I've already got the music and aesthetic down, generally. Big-band, rat-pack, etc. Remnants and burnt out metropolis of rubble with art-deco aesthetics. A motorcycle sect of the Brotherhood of Steel. Punk-rock raiders. We are using a rule-system based off Fallout 2.
I need a combination of 80s shit-movies featured in major NYC locations, big-band 20s feel with a few songs from the 60s. I'm aware of most of the "NYC fallout lore", such that it is a complete crater filled with radioactive waste overran with mutants and ghouls! Perfect!
I understand this and yet, I feel like a massive nuclear crater that was mid-town is a good game opportunity.
What do you think? I'm posting here for the sake of TTRPG and the fact it's based on a game, as well as me asking for art and music direction! (obviously, you know Sinatra's New York was gonna take the cake) I have a few things planned, but I'm curious if there is anything I might have missed!
Happy holidays, and of course, if you wanna join just let me know in DMs!
Hot take: just retcon something so that Manhattan isn't just a crater
Partially exposed, crumbling vault that was a casualty of a direct hit. Word says that some more peaceful ghouls frequent the area ;)
Maybe toss in some "Escape From New York" references? Or Escape 2000 if any of your player's are MST3K fans
Ooh, I might be able to help. I was going to set up a campaign set in NYC in a custom setting combining Cyberpunk and VTM. I feel like the movie The Warriors might help flesh out the groups/factions. All of them themed around 1 thing or two (feels consistent with fallout faction design). Escape from New York might also help nail down the vibes of the setting. That brings the dilapidated-but-alive vibe you're going for.
NYC being a crater infested with mutants and ghouls also makes me think that regular folks would group on the outskirts of the city, so, I don't know if you've thought of the map and stuff, but I'd imagine southern manhattan being the crater (being the economic centre), with most folks fighting for Jersey or Brooklyn, maybe looking to set up a good FOB around the bridges (if they still exist), assuming there's still something of importance in southern NYC. You could bring in the NYC metro system as the one thing left standing south of Grand Central, and there could be vaults connecting directly to the metro with valuables/plot relevant items. Makes sense the wealthy would be the ones with access to the vaults.
Music-wise, maybe The Ramones and Detroit Cobras could help, though I'm not sure if they're too recent.
Cyberpunk AND vtm? Shit are you my alter-ego? I run the same thing(s), well, VTM right now.
Escape from New York sounds like a great overall goal, but ultimately I feel like there will be some "boggage" as one would put it, so I plan to have a way around that! I will take "The Warriors" movie recommendation to heart. "Dilapidated-but-alive" isn't quite what I'm going for. More so the ruins of a massive city that was the epitome of wealth and symbol of pure greed brought down entirely to rubble. A massive, threaded metropolis overran by ghouls and mutants, of course.
Jersey is a series of massive irradiated warehouses that supplied multiple materials to the various manufacturing sectors that existed in Newark. You were correct on the crater and metro system; of course that would play a significant part. That is where couple groups of "raiders" hang out. There are numerous vaults that exist in NYC; with two sealing 6 minutes before the launches.
Not too far off! I am using Beyond and Mick Harvey hehe
Jersey is a series of massive irradiated warehouses
So you're just using the real thing?
That got me; I actually was doing some research on the area and I noticed a huge amount of warehouses. In a country that never "deindustrialized" I'd feel like Newark would have become even more of a major hub for steel/industry logistics, shipping, etc.
There's more than just warehouses, it's just what it was known for along the stretch of the 95. Nowadays, they are controlled by raiders with motorbikes as what's left of the 95 is used for tolls, extortion and thefts as a major amount of traffic comes from NYC outwards. There's also an airport! It's still shitty.
The airport I wanted to have a BOS enclave!
Oh I'n not running either system, lol. I'm taking the lore of both and implementing cybernetics and the various supernatural types as closely as I can get it into Savage Worlds. I wanted to run either but my table doesn't want to learn another system, so, I'm running it on SW.
The lore bit about Jersey and Manhattan sounds interesting!
