The post-apocalypse is so often dusty wastelands that we forget to look skyward.
This isn't my original idea, but one I actually played in a Play-by-post Apocalypse World game (still near and dear to my heart, even if I don't get a chance to play it locally). The concept is that the world has gone beyond its usual nuclear poisoning, and the air itself is poison (or acid, or dangerous somehow). The last bastions of humanity live in rickety ruins of skyscrapers, or stacks of hastily-welded shipping containers, way in the air, linked by swaying rope bridges or scrap pieces of steel turned into something sturdy. Venturing below into the clouds is taking your life into your hands, and you might return with fabulous wealth (food, clothing, equipment, fresh water), or vanish forever. I found this to be a particularly evocative setting idea, because it has all the scarcity of a post-apocalypse setting, combined with a heady amount of vertigo, and the usual fear of the unseen that usually accompanies the sea. Communities above the clouds might be desperate and dangerous, but they've got nothing on whatever it is that dwells below the clouds, whether they are cannibal mutants, monsters from below the earth, or something even more alien. How you can use Castles in the Sky in your game: - If you want to adapt this to a fantasy concept, happening across a village living in some ancient Elven spire and concerned about the creatures that dwell on the earth might be a good analogue. Whether what they're terrified of actually exists or not, the sheer weirdness of such a community could make for a great spot to visit. - Overland travel to other communities might be possible via waystationed bridges, and controlling these bridges would be vital to defending your own community. Some kind of warlord who wants the resources of another community might chance a raid across the ground. - All sorts of danger can be used in this setting, from a child wandering down past the cloud level while no-one was watching, the cloud levels rising and falling like tides, or introducing air travel (whether mechanised with planes, or even something like hang gliders) to your communities. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 31 March 2019. Comments are closed.
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AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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