12. The City and Environs.

What is The City.

The City (the raised one) is not just the physical entity that floats above your world. It is a story device that presents to your players a choice - support the beliefs of The City, or overthrow them. In the following I will refer to The City (uppercase) as the raised disc, and the city (lower) as the ruins of what was once the city on the ground.

The City, the city, the Rift, the Fog: are reasonably interchangeable descriptors of the game playing area. Each of them covers the entire playing area, layering over each other. Always assume that where I say one of them I am automatically assuming the others are present, but not specifically in focus.

One of the options of the game is that your players can have different agendas. Some of your players can decide to support The City, while others can strive to overthrow it. This will most likely result in a bleak and doomed future as the dispersal of effort results in an unsatisfactory ending (but can still provide an interesting game).

From the games point of view I am assuming that your players will work as a team to overthrow The City. So in a fashion I am predicating the ending of the game, directing its flow in what some people might consider to be railroading. The fact remains however that the story only allows for a few good endings, but many bad endings. This is Heroic fiction, and the tradition of that generally implies an extremely difficult to achieve, highly unlikely, predestined singular ending. The Heroes overthrow the bad guy, in this case the bad guy is The City.

There are many paths to that ending, and the players may need to explore many paths to create the awakening that their character should undergo to realise the ‘good’ ending. It is the paths that the players will control, the Hope they create, that will determine the fiction created between the start of your game and the ending. The players must create enough ‘hopeful imagery’ to change the world and to change their character's view of the world from the one they have been indoctrinated with, to one that aspires for a better place.

Why would you want to destroy it?

The City is the world we (the players) aspire to presently, a form of technological utopia. Its great flaw however is that it is limited to a small section of the population, it survives by excluding the rest of the world. Its’ people are an elite, segregated from the rest of humanity, bereft of compassion or sympathy for their fellow human beings. They have educated themselves to believe they are a separate form of life who have no responsibility for anyone other than themselves, in a fashion somewhat like many humans treat animals.

They have the knowledge and the skills to improve the lifestyle of the remainder of the world, but chose not to out of a flawed belief system that is indoctrinated into them from birth, and reinforced blindly by those in power, who in turn are indoctrinated into the belief that the only way they can maintain their lifestyle is by including only those who qualify. They hold to the theory that the world cannot support everyone equally, and that there should always be a social elite that deserves what it can take. The strong rule over the weak, the ends justifies the means, there will always be poor and there are always those who do not carry their weight. They ignore the fact that most of them have inherited their positions of privilege.

For those who live in its shadow this is unacceptable, and history has shown us, many times, that the concentration of power and wealth in a small minority only leads to revolution. Technology however has intervened into the natural process of change by allowing the current minority to avoid overthrow by the masses. By secluding themselves in their raised cities, the rich can avoid their fate, for now at least.

Most of the fiction about such situations results in revolution, and this game assumes this will be the general view of most players. Its an opinion however, and some people may not see this situation as one requiring alteration. I’m not sure how to suggest you handle that, I have to admit such a view would baffle me and my own beliefs (social and economic).

What’s It Like?

What is YOUR city like, the ruined one. As GM you will need to make some decisions before you start your game about the physical nature of your city, if only so you have a clear and consistent picture to present to your players. It is probably a good idea to go over these with your players so they understand the situation, then give them the opportunity to contribute to it, or question it. Involving them in the creation/development process will help them to remember the details.

Population.

You should decide on how populated you want your city to be. Are there lots of people still living in the ruins, or are they few and far between. How concentrated are they, how do they survive, what sort of attitudes do they have.

My preference is sparsely, humans will be found only in clustered groups, in protected locations, places where they can build defences against the forces of ruin and despair. The largest single clustering of people will be The Markets, but even here it will be one main street with many small alleyways that quickly become empty. The bulk of the city will be hostile ruins, places of danger, and therefore places normal people avoid. Scattered amongst the ruins will be oases of safety and islands of danger.

