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Post by timberriault on Mar 6, 2017 15:19:18 GMT -8
Over the next few months I'll be building a small region for my The Mutant Epoch players to enjoy. I'll be posting all the images and docs I create for anyone here to use as long as they aren't trying to sell them or pass off as there own. goo.gl/photos/T9EMn3E7FNiPHMbZ6Above is the current work in progress of the Fresno valley map. This is using the CC3+ program with the Schley Art Ink art assets with some basic topographic symbols which didn't show up as well as I wanted them too in this test render. I'll go back and darken those. I'll be generating a few maps that will just use topographic symbols as their quick to produce and the image file size can be kept very small, that and I like simple line work with easy to understand representation the most (I play Dwarf Fortress, a lot). I'll try to keep the town descriptions and random unique tables as close to TME normal as possible, each doc will have page lookup reference areas like I included in the One Day Dig 7 The Ascent. If anyone has any requests I'll try to accommodate those as it's likely I'll be using the same maps that people want to use in their own games, might as well broaden the appeal of each map.
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Post by timberriault on Mar 7, 2017 21:12:20 GMT -8
Work in progress for the city of Bitter-Toe. Doing what I can to bring it to close as possible to the style we are use to in Mutant Epoch. Need to go back to the map and replace a bunch of the lines and building symbols to bring it more into line with TME and away from the Schley style.
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Post by Appalachian Knight on Mar 17, 2017 11:21:08 GMT -8
I think you have done an excellent job capture the ME look. Well done! Naval Air Station Lemoore is out that way might make an interesting location.
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Post by timberriault on Mar 19, 2017 20:06:23 GMT -8
I was stationed in NAS Lemoore with 303 SeaBee maintenance unit. I was going to use the old naval station as being under water and Kettlemen City sitting on the edge of the mountains. Visalia, Medara, Hanford and some other areas in Kings County would get a nod as family names of settlers or in ruined locations
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Post by timberriault on Mar 20, 2017 17:10:47 GMT -8
Scratching the previous map, going with an actual road map of the area with some graphic work. Will include some hand drawn items over the top to make it look like a Relic Map somebody found and updated to better match the region.
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Post by thefaceofevil on Mar 21, 2017 15:13:15 GMT -8
I tried using google maps for reference in cough, cough, "another game system" but after a few sessions it became apparent that was simply not going to work. It's a start but WWAAYYY too much work, so I time warped them to THE era and ditched ALL road maps. I am using the Crossroads game supplement for the current world. Love that guide!
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Post by timberriault on Mar 21, 2017 21:30:26 GMT -8
What the map looks like at present, still has a lot of work left. Will delete most of the roads, add some texture to the city ruin area for a better visual effect. Thought about adding a ring from a drink container but decided against it, that be to much clutter. As far as this being a lot of work, your very much correct there. Even though this is a fan mod for a Home-brew area I still want to include as much detail and effort as we would expect from a TME product.
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Post by Appalachian Knight on Mar 22, 2017 15:07:24 GMT -8
I'm on my phone at the moment. The pics are not viewable. I'll try on my desk top later.
