Foundry Tips ¶

• Use Google Earth Pro images for battle maps!
  • Save Google Earth images at the highest possible resolution 8192x4518 then change the grid size to a value between 20-30 so that 100m on the image is equal to 50in on the VTT (I’m not sure why the right value changes here….)
  • do keyword search for abandoned factory, building, etc. to get dilapidated/ruined buildings appropriate for the rifts setting

Gming things to remember ¶

• Each mission should end with a return to Castle Refuge followed by a report to the group’s patron.
  • This worked great in Paranoia and is a fun way to wrap up a session.
• NPCs should communicate during combat whether to taunt, compromise or surrender
  • PCs should usually be able to communicate with most NPCs they encounter at a distance.
  • eg: Coalition captains should talk over short range comms. Demons should shout. Mages should mindspeak.
  • On a main NPC’s turn they should always say something.
• Always talk to PCs directly — instead of saying “John, what does Evicerator Jones do?”, say “Evicerator Jones what do you do?”
  • “What do you do?” should be something I say often when trying to bring players into the action/roleplay and help everyone at the table both set the scene and have their PCs be included in the events going on
• Make PC choices matter — focus on bringing to life the parts of the setting that the players are interacting with most and seem to be the most curious about.
  • This can and should start at character creation time / session 0 — if a player creates a character who’s on the run from a group of cultists who want to sacrifice him for being a heretic -> work on that faction, build it out, create some NPC sheets for it and figure out interesting ways of bringing them into play.
  • If PCs really like a particular NPC, be open to turning them into a recurring ally, maybe a Diana-esque handler or an NPC that joins their party. Have the NPC in-character offer this as an option they’d be into.
• Be flexible — try to “yes, and” everything, if you can’t say yes adjucate a compromise, write it down for future reference then continue play.

Maps ¶

Overworld Map ¶

• Throw a few different ideas / factions into the mix — allowing players to choose which part of the bigger picture to unravel first (is everything connected?)
• See arcs below… We can set them up here.

Town to supplement mappings ¶

Castle Refuge Map ¶

Bangs ¶

…

Castle Refuge Intro ¶

Thoughts on roleplaying in and around Castle Refuge from great reddit post

Hello! I’ve run a few games centered around Castle Refuge now - here’s what I tend to focus on: (TL,DR - Think Rebel Alliance (Star Wars) at Yavin IV, led and run by the MCU Avengers (with all their big personalities), in a world that is part Port Protection and part The Walking Dead, with Nazis to your North and South, and Sauron to your East.)

Castle Refuge is new: Yes, there are power players and experienced NPCs involved to guide the way and shepherd the forces, but every time the players come back to base, something has changed. Someone’s office has moved, someone has a new setup, the East Wing has been repaired, no leaky roof!, the War Room is on-line, comms for the North East sector went down due to a ley line storm, and a SET has been dispatched to effect a repair, the E Company, 2nd Battalion Legionnaires has a new commander, they’re always out on a formation run. etc. There is the overwhelming feeling of hey, we’re really doing something good here, but it is tempered with Dammit! We don’t have enough [teams, resources, equipment, territory, power, etc.] to do that now :( - So, optimism vs. scarcity.

The Tomorrow Legion is a bustle of varied activity: The TL’s primary mission these days is to take in all of these refugees from the MN territories, get them settled, give them hope, and put them to work rebuilding. As such, many hopeful types are attracted to the cause as word gets out. These hopeful types come from all walks of life - hi-tech mercs, mystical beings, powerful psis and magic users. The Legion is pioneering multi-disciplinary tactics. Teams are in and out. NPCs that your team came across last session may be out on a long-range mission now. A SET had a successful rescue mission, and now a group of about 100 refugees are lined up to receive basic necessities and medical care. The 1st Battalion Legionnaires commandeered the Vehicle Bay today to conduct a mission brief to secure the western flank from encroaching Brodkil. - So, an ever changing landscape of different faces and vehicles, all moving towards or recovering from a specific activity.

