Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[JackMann]

So, a long while ago, I wrote a short snippet of a story about a cowboy type in a very strange world (based, very obliquely, on a line from a Neil Gaiman novel). It was simply called The Unwaking. A while after, I wrote up a little further, adding a bit more of Simon Heller's adventure, and a bit more about the world, posting them here and here, with a slightly different title.

Recently, I decided to start working up a campaign setting for SW. Not for any particular reason, but just for fun. Someone suggested I use the Unwaking. So, now I'm looking at what, exactly, I need to come up with for this.

First off, I need to start by actually explaining what the Unwaking it (or at least as near as I understand it). It's a world where things sometimes follow dream logic. That is, the world can go from a desert to a swamp overnight, or even to a waterless ocean, with kelp drifting in the breeze. The basic terrain doesn't change; hills and mountains stay where they are. The climate, the flora and fauna, those change. No one's quite sure where the animals or plants go when things change.

Abstract concepts have a life of their own. Something called the Law shot and killed Sunday, leaving the Unwaking with only six days (with three suns between them).

There are people and creatures from many different worlds in the Unwaking. In the story, there's Simon, a human, the scaled folks of New Lem, dwarves, a furry guy, a four-armed man, and the dough creature. Mentioned are the Longwalkers (who can replace a man's eyes and other body parts) and a golem. Simon's friend Ruther appears as a ghost. He's allowed to answer three questions (though small talk apparently doesn't count). This is a relatively frequent occurance.

The world has a very frontier/wild west feel to it. You can wander for a long time without finding anyone. A huge number of people are immigrants, and often fairly recently. Not sure what the natives are like, or if there are true natives. There are a lot of outlaws, as well as monsters roaming the wastes. Towns tend to be a bit more settled than the areas between. They're likely to stay the same for longer, and the change in climate tends to be gradual. There are a few cities here and there. A lot of people are trying to find ways to leave the Unwaking and go home. Others are just trying to make a new life in the strange new world. Some have been there for generations, and wouldn't be at home anywhere else. I'll need to come up with a map, eventually.

Technology is largely steampunk. Simon rides a boiler-driven horse. I think there are probably higher-tech items as well (up even to laser pistols and the like), but there's not much industry in the Unwaking. If you manage to get your hands on one of these, keeping it charged and operational is going to be hard as nearly impossible. Steampunk's about the limit to what people can maintain. The occasional magic user helps with this.

Simon is called a GunMarshal, and has a badge. What, exactly, this job entails is not explored in the story, but a GearMarshal is also mentioned. I see the Marshals as being a group of people with different abilities, sent out to fix things and ease trouble in the Unwaking. I'm not sure by whom. Possibly the Law, or possibly their have their own organization. They spend most of their time simply traveling around the Unwaking.

Magic isn't exactly common, but it's not terribly rare either. Simon's gifts revolve around firearms (and possibly other weapons). He can hear what bullets say. He can tell when his enemies are out of ammunition. I haven't decided if all the Marshals have magic or the like yet, though I think the GearMarshal is probably the local equivalent of a mad scientist.

So, mechanics. First thing, I'll need to come up with some races. Some can likely be cribbed from elsewhere (dwarves, for example). I could probably come up with a eight or nine others that would fit, and hint at more (setting like this, the sky's the limit).

Need to figure out what kind of skills are operable here. Most of them should be fairly applicable, though piloting's unlikely to come up. Might give driving a look-over as well. Depends on whether I'd use driving or riding for mechanical horses. If I decide it should be riding, stagecoaches, carts, and carriages will likely either use riding as well, or else make it common knowledge. Of course, I might change my mind again, and add in other machines or magical vehicles that use those skills. Boating I'm thinking about. Boats can surely exist here, but I'm not sure how useful they'll be if the lake or river could vanish the next day.

Some of the Hindrances might need rethinking, since it's possible to replace body parts. One-eye and one-leg and the like would still be allowed, but it's possible to buy those off.