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Post by timberriault on Mar 22, 2017 20:55:32 GMT -8
I'm on my phone at the moment. The pics are not viewable. I'll try on my desk top later. I wish I knew why Google did that to phone apps, it might have something to do with Proboards smart phone page rather than google itself. I'll test it later if I can switch to desktop mode on my phone. Forming the towns in the region of note, so far its, Visalia- 2800-3300, mutant/stock/cyborg/synthetic/plantoid/beast, representative democracy, walled, strong enough to push around city-state neighbors and starting to form nationalistic tendencies and expansionism but doesn't have the military capability to enforce it's desires yet. Bitter-Toe- 300-400 Mutant/stock/cyborg/beast/synthetic. Military command structure with a Brigadier General (Which suggests there was once a Major General above them, though this rank hasn't been used sense before the fall) as the for life leader of the settlement with two Colonels that control the logistical and war-making capabilities of the command. Here is the WIP blurb(More a stream of unedited thoughts) Military settlement in the region, military fort, raises Ground Hawk mounts with the Huge and Thick hide mutation that has been stabilized in a breeding population. Highly militant, the Knights of Bitter Toe are feared across the region for their aggressive militancy and shocking cavalry charges equipped with an odd energy lance manufactured within the settlement. The settlement predates the establishment of the Visalia defense perimeter, their war banner a pre-fall yellow flag with a coiled snake and the words “Don't tread on me” stitched in red or black. Highly militant settlements are not uncommon in the Mutant Era, but one with such a well drilled and dedicated population living an almost monkish abstinence to worldly desires is highly irregular. A lone knight of Bitter Toe is often called a Journey-men and is welcome in most settlements as they are seen as respecting the local authority and staying out of the political affairs of their neighbors. The larger military goal for Bitter Toe is unknown, though their marshaling forces are often guessed at by the quantity of goods their outlying farms can produce which is not enough to pose a significant threat to a large walled settlement. They have been known to offer services as mercenary soldiers, a nearly centuries old alliance between Visalia, Tulare and Hanford called the 2261 Accord to push out a sudden expansion from the Mutant nation of Baker-Field is widely considered the greatest action of the Bitter Toe Hussar Knights. 250 Hussars armed with energy lances faced a Baker-Field horde of supposedly several thousand. Their devastating charge broke the infantry advance, piercing the heart of the enemy formations and killing the enemy commanders and capturing the regimental standards of 3 Bakers Legions.
Tulare- WIP for tulare (Not sure on pop size, likely under 400. Government will go the way of a lodge with a council of eldars from each tribe) Swampy, beaver, otter and some crow beast human settlement. Managed several dam systems that control water coming into and out of the area. Armed with primitive weapons and muskets, keeps raiders at bay with moat and wall. Not all beast humans are welcome, strict predators aren't typically welcome as all the residents belong to omnivore people. The peace between Visalia and Tulare is not ideal, an ancient accord and the threat of Baker-Field keep the two city states in a mutually beneficial arrangement, though the creation of the Visalia defense perimeter has diminished Tulares importance as a bulwark against the south.
HanfordGrants Grove- Nothing concrete yet. But it's going to involved the long rumored plantoids, the General Grant sequia tree and crazy mutant druids. It's going to be a very dangerous area to get into, crazy plant people worshipping their living god, General Grant, in the red wood forest. Lemoore- Not sure why it's a danger zone yet, thinking maybe well organized gangs of Warmorts raiding out of a stronghold, possible a deep military structure beneath the old NAS Lemoore base that is still pumping out fresh Warmort recruits when "genetic material" is brought back. Dinuba No notes yet Tollhouse All I know is it's way up in the mountains and they make the best booze and hemp in the area. Local Features (incomplete list) Five Point Crater- Giant monster Koi fish. Madera Bone Yard- Old battle zone with robots constantly rebuilding themselves in an endless trench war that has mostly devolved to cobbled together scrap bots beating each other to pieces with rocks in search of power cells. Route 99- the old highway, still mostly intact, skullocks love to use it as a raiding point, not much traffic on the 180 north of their settlement in old world ruins of Reedley A few more to follow! I won't be adding a typical stat line for the Plantoids other than as a monster, so no plantoid players. There will be unique encounter tables for every town and map location along with locations within the towns such as bars, barbers, merchants, brothels (hmm, beaver brothels), and the things we are use to in TME. Not many new weapons except the Hussar energy lance, which I need to stat out (won't be a super weapon). More stuff to show soon!
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Post by timberriault on Mar 22, 2017 22:44:59 GMT -8
Here's an example of the kind of formatting you can expect for the Fresno Region. It'll conform to the Cross-Roads region method, in the same order for ease of reference and reading. I'll likely make my own art assets for borders and images in the document, but will finish the overall text before trying to making something much more presentable for all of our use.
Visalia
Faction: 2261 Accord
Government: Representative Republic lead by a majority parliament, currently controlled by the majority Nationalist Party led by Prime Minister Goath.
Population: Total 2800-3300 /Pure Stock 32%/ Synthetic/ Cyborg 8%/ Mutant 37%/Ghost Mutant 11%/ Plantoid 2%/Beast Human 10%.