The Legion is textbook rag-tag group of heroes: Some started out full of piss and vinegar to change the world dammit! Some joined after a disreputable life to make some good. Still others are hanging around for a time, biding time for the next gig. People come with their own hopes, dreams, and problems. With the Legion being such a small organization, it is going to be dominated by big personalities. Some will be likable, some a bit too much, some not enough. But all who’ve signed on likely believe they’re doing the right thing. What happens when disagreements occur? - So, take a random slice of The Tomorrow Legion Player’s Guide, and those are the weirdo heroes who’re hanging around the castle.

Geography matters: Don’t forget that the town of Refuge is growing around the Castle. Then branch out further - new roads (physical and relational) are being built with the surrounding communities! These communities have their own perks, problems, and people. Balance this growth with The threats of CS Missouri and CS El Dorado to the north and south respectively (Both New Chillicothe and Fort El Dorado are about 250 mi away). The True Federation is a comfortable 500ish mi to the East, but they are just as scary.

EDIT: I want to add - In general, the Legionnaires do not the Tomorrow Legion make. Officers, NCOs, and Soldiers of the TL have the fourfold missions of Command and Control, Area Security, Mission Support, and Mission Sustainment. Without these pieces, the real heroes of the Legion (SETs, the players) could not do their job. That said, the heavy lifting and in-roads to success are accomplished by small teams of highly capable and specialized individuals. Some are less than savory, but dammit if they don’t get results. Most SETs will get briefed by Top Chief Elle of Owls (or her Warrant Officer intermediaries). They’ll see rank and file along the way, and will rub shoulders with them on bigger missions (because Logistics will be handled by them) or if they are close to the castle (training or conducting security ops) - but the teams are out on their own for the most part.

Ideas ¶

Arcs ¶

These arcs ideas should ideally mesh into one another gracefully rather than fully start and fully stop

• Evil Robots trying to colonize Earth arc (Terminator/Arnold voices, beep boops)
  • Investigate scene of an attack near Castle Refuge (lost a patrol, people the PCs knew)
  • Fend off attacks (siege of Castle Refuge)
  • Find the source of the bots — some kind of factory world in a rift and blow it up MGS style.
• Evil Castle Refuge arc (evil dopplegangers) — this would be a good arc later on once Castle Refuge has been established
  • Evil Castle Refuge’s actions cause repercussions against normal Castle Refuge (reduced trust)
  • Encounter evil dopplegangers in the wild
  • Find Evil Castle Refuge on the map
  • Communicate with the source of this magic (Star Trek alien style) and choose how to deal with it.
• Demonic Refugee Crisis arc
  • Going into a hell-like rift to save good beings trapped there living under demonic rule
• Mad Max arc
  • PCs stranded on Mad Max-like world and must acquire means of returning back to Castle Refuge.
  • PCs might work for a warlord, rising through the ranks until they can find a way back home.
  • Racing! Vehicle-based transport missions
• El Dorado’nt
  • multi-step arc to infiltrate and assassinate local Coalition leadership at Fort El Dorado, reducing CS presence near Castle Refuge

Missions ¶

• A whole town has been replaced by interdimensional interlopers or goblins (citizens are being held under the town and being kept to help the “actors” sell the bit)
• A nuclear reactor is leaking into a nearby river causing mutations and deaths all around it.
• Star Trek-like Q figure plays a game with the 9ers
• 9ers investigate a town who’s inhabitants have all disappeared without a trace.
• 9ers investigate a town suffering from weekly attacks by monsters.

Tables ¶

TODO

• Table for random encounters during travel on overworld map based on area (mountains, CS-controlled, etc.)
• Table for random NPC names + species
• Table for random encounters with NPCs in Castle Refuge (who do you encounter in the halls?)
• Table for where does the rift you just entered lead to