A densely populated city will be like what you see in the movie Bladerunner, crowds and small businesses, plenty of intermingling and pushing and shoving. But even in a densely populated city, that only applies in specific locations, the bulk of your city will be empty ruins or occupied by groups or forces or things that are assumed to be dangerous. You should identify those locations where there will be a lot of people, and use them as hubs to the player's movement through the ruins themselves.

Don’t worry about food unless you want to use it as a story factor, always assume that enough food will enter the Rift from outside to fulfill the demands of the people living within. Investigating a food shortage would be a good story, is some group blockading some areas of the city to prevent food getting in, and why? The City is completely self sufficient for all intensive purposes. They may import some fresh food on occasion (a mission?), but they don’t need to.

The Map.

With the game is a map you can use to play your game in. The following locations and their details are based on the game map i have provided. You can do your own map if you want and you can pick and choose which of the following features are included in it.

The Environs.

Following is a current list of “Significant sites” around the city.

1. Downtown Skyscrapers.
2. Dam Wall, Hydro Plant and Reservoir.
3. Sports Stadium
4. Convention Centre
5. University
6. Hospital
7. Shopping Complexes.
8. Shopping complex
9. Shopping complex
10. Government Precinct
11. Fusion Power Plant
12. Airport
13. Railyards/Tangleyard
14. Railyards Central
15. Amusement Park
16. Golf Course
17. Horse Racing Track
18. Cemetary
19. Industrial Parks
20. Cathedral
21. Communications Tower
22. Freeway Cloverleaf
23. The Rubble
24. The Underground
25. The Brewery
26. The Opera HOuse
27. The Movie Cinema Complex
28. The Observatory
29. Heroes Park
30. Botanic Gardens & Lakes
31. Junkyard
32. Abateur
33. Riverboat
34. Sewerage Works
35. Forest Reserve
36. Quarry
37. Millionaire’s Mansions
38. Bus Yard
39. Swimming Pools
40. Army Base
41. The Museum & Art Gallery
42. The Zoo
43. The Gaol
44. The Eastbank of the River Precinct
45. The Aquarium/OceanWorld
46. The Casino
47. The Aqueducts
48. The Science Centre
49. The Refinery
50. The Transit Centre
51. The Rubbish Dump (Landfill)
52. Sewers of the Undercity.
53. The Cauldron.
54. The Legs.
55. The Market.

Downtown Skyscrapers.

The old Business Sector of the city, where the buildings are at their tallest and most prestigeous. Depending on your game and preferences it has been 50+ years since the Rift appeared and the city was abandoned. The buildings are thus seriously run down, and some of them may have had serious structural failings (big bits have fallen off). Most of them will have some evident structural failings, sufficient to make them dangerous places to inhabit, especially on the taller buildings.

With the taller buildings also comes deeper sub-levels, car parking, subways and sunken commercial areas. A perfect environment for dungeon like adventures. Remember that these places were built in our future, most of them, so be sure to include evidence of this. Near perpetual lighting panels, electronic advertising, advanced computer networking should all be features you can put into this environment.

Humans will inhabit this area, both as permanent settlements amongst the ruins, and as transient campers passing through but taking some time to loot whatever they can find. Most of the useful stuff will have been looted by now, but there was so much originally that some is sure to remain, especially in the more dangerous sectors.

Dam Wall, Hydro Plant and Reservoir.

A long time ago a nearby valley was dammed and turned into a large reservoir to provide water to the city, as well as a hydroelectricity plant. The dam wall remains intact and reasonably sturdy, and the City actually takes an interest in preserving it due to the cost of it failing. The hydro-plant is still supported by the City at a reduced capacity, providing electricity to the protective grid of the aqueducts and the dam wall itself, preventing Aliens from possessing them. Generally a Team will be stationed at the Hydro Plant on a rotated basis and is responsible for protecting it and the aqueduct systems.

At sometime in the past, before the Raising, the city built a series of aqueducts to feed water to a select few areas of parkland, restricted of course to only those suitable to enjoy such places. The aqueducts were an extravagance in a time of affluent excess, built in the style of the Romans, but with a lot of advanced tech buried within them. They feed a number of different man-made lakes and parklands within the city. Again the City has an interest in these artifacts of the past as they provide clean water to the city heartlands and help support those who live there, reducing the outbreak of diseases such as cholera.