Site Details: Sitting on the ruins of old Visalia, the town is constructed of timbers and salvaged rubble. The town is built around the confluence of the Clovis and Three Rivers, it's distributary known as the White River flows south out of the town carrying most of the sewage waste away from the city proper. The Perimeter wall dominates the landscape, a herculean construction effort that rings the city with 4 gates, the south 99 or Mud Gate, the western Hanford gate, the North 99 or Fresno Gate and the eastern Three Rivers Gate.
Construction: Felled timber from the eastern mountains sent down the Three Rivers combined with scrap metal and concrete salvage from earlier settlements. The Perimeter Wall is a truly amazing engineering marvel as it represents a large scale concrete pouring operation. Though it lacks the metal reinforcement that would make it largely immune to current era artillery it is still a formidable bulwark against attack. More recent construction projects have progressed using locally sourced concrete and has become the economic corner stone of the region for their formidable building ability. Several interior bridges of timber span the river over earth dikes that keep the confluence from flooding during the spring melt, though it is not a perfect system and works are underway to divert part of the Three River system to fill several small craters in the east when the waters are to high.
Water and Sanitation: All sewerage is emptied into the river confluence, at the south side of the city by the Route 99 Gate, which has become known as the Mud Gate given it's proximity to the water and rancid smells coming from the leaving sewage. Water is collected from where the waters come into the city from the west and east, any dumping of sewerage at or around these points is punished severely, often with public flogging. Water collection operations are under construction, the rise and fall of the river systems shift severely during the seasons meaning that most households maintain more than a few barrels of clean drinking water during all seasons. With it's recent advancements in concrete construction the reining Nationalist party has initiated plans to build a series of reservoirs in the east to store water during flood events.
Technology: Despite recent construction advancements with concrete, Visalia's technological capability is easily dwarfed by its neighbor Bitter-Toe. What Visalia lacks in advanced arms it makes up for in drilling and precision, having a standing professional army with several hundred conscripted militia. A few solar salvaged solar panels provide recharging stations at high price for civilians while military officers and the ruling elite have access to a few communication devices at the battalion command level. Only a few dozen relic weapons are passed out sparingly to the most elite soldiers, usually those protecting the Prime Minister and other important members of parliament. Radio communication devices are highly prized and wanderers are subject to search and seizure of these devices or they can pay a steep 20s tax to keep their personal possession. Cyborgs and synthetics with integrated circuitry are not subject to this seizure.
Dangers: As with most settlements the greatest danger to humans is other humans. Though disease and famine are always a close second killer. Marauding Warmorts out of the Lemoore danger zone are often kept at bay by the military outpost of Hanford, though occasionally raiding parties manage to get around Hanford by using the distributaries of the Clovis river to go up one and down another into Visalia itself and launch suicidal raids. To the north, just past the 203 line a collection of Skullock tribes is showing signs of consolidation beneath a single powerful war-chief, which little is known about. The greatest military threat is from Baker-Field to the south, a powerful mutant civilization that attacked the Fresno area settlements a century ago with a massive horde of barbarians. With considerable effort the horde was turned, though heading south into that territory is insanely dangerous as roving mobs of mutant raiders dominate the spaces between both nation states which are often employed by Baker-Field to raid the areas south of Visalia. To the east lies Three Rivers, controlled by the mysteries druids of Grants Grove, a secretive and barbaric group of plantoids and ghost mutants that jealously guard the red wood forests, they are not known to raid past their own lands however but are worryingly in control of a major water source for the city.
Law Enforcement: Laws are described on a series of free standing pillars in the center of town, these include tax laws, property, theft and assault laws with the punishments one can expect to suffer should any of these laws are broken. For common street theft or disturbances to the peace like public drunkenness or lewd behavior the Visalia Grenadiers usually settle for a swift and public beating before letting the perpetrator go. A person imprisoned in the city can expect a speedy trial with a selection of professional jurors, selected from the population that has memorized the legal pillars, who ultimately decide the severity of the crime and most just punishment by majority vote. Death sentences are rare as they require a universal agreement and come with no appeal process, it is often considered that an indentured slave is more valuable than a dead man, as any crime that warrants the death penalty can have the individual work off the debts they owe society or the victims of their acts. Crimes that carry the death sentence are murder, rape, steed theft, desertion, which is conducted immediately after a sentence is given. Hanging for civilians and deserters, firing squad for all soldiers and civil servants in honorable standing. Quartering, publicly, is reserved for the most heinous of crimes, treason, and has only ever been conducted once on the last 'King' of Fresno who betrayed the city of Visalia to Baker-Field advanced elements before the 2261 Accord.
