Neuroshima
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| Neuroshima | |
 Cover of Neuroshima Edition 1.5 |
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| Designer | Ignacy Trzewiczek, Marcin Blacha, Michał Oracz and Marcin Baryłka |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Wydawnictwo Portal (Portal Publishing House) |
| Publication date | 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Post-apocalyptic science fiction, science fiction Western, military science fiction |
| System | 3d20 system |
| The rulebook is offered both in paperback and hardcover (currently out of print), and there have been limited deluxe editions, signed by the authors. | |
Neuroshima is a Polish role playing game system set in a postapocalyptic world, inspired by such games and films as Mad Max, Fallout, The Matrix, Terminator and compared to Deadlands: Hell on Earth. It is published by Wydawnictwo Portal (Portal Publishing House) and it is currently available only in Polish. The game's motto is "never trust the machines".
Contents |
[edit] Setting
The game describes the United States in mid 21st century, after a nuclear war started by a cybernetic revolt, which molded the continent into a barren wasteland. It seems that the reason for the war to break out was a sentient machine that is commonly referred to as Moloch, an interconnected net of military computers that had evolved into a gigantic conglomerate of steel and concrete: automated factories, military facilities, power plants and alike, that now cover the whole north of the U.S., from Oregon to the Great Lakes. On the south, there is another creation, called the Neojungle, that poses a threat to those who survived the war. it is a semi-intelligent carnivorous vegetation that grows very quickly, advancing north from Latin America. Right in the middle, there are humans. They are surrounded by mutant creatures, some of whom were bred by Moloch which are hostile towards humans, and some just being animals and humans misshapen by nuclear fallout. On top of that there are Moloch's deadly machines lurking to complete the picture. But what is stressed in the book is that the worst enemy of humans is within them: hatred, indifference, greed.
[edit] Landscapes of Neuroshima
Car wrecks, ruined towns and villages, collapsed roofs on deserted houses, broken glass in the windows of abandoned gas stations fill the landscape of the United States of the middle of 21st century. Technology is history - cars will not start, radios are jammed, no electricity whatsoever almost everywhere the characters go. Shops and malls are looted, prosperous villages are burned by gangers, and safe places are very sparse.
[edit] People in Neuroshima
No one knows how many people survived the war with machines, but it is estimated that their number oscillates around 2-3 million. Some people resorted themselves to nomadic lifestyle and live in the deserts, some of them try to build the civilisation anew in devastated cities, some of them form gangs of highwaymen, called gangers, some of them just try to make a living by growing crops, and finally, there are those, who just wander around the wasteland; the adventuring sort is here mostly represented player characters. Each village they visit in this world is a discrete microcosmos and nothing is certain as whether the inhabitants are welcoming or shoot strangers on sight. The continent is full of small, anonymous settlements, but there are places which aspire to become post-nuclear states.
[edit] Places in Neuroshima
In this world it is very important where you come from, and that is because people are prejudiced and afraid of strangers. Different places produce different kinds of people, and who you are is determined by where you are from.
Examples:
- The Southern Hegemony - (commonly referred to as 'Hegemony') - located in what has once been Arizona, New Mexico and partly in Texas. A place where your strength determines your place in the society. Dominated by gangs, the Hegemony is a threat to neighbouring lands.
- Vegas - the only well-lit city in this world. Home to playhouses and casinos, it attracts people from every part of the country.
- Mother Desert - if you are born in the desert, whenever you go away from civilisation, you feel at home. Many Native Americans still live out there and are doing fine - after all bombs did not hit the deserts.
- Detroit - Known for the best drivers and racers in the post-nuclear US. Home of many gangs i.e. The Shultz (mafia styled), Hurons (punkers), The League (racers), Parker Lots (gothic assassins) and the Gas Drinkers (mutant barbarians).
- New York - a place that established a strong government and would like to rebuild America. They build schools, factories and railways. They send soldiers to fight Moloch and, surprisingly enough, succeed sometimes.
- Texas - the healthiest place in America now. Actually, the only place where you can find green vegetation. Texans grow crops, breed horses and herd cattle, as their ancestors in 19th century did.
- The Appalachian Federation - a place ruled by feudal lords. They have a social class system, which divides people into nobility and peasantry. One of the richest places in the post-nuclear U.S., thanks to iron and coal deposits.
- The Outpost - a mobile settlement run by sciencists, who have one aim - to destroy Moloch. In coalition with New York they fund an army, which is yet to stop Moloch's advancement south. They steal technology from the machines they destroy and apply it to their own advantage.
[edit] System
The game uses its own, custom system of rules. The dice you use is d20. This system does not have an official name, but it is unconnected to the d20 system, as it typically uses three twenty-sided dices.