The City has access to small speed boats that can move along the aqueducts rapidly. (ps why is aqueduct spelt with an ‘e’?)

Sports Stadium

This was the city's premier Sports Complex, there are many other smaller ones. Think Superbowl or MCG (what is MCG you ask, Google it). It may have been roofed, or covered, but that has now fallen in. This venue is the sight of probably the most powerful Alien in my game, an Ancient Alien that acts like a giant spider, creating a massive nest from steel and canvas remnants strung out like giant cobwebs.

Convention Centre

A group of large open buildings used to run conventions where large groups of people would gather. High roofs, movable walls and large open spaces.

University

A small inner city campus with many small to medium sized buildings, plenty of open ground and green space. You may include a sporting area, a football field or tennis courts.

Hospital

A General Hospital complex, several large buildings which will be patient wards and, or, medical research centres.

Shopping Complexes.

There are three major shopping complexes around the city. Each complex will be a main mall with a few branching malls. They will be 2-3 stories with rooftop or underground parking, as well as plenty of open parking around the complex itself. Several large stores and many smaller ones.

Government Precinct

A group of buildings dedicated to the old city or state government. Includes the city Town Hall, state government building and bureaucratic administration buildings.

Fusion Power Plant

The old city's main power supply, a modern and probably still functional, but shut down, fusion power plant. If you want various parts of your city to still have access to power then this plant can be partially functional, but it will attract groups who seek to gain power (sic).

Airport

Major city airport, no longer functional. You could have several large passenger jets infested with aliens running around the tarmacs of the Airport. They cannot fly.

Railyards/Tangleyard

Major city railway freight train centre. This will appear as a spaghetti dish of rail lines and overhead power lines. Large numbers of freight cars will be stored on sidelines. A number of large, long warehouses will exist for storing cargo and as repair shops for carriages and engines.

This is a good location of a major alien presence, using the huge amount of metal lines and creating The Tangleyard, a maze of bent and twisted steel.

Railyards Central

The cities central passenger terminal, where all the suburban and underground lines come together. A large part of it will be underground.

Amusement Park

A large carnival park with the obligatory rollacoaster line and scary horror rides… that are actually very scary.

Golf Course

A large manicured parkland that will by now have been overgrown and turned into a small wilderness.

Horse Racing Track

City horse racing track, now ovegrown and turned into wilderness.

Cemetary

The cities main burial ground with plenty of historical remnants, the perfect place for a Flesh based Alien.

Industrial Parks

Several Industrial parklands will be located around the city, dominated by large warehouse style buildings and possibly large pieces of machinery.

Cathedral

The cities main religious construct, generally an old style stone building with a surrounding green area.

Communications Tower

The cities main communication tower, sitting on the highest ground, above the Fog. The City will protect this tower and keep a permanent presence there, along with security apparatus.

Freeway Cloverleaf

A winding tangle of raised roadways that is the junction of the city's main arterial roads. The land beneath the raised roads is generally occupied by itinerant types living in temporary shelters.

The Rubble

The remains of something, a large rubbilised area of concrete and steel. Something was once here, but now it is just a lost ruin, that few remember.

The Underground

The city’s underground railway loop. This can be abandoned, dark and scary. It can also remain active, by putting an alien into the system who maintains it. Surprisingly the Alien keeps the system running as per its original design, with trains running on schedule, and people able to board and leave in safety, as long as they don’t try to vandalise anything.

The Brewery

The cities main brewery, mostly making beer.

The Opera House

The Cultural Centre of the old city and Performing Arts complex.

The Movie Cinema Complex

Your standard 8 cinema movie complex.

The Observatory

Located on high ground and as far from the lights of the big city. A large building with the main telescope, along with several smaller buildings/workshops supporting the function.

Heroes Park

A large garden park with an impressive collection of large statuatory representing heroes of the cities past.

Botanic Gardens&Lakes

A large garden and lakeland park. The lakes are feed by the city Aqueduct.