Military and Defense: Lacking Bitter-Toes technology and low on advanced armaments Visalia has instead established a well trained and drilled professional military known as the Visalia Grenadiers. Every able bodied adult is expected to serve a minimum of 1 year in the Visalia militia, starting at the age of 15 to learn the basics of infantry combat, marching and line shooting. The city contains a single weapons foundry capable of producing a large and steady stream of muskets, with the militia expected to maintain their issued musket which is inspected annually during the regular militia census to take an accurate recount of military capability and reenlist the regular soldiery. The Perimeter wall is manned by the militia who rotate responsibility monthly between battalions while professional soldiers patrol the areas outside the wall and ensure trade lanes going to and from the city are clear of most hazards, though banditry is still fairly common. Officers rule with an iron fist, adherence to drill and doctrine is rigidly adhered to and dissension is punished with flogging. It's often grumbled by the men of the militia that their officers mistress is the cat-o-nine tails, who are renown for being able to strip flesh with a single blow. Each gate supports a battery of 3kg bronze guns mixed with heavy 6kg howitzers and a collection of stone and fire-pot catapults kept loaded and ready. Every soldier can be expected to carry 20 shot and powder with a ring socket bayonet with standard seasonal uniform under leather armor. Officers typically carry a sword into combat with some carrying a brace of musket pistols with the occasional relic weapon bought with officers wages or secured as a war trophy. Mixed light cavalry is irregular and largely marshaled when needed, though in times of war Bitter-Toe mercenary Hussars are used extensively.
Visitors to Visalia: The large 4 gates are usually open from sun up to down, admittance being bared at night fall though travelers are welcomed to shelter in the shelter half just outside of the walls in the advent of inclement weather. There is no entrance fee for travelers on foot, though all such persons are subject to a cursory inspection with any explosives, flame throwers or suspicious liquids being confiscated at the gate to be returned to travelers when they depart. Any radio or communication devices are immediately confiscated if they aren't hard wired into the traveler, such as in cyborgs or synthetics. This can be avoided with a hefty 20s tax, payable once with a receipt that is good for one year after admittance. There are no restrictions on who can come in or out or the makeup of their party, though large groups not part of a trade caravan are given more scrutiny parties of 8 and larger may be subject to strip searches to identify any legion marks of the Baker-Field army.
During an attack all able bodied visitors are expected to marshal at a militia point nearest their lodgings to receive orders and man the perimeter defenses, failure to do so is grounds for confiscation of all possessions and immediate enslavement for failure to comply with civil codes.
All relic SPG's, scrap tanks or other military armor is treated as hostile, approaching vehicles can expect the gates to be closed to them with a single NCO and accompanied squad to approach the vehicle if it shows no hostile intent for negation of entry and disarmament.
Any barges coming in from the rivers can expect the same from the guards there as they would from the road gates, though the political elite are keen to get barges coming in from the Fresno ruins loaded with scrap into the city walls so any technological marvels can be bartered for quickly.
Brief History: Coming soon
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Post by timberriault on Mar 23, 2017 1:26:23 GMT -8
What I expect the rough documents will look like as they come together. Just a quick header with an open source graphic till I've got time to make a more interesting one. I'll mostly do things like this, then when their all done go back and add art for a better formatting. This is kind of a test run for some of my own stuff I've been cooking, so any problems with the presentation I'd love some people to point to them if they see them. And if anyone wonders why so much stuff today, it's my day off, got spare time to get a lot of work done.
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Post by timberriault on Mar 23, 2017 3:14:05 GMT -8
Almost done with the local map. Few more local names, symbols and that'll finish the overland area.
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Post by timberriault on Mar 24, 2017 21:19:35 GMT -8
So far the region has a town dominated by beast men, a town mixed with a stable ghost mutant population of empath and telepathy and a highly mixed town of mutants and stock humans. The Skullocks and Warmort territories have a named town each, but not really a town, just an adventure zone ruin with unique encounter tables. The Warmort zone will have a high tech dungeon dive which will just be a meat grinder for high level PCs. I believe I'll make one dungeon for each 5th level bracket, 4 dungeons that span those rank hit chances. One in the Fresno ruins, another in the Skullocks zone, Warmort zone and the ancient battledfield of the Madera Boneyard.