Edges, now. I should probably look into some racial edges once I have the races up, and then make some professional edges. Marshal should be one such edge. Not an AB (even if the marshals all have ABs, they're likely to be different ones), but to do something else. Maybe a charisma bonus, and a bonus to survival, maybe. Woodsman will definitely be available (though maybe changed up a bit, and given a new name). Survival is going to be a huge skill in this setting.

For ABs, I'm thinking that mostly I can just change the trappings. Simon can "hear" firearms (and maybe other weapons). Deflection is from the bullets telling him where they're coming from. Smite comes from him telling his own to hit harder. Bolt represents his special ammo. The GearMarshal, obviously, would have the Weird Science edge. I may work up other forms of magic, or maybe not. It'll depend a lot on how the setting starts to look when things get more fleshed out.

For gear, it's going to be a lot of steampunk items, and 19th century firearms. As well, there'll be some magic items and things between. It's possible to buy a new hand, though it might cost you more than money. There aren't many flesh-and-blood horses, but they do exist (or you couldn't have flesh-and-blood mules). The mechanical kind are more common (and much less reliable).

Monsters, now. I'll need to come up with some of these. Some from the books should fit in just fine (bears, wolves, elementals, dragons...), but some things, like the dough creature and abstracts like the Law or the Six Days would need to be statted up. Some existing creatures could also be switched up just a bit for the Unwaking (like giving a shark flight).

So, that's my start. What other areas need to be fleshed out? Any suggestions on things to put in the setting?

[JackMann]

A couple of quick racial write-ups.

Lemians

The folks at New Lem are mostly human, though they've gotten a bit scaly over time. Their scaled skin ranges from deep blue to light green. They've got no hair, but do have red and yellow scale patterns on their heads. However, it's considered immodest to show these in public, so you'll rarely see one without a hat to cover up, especially the women. They stand about the same height as humans, but tend to be a little thinner.

They're refugees from an island empire, having fled a long war with their ancient (and forgotten) enemies. That's what they say, anyway, though no living Lemian has ever seen the outside of the Unwaking. They're among the oldest settlers in the Unwaking, and the Library of New Lem is the best resource for learning the lore of the land. The occasional Lemian gets a touch of wanderlust and starts wandering around the Shift.

Scaled: Lemians have tough, scaled skin. This grants them +1 toughness.
Warmlanders: Lemians are adapted for warm, tropical climates. They take a -4 penalty to resist cold.
Educated: Lemians start with a free d6 in a single knowledge skill.

Longwalkers

The Longwalkers are the natives of the Unwaking. They were here when the first Settlers came in, and to hear them tell it, they were here when the place was created (and they've some interesting stories on that account). They're semi-nomadic, living in fortresses they call Outposts when they weren't ranging around the Shift. Their wonderworkers know many secrets of medicine and engineering, able to create strange devices or replace body parts.

A Longwalker is humanoid, but taller and thinner than a human. The average Longwalker stands about six-and-a-half feet tall. Their skin is dark brown, and their eyes are black. They have hair ranging from light brown to black which runs from their head down their backs and the tops of their arms. They traditionally favor red robes, but have taken to wearing trousers and shirts bought from Settlers.

During the Refugee Wars, a number of these were destroyed, and the Longwalkers' numbers still having recovered. Ever since, they've never gotten along particularly well with others in the Shift.

Long Legged Bastards: Longwalkers have a base pace of 10.
Unnatural Men: Settlers don't like the Longwalkers. They remember a time when the Longwalkers raided settlements from their Outposts, and few people really trust the Longwalker's strange technologies. Longwalkers have the Outsider trait.
Survivors: Longwalkers are long used to the changing climates of the Unwaking. They have a +2 bonus to resisting all environmental effects.

[JackMann]

Still working on the Unwaking setting. I've got a few things half-written for the various threads (races, items, magic), but I'm also working on solidifying the themes.

One thing that I've been wrestling with on the Unwaking is how to differentiate it from Deadlands. The Unwaking is a Western at heart. It's about cowboys. Sure, it's set in another world, but it's ultimately about cowboys and sheriffs and the frontier. So, the question became how is this different? Granted, this setting is more an exercise than anything else, but that doesn't mean I don't want to come up with something at least a little original. I knew it felt different to me, but I wasn't able to put my finger on why. I think I've got it now.