Junkyard

The city’s largest junkyard filled with thousands of rusting automobile bodies and other debris.

Abattoir

The city slaughterhouse and stockyard.

Riverboat

A large paddle steamer tourist boat that sails up and down the river. Currently controlled and run by a group of ruthless bandits (pirates) who use it as a mobile platform from which to launch attacks along the river banks against those who try to settle there.

Sewerage Works

City sewage treatment plant.

Forest Reserve

A large natural reserve and green zone at the city’s outer edges.

Quarry

An open cut quarry where gravel and rock were cut out to be used as road and building materials by the city. In most such cases the deep pit will have filled up with water and will have a small, but deep, occupied lake.

Millionaire’s Mansions

An exclusive residential estate of the very rich and powerful, from before the Raising. It might remain under the control of The City as a resort for those who wish to rough it back in the old places.

Bus Yard

Central garage for the city's fleet of electrically powered buses. Most have fallen into ruin, but a few remain functional, and yet others are infested.

Swimming Pools

City pools for swimming and diving, now giant sludge pits for something green, and slurpy.

Army Base

AN army barracks used mainly for the local federal and state guard, big enough for around 500 men in its time. Most likely it is now occupied by a militia of some kind who try to keep the weapons and vehicles of the base active and functional.

The Museum & Art Gallery

The Zoo

The city Zoo, a fenced and isolated collection of environments that became graveyards for the poor creatures trapped within them. Some may have escaped and merged into the city environments.

The Gaol

The Eastbank of the River Precinct

The Aquarium/OceanWorld

The Casino

The Aqueducts

The Science Centre

A group of buildings that were created to highlight and educate the people about the most advanced technological achievements. As such it will probably be still quite functional and will attract the most technical minds of the free peoples.

The Refinery

The petro-chemical refinery where petroleum and oils were extracted from raw oil. This should be still running, but controlled by an elite techno-social group who barely maintain it, and mostly from memory or religious memorisation of old manuals.

The Transit Centre

The support structures for the cities public transit system.

The Rubbish Dump (Landfill)

A landfill run by the old city that is now simply an open cut garbage dump. Residents still use it as a place to get rid of excess rubbish, as well as a source of salvage. A specialist community of Slavagers could be placed here, modern ‘untouchables’, with several unique abilities?

Sewers of the Undercity.

The hole left by the raising of the city exposed the ugly underside of what had been built there, and would normally remain unseen. It this case it revealed not only the underground services of the city but the built over remains of previous cities, or parts of them. You could also include a natural cave system down there if you like.

Some of this would be underwater, as the Cauldron has partially filled up with drainage and rainfall it would have submerged the lowest sections of whatever you put there. Hmmm dark confined and no air, how excellent.

The Cauldron.

Directly beneath the City is the crater from which it was raised. The crater is 1000 meters deep at its lowest point, from the surface. The bottom 200m has filled with water and other effluents from the City above it and the people who now live along its sides, not to mention what flows in via the old cities sewerage and rainwater system. It is now a toxic mix in which only very strange life forms exist.

The City’s landmass has been raised to 100m above ground level, to the lowest point of the City hemisphere, which means the ‘ground level’ of the city scape is 1100m above ground level.

The City, sitting over the crater, acts as a screen against direct sunlight, but sufficient light reflects in from the sides during the day to illuminate the insides for normal humans. The ‘day’ period of the crater is however shorter, being as short at 6 hours, and split by a midday ‘night’ called the Eclipse Time (as the sun rises sufficiently high and is above the City so its shadow covers the crater).

People have filled the void, which is to say that surface people have moved to inhabit the walls of the crater, making a life by mining into the earth and retrieving what little they can from the exposed resources. It is a harsh and unrewarding lifestyle.

The Legs.

The pillars that support the Raised City are called ‘The Legs’ by the people of the Markets. Around each Leg there is a base camp, controlled by The City, with an armed presence. The Legs themselves are covered in a wire mesh that has an electric current running through it at all times to prevent invasion by Aliens. The Markets area of the old city is tolerated by The City authorities as a convenience with regard to obtaining certain materials that may be needed on occasion.