Also, daily chance for weather hazards and radiation exposure. Wind and rain kicking up irradiated dust, only a type A check, but exposed PCs or wounded ones might see an uptick in radiation poisoning.
The overall history of the zone is coming together, I'm not going to over describe it, leave some flexibility for off the cuff thinking. I'll include some important people, an event or too, but certainly not the name of the local blacksmith or every bastard child of the local magister.
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Post by timberriault on Mar 30, 2017 1:23:21 GMT -8
Previous map I made of Bitter-Toe is going to get used for a different settlement.
Bitter-Toe
Faction: None
Government: Top down military autocracy ruled by Brigadier General “Stone Fist” Williams
Site Details: North of 5 point crater the fort is built from the ruins of an older military structure or corporate stronghold that had survived with most of its defensive structures intact. The gaps in it's defenses have been filled with scrap armor from the northern battlefields or from route 180 that the fort sits adjacent too. It supports a single large gate made of a strange thermal material that reflects most laser strikes, along with murder holes and intersecting lanes of fire from all positions. It's impossible to come up on the fort unseen, the ground around it having been cleared of debris for 200m save short blunt protuberances that act as tank barriers yet provide little cover. Farms ring the settlement which are surrounded by an earthwork wall set with twisted concrete and scrap material affording the farmers some time to escape towards small heavily armored bunkers between farm steads.
Population: Total 250-350 Purestocks >4%, Trans-humans UNK, Ghost Mutants 65%, Mutants 10-15%, Synthetics UNK, Cyborgs 5-30%, Beast Humans >5%
Construction: The ancients built Bitter-Toe to withstand heavy firepower, it's walls are several meters thick and made of a mysterious substance that as of yet cannot be replicated. It isn't known who originally created the fortification, though the emblem of a woman holding a spear atop of what appears to be a dead synthetic with the words Sic Semper Tyrannis on a banner above her head has been found carved into the floor of the largest room in the fort. There isn't a single straight angle in the entire structure, everything is designed to deflect shots or make it difficulty for an invading force to gain an advantage or understand their present location. The interior forts layout is maddening to those who first visit it, as it is partially above ground and much below with snaking hallways and sudden open areas after tight spaces that only a person at a time could pass through. There are a few areas that open to the sky, though these appear to be damage from long ago attacks, the residents have down their best to shore up these holes with scrap supported with blisters of automatic weapons nests to chase away any would be infiltrator.
Water and Sanitation: Water is pumped from deep reservoirs which are replenished by large open square earthworks that trap rain water above the porous caves beneath. This acts as both filtration and secures the settlement from nuclear radiation which is prevalent in the regions water supplies. Human and animal waste is recycled for it's methane or treated for use as fertilizer, large scrap tanks hold the waste within the fort where new world necessity meets ancient technology to take advantage of every resource that can be exploited.
Technology: In many ways Bitter-Toe is the technological superior of every settlement in the Fresno region, though it's rigid adherence to military doctrine doesn't allow for spontaneous creative advancements. They are capable of incredible adaptation of tech they find, but not very good at creating their own owing to an obsessive need to utilize every bit of salvage they find rather than allowing for open experimentation. This doesn't mean they aren't open to new ideas, just not at expending resources to find them internally. Most Hussars come equipped with a line of site communication device and every Hussar has the ubiquitous energy lance their Knight-hood is known for. Internally the fort has a computer server that regulates the energy collection of retractable solar panels and a smattering of wind turbines, providing the interior with 24hr electric light from bright recessed diodes. Bitter-Toe has an advanced biological research division, which they use to modify their own offspring as well as their field animals and mounts. Despite this technology the settlement has few Trans-humans and no Bioreplica, though has cultivated a high amount of Ghost Mutants with the empathy and telepathy strain. A genetic connection is usually established between Ground Hawk and rider, meaning communication through empathy is greatly increased though the shared connection makes them vulnerable to the pain or torment of the other. This genetic pairing are usually kept within family lines and rarely needs altering at the genetic level any longer.