[edit] Four colours
Neuroshima relies on the division of the gameplay into something the authors called Four Colours, namely steel, chrome, rust and mercury. The choice of a particular colour is made by the gamemaster (the decision can be consulted with the players in order to enhance the game experience) and determines the mood, atmosphere and the type of events/characters present in the story. The name of the colour itself implies the kind of gameplay it will symbolise. These colours are:
- Steel - this kind of gameplay is characterised by a slightly optimistic attitude towards the world. The aim is to raise the spirit of the characters by showing them that the war with the machines that is going on may be a difficult one, but it is not unwinable, and that humans, when strong and united, can build the world anew. Example of a story: a unit of soldiers dispatched from the Outpost is sent to build a bunker and establish a relay base far in the north in order to plan a counter-tactic against Moloch's advance south.
- Chrome - is characterised by a hedonistic attitude. The characters are supposed to enjoy anything that is left from the world after the war and the story is supposed to allow them to do that. Example: the characters are offered a well-paid job by a local ganger boss who extorts wares from local tradesmen. Their job is to drive around the county and pick up the extorted items and trade it for drugs.
- Rust - a depressing, pessimistic mood. The characters will encounter rust, dilapidation and ruin everywhere they go. All the elements and NPCs of a story played in this mood are supposed to put the characters down and destroy their spirit. Example: the characters, badly wounded after a gunfight and robbed of all their possession find refuge in a village which is constantly raided by gangers. The characters' quest is to repel those attacks, but the enemies outnumber them and are well equipped, whereas the characters have nothing to fight with.
- Mercury (Quicksilver) - the most depressing side of the game; usually stories played in this mood end with the death of all the characters. The aim of this mood is to show that any kind of action undertaken is futile and that the war is already over, hence all the people are already dead, which is a fact they just need to realise. Example: a group of soldiers stationed in a bunker is awaiting an attack by mutants. They are well-armed and trained, but there is a mistake in the intelligence they were given and they do not know yet that they are seriously outnumbered. The attack commences at dusk and it is already too late to retreat, so the characters decide to seal off the bunker, hopeful that the mutants will not be able to get inside and simply go away. The mutants attack the bunker with chemical weapons instead. The characters do not have enough gas masks to go around. As an effect, those strong enough will kill the weaker ones to get their masks, not knowing that the mutants will blow up the sealed entrance the following morning.
[edit] Official rulebooks and sourcebooks
The current edition is 1.5 [1]. Since the release of the game in 2003, sourcebooks have been appearing. The game keeps growing bigger with every add-on, as well as the storyline, which is updated in those sourcebooks and in Space Pirate (pl. Gwiezdny Pirat) magazine, also published by Portal.
[edit] List of released rulebooks and sourcebooks
- Neuroshima 1.0 - the original edition of the core rulebook (out of print).
- Neuroshima 1.5 - enhanced and revised core rulebook, with new material added and some material cut out.
- Wyścig (The Race) - sourcebook dedicated to cars and racing; contains rules concerning building your own vehicle and new character classes connected with driving.
- Gladiator - sourcebook describing in detail the character class of Gladiator.
- Suplement (Supplement) - sourcebook revising the core rulebook.
- Detroit - sourcebook describing in detail the city of Detroit, its inhabitants and customs in 2050.
- Krew i rdza (Blood and Rust) - a set of concepts and sketches of adventures.
- Zabić szczura (To Kill the Rat) - the first mini-campaign.
- Bohater2 (Hero2) - sourcebook adding new rules and options to the character creation.
- Miami - sourcebook describing in detail the city of Miami, its inhabitants and customs in 2050.
- Zaginione Miasto (The Lost City) - the second mini-campaign.
- Piraci (Pirates) - sourcebook about ships and sea combat; it also describes the Caribbean Islands of 2050.
- Bohater3 (Hero3) - another sourcebook adding new rules and options to the character creation.
- Łowca Mutantów / Zabójca Maszyn (Mutant Hunter / Bot Slayer) - double sourcebook describing in detail the character classes of Mutant Hunter and Bot Slayer.
- Bestiariusz: Maszyny (Bestiary: Machines) - sourcebook describing in detail more than 60 machines.
- Mistrz Gry2 (Gamemaster2) - sourcebook filled with NPCs, villages, new enemies (Dead Breath zombies, and the IV generation Mutants) and a guide "hit your players", showing possible actions a gamemaster can do, when the players become overconfident, or too powerful.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- (English) Review of Neuroshima
- (English) Another review
- (Polish) Official homepage
- (Polish) Official portal
- (Polish) Gwiezdny Pirat, a magazine which publishes the ongoing Neuroshima storyline
