I’m planning on running the GPC in a post-apocalyptic setting, something along the lines of Dies the Fire or One Second After, and wanted to get some ideas/feedback from those on the forum. My plan so far:

- The apocalypse takes place in the present day, or a short time in the future. I’m picturing a scenario where terrorist strikes, a limited nuclear exchange, EMP devices, and cyberwarfare result in global chaos. Most electronics are ruined, transportation and communication is pretty much non-existent, and mass starvation and disease sets in within a couple of weeks.

- The game itself takes place 85 years after the apocalypse, as society is being slowly rebuilt. Weapons from the old world (guns, aircraft, etc.) have been either used up or rendered useless long ago, and replacements require too much specialized equipment, knowledge, and materials to construct. The societies that survived are those that were able to fall back on technology that was effective and practical to use given the circumstances. For the most part this means medieval level weaponry.
- Feudalism is the norm. People who survived did so by banding together and following a strong leader. The Pendragon passions of Loyalty (Lord) and Love (Family) were crucially important to surviving, and became imbedded in culture. The same for Hospitality, as offering or accepting food and shelter became very significant gestures.
- I’m planning on using many of the characters and political divisions from the GPC. I think they map onto the new setting quite well. Uther is a strong but petty ruler, Earl Robert is a good man in a dark world, King Lot has an uncomfortable relationship with the hordes to the north, etc.

- The dangers will be similar as well. The Saxons survived by taking supplies by force from other survivors, and this led to a violent warrior culture. The Picts survived by – and still practice – cannibalism, and are consequently fierce, vicious, and generally small and malnourished.

- There are all sorts of interesting options for adventures. The PKs could wander into the ruins of London to search for abandoned technology or clear out a bandit nest or scout for high rise buildings that could be dismantled for the stone and steel. They could encounter Praetor Syagrius, a representative from a warlord trying to reform Rome, and make a strong ally or lifelong enemy.

So right now I’m brainstorming ideas for how to tweak the GPC. What do you think I should change, and what could stay the same?

My gut feeling is that you will need more time than 85 years to reduce the modern world into neo-dark ages. And you'll need to have a humongous die-off, as you pretty much need to wipe out all the scientists and doctors and engineers and such, or otherwise they will claw back up to at least steam power level pretty quickly. Also, you probably wish to level all the cities and bigger libraries, at least.

Going by 'canonical' dates, it took around 75 years to go from the departure of the Romans (410 or so) to Uther (485 or so). That was a much gentler slope, admittedly, but still, 85 years is pretty much enough for someone to have been taught by a person who was already an adult before the world ended, and that second person would still be only middle-aged or so, probably well suited for a leadership role.

Now if it was me, I'd start with a hellacious nuclear strike, followed by a bioengineered plague, which would kill like 99.9% of the world's population. And the bioengineered plague spores would continue to be contagious for a century or two in the smaller cities which were not utterly ruined by the nuclear strike. Say, anything bigger than 1000 people. Then fast forward a few decades and instead of 'my granpappy lived before the Great Burn' you will get 'Once there were Giants, who built great things, and in their pride, angered the Gods...'

My main problem with post-apoc settings is that it is very hard to get rid of good ideas, especially simple ideas like gunpowder. Once you know how to make gunpowder, it is very hard to get rid of boomsticks. And before you suggest that the Church could ban them... see what happened with crossbows, and guns (even smoothbore muskets) are in another category altogether, let alone the siege bombards and cannons.

Those are all excellent suggestions. I'm definitely going to steal the bio engineered plague idea, and go for more time between the apocalypse and the game beginning. You're right about good ideas being hard to get rid of, so I think it makes more sense to make the apocalypse even worse, and then give more time for society to rebuild a bit.

Just because it's there... if you can find an old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Supplement for After The Bomb, there is an England supplement that has a modern-day version of King Arthur. It's pretty decent although it's also tongue-in-cheek... and it's all Mutated Animals. ;-)

Might be good to mine for ideas though!