made it. Each player rolls three base dice to represent a significant event in the PC’s life after the Journey. A high result means good fortune, wealth, or happiness. A low result mean that bad things happen. The player places the events in any order and may also decide how much time passes between events. Then, the players take turns telling one event at a time for their character. When the last event is told, the game is over.
Building a World One Journey at a Time
The setting of Pacifica is huge. Dozens of Journeys could be set there, each one filled with the personal Goals and Threats facing the PCs. The world problems don’t get resolved and the secrets don’t all get revealed. The game is about the Journey and striving toward personal Goals and dealing with personal Threats. A very real, very personal world setting could grow out of these shared Journeys.
Picture credit: Pixabay
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