Dangers: An ancient battlefield to the north poses the greatest threat to Bitter-Toe, the Madera Boneyard. The area is rife with robotic death machines activated by movement or proximity of biological heat sources. Though it's rare that a machine wanders out of the zone, when one does Bitter-Toe is prepared to fight it off and reduce the offending monstrosity to scrap. Raiders down from the north and west are consistent, though some heavily armed caravans make their way down from the 5 and cross over to the 180 and make their way towards Bitter-Toe, usually to hire on Hussars as escorts as they venture further into the Fresno region. The proximity to the Fresno city ruins are another constant threat as it contains any number of horrors lurking in the ruined city. Bio-Scorpions, Skullocks, roving bands of mutated beasts and ancient war-machines. Wedged as they are between two dangerous zones it's a wonder that Bitter-Toe has held on as long as it has, though it does have an enemy of sorts. A rather powerful and large mutated Bio-Scorpion with a rare golden carapace haunts the Madera Boneyard and has claimed many a youngsters life who ventured into the Boneyards to find the parts necessary to build their first energy lance.
Law Enforcement: There is little need for internal policing, though on the occasion that a visitor is caught in some act deemed in violation of a code of ethics the perpetrator is usually handed a fine to be paid out in assets or capability that has been compromised or lost. No specific policing force exists, residents of Bitter-Toe are expected to abide by the law and enforce it. Disputed claims are sent up the chain of command to be settled, it is only in the event of a crime deemed punishable by death that the highest ranking officer is requested to hand down the sentence to ensure all ethical codes are adhered to. When a judgment has been reached, execution is conducted on dawn the following morning by hanging. If a member of the community commits an act considered dishonorable they are stripped of their possessions, given simple weather appropriate attire and a flask of water then sent into the northern Madera Boneyard with only a spear. There is no returning from this banishment, the dishonored are expected to redeem themselves either by bringing justice to the wild wastes or dying in combat to protect Bitter-Toe.
Military and Defense: At current strength Bitter-Toe is not capable of Battalion level operations, but can field 1 company of Hussars with several support companies of infantry and auxiliary irregulars. The fort itself is bristling with machine gun nests and energy weapons, there is no single approach that is not covered by at least 3 intersecting lines of fire with supporting indirect fire weapons in each direction to eliminate the advantage of dead space. 200M around the entire fort is a cleared kill zone, anything taller than 1 meter is uprooted or burned, only short concrete pillars spaced at uneven intervals and random distances provide any cover though prevent vehicles from approaching except for horse drawn carts or purpose built war machines designed to either go over the obstacles are narrow enough to weave between them. Trench lines can be dug if an attack is expected, shallow enough to stagger an advancing line but only deep enough to provide a shallow grave for any sheltering inside of them is pulped by the pounding fire of 40mm automatic grenade launchers.
Visitors to Bitter-Toe: Guards are almost paranoid in their level of investigation. Unknown individuals aren't exactly treated as hostile combatants, but you'll certainly feel like it as an NCO demands a thorough strip search and recording of identifiable marks, mutations and inventory of possessions, mutations and cybernetics. After these requirements are satisfied any explosives, flame throwers are secured for safe keeping to be returned when leaving. After this the visitor has free reign of all parts of the fort not guarded. There is very little to do inside except eat, sleep and recover after a long or dangerous trip. Medical facilities are available for those who need it, though the medics have little use for silver and prefer scrap plastics, metal and other kinds of valuable salvage. Reloading benches are available and powder and slugs can be purchased for 4s each or just 1s for the powder and 6s for the lead if bought separate. During any alert, such as the fort being attacked the visitor is expected to go back to their room and lock themselves within, participating in combat only if their room is breached. Any visitor running around the fort armed during an alert will be treated as an enemy combatant and shot if the person is unknown to the forts population. Known visitors are escorted to their rooms, where as well known or guests with proven combat skills are sent to a defensive point to participate in the battle.
Brief History: Coming Soon
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Post by timberriault on Apr 5, 2017 20:33:54 GMT -8
Putting some time on Fresno tonight woo! Adding in the Tule fog, it's going to be a large part of the region during the rain season. If you've ever seen the Tule Fog, you know why it might be pretty important to the Mutant Epoch, if you haven't watch the video below. Now imagine fighting in this era in that?
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