Deadlands is Western Horror. The Unwaking is Western High Fantasy. There's a lot of overlap, sure. Both rely heavily on the supernatural. But the Unwaking doesn't have the overwhelming dread that Deadlands exhibits. The world is different, and dangerous, but it's by no means nearly as screwed up.

This leads into one of the other major themes: As weird as the Unwaking is, it's still a place people can call home. People can live there, build their houses, form a society. People are building something here. If someone's strong enough, tough enough, and determined enough, they can make a go at it.

This isn't to say there aren't problems. There are monsters, bandits, minor godlings, and the shifting land itself to contend with. It's full mixed up with danger and opportunity.

It still shares a lot of themes with Deadlands, of course, but it mostly stems from the fact that they both draw on Western themes. Conflict with the aboriginal peoples, lawlessness, old ways vs. new. But I think I've got a somewhat different approach to them.

[Zero Mostel]

I LIKE THIS! I'd love to see more
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As the chicken said to the lion, "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it."

[Takeda]

Sounds very interesting!
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Dean: "Ya' know she could be faking."
Sam: "Yeah, what do you wanna do, poke her with a stick?"
[Dean nods]
Sam: "Dude, you're not gonna poke her with a stick?"
Supernatural Quotes

[JackMann]

A few things that don't quite fit anywhere else yet, but which I felt important enough to jot down.

Agriculture and the Consequences Thereof

Now, one question that I've been asked quite a bit is how people manage to eke out a living in a changing land like this. There are a few answers to that.

For one thing, places that've been settled a while (particularly near the coast) tend to be more stable, less inclined to change. No one's quite sure why, but it does make it easier to manage. In these areas, you can plant some fields, and then be assured that they'll remain fields for the majority of the time. They might get replaced for a day or two with swamp or jungle, but when the fields come back, they'll be more-or-less as you left them. Worst case scenario, most years, you lose a few days of the harvest.

Hunting can be very good. Antelope, bison, or even whales can supplement a cookpot pretty easily. And near the coast, fishing's about the same as it is in any other world.

Domesticated animals don't tend to shift with the landscape. This makes it possible (though challenging) to raise herds of cattle or sheep. It isn't easy. When your grazing land shifts to crystal or desert, for example, you might have to move your herd quite a distance to find more habitable terrain. You might lose some. Lions, or wolves, or sharks might get some.

Some folks (particularly Hadrik) herd changebeasts. Changebeasts are several different kinds of critters that can be found in the shift. Some of them are herbivores, some carnivores. When a shift comes on, they don't vanish like most wildlife. Instead, they change with it, becoming more suited to whatever the terrain is. When it's cold, they grow thick hair. When it's hot, they lose the hair. When the land's all crystals, so are they. The changebeasts folks herd are a bit like cattle with long tusks. They're a bit testy, but they're easy enough to care for.

The Dreamrails have made a lot of things easier out in the shift. Food raised along the coast can be moved to settlements pretty easily. Canned goods make it to stores in most towns.

It ain't easy. It ain't necessarily fun. But it can be done.

The Perils of Mining

The mountains can cause changes in people. These can be minor (like a change in skin color) or major (new limbs). Long enough exposure can turn people or animals into something completely unrecognizable.

The mountains are also the best place to mine Dream Iron, gold, and other valuble minerals.

Add into this the monsters (some of whom might've been men once upon a time) and other general weirdness in the hills, mining is not a job to be undertaken lightly. Some miners are taken from the extremely poor or newly arrived, little better off than slaves. Others (particularly prospectors) are fortune seekers, betting their bodies against the iron and gold they'll find in the hills. Some of them make it back intact. Others are less fortunate. These hill-marked folks are given a wide berth in towns. Not all the changes show through skin, after all.

[Snate56]

Kinda like Deadlands (without the horror) meets Slipstream.



SteveN
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"We've got a blind date with destiny... and it looks like she's ordered the lobster." <The Shoveller>

[JackMann]

I hadn't really thought about the Slipstream connection, but I suppose there are some similarities.