Zombie Mondays
We spoke with Scott Bizar of Fantasy Games Unlimited about the company's latest supplement for their Aftermath! game -- a tabletop RPG that uses a variety of post-apocalyptic settings. This upcoming supplement focuses on the Fleet -- a group of ships comprised of commercial vessels and what remains of the world's navies following a global cataclysm.
When will FGU release the "Fleet" source book?
"The Fleet" is fully written and has gone through editing, including a request for additional sections on the remains of the US Government (under Fleet protection). Most artwork and maps are completed, but some additional illustrations and maps are in the works. Though we have no firm release date yet, it is expected to be available over the next several months. What will the source book contain?
"The Fleet" contains a background and history of the Fleet, discussion of the remains of the US Government, background to the Asteroid Cybele setting, breakdown and description of the ships and ship types in the Fleet, crew descriptions with skill requirements, key Fleet personnel, a description of Fleet bases and ports of call, and a number of linked adventures to create a campaign based on employment in the Fleet. It is, therefore, both a source book and a campaign book. "The Fleet" also has value as the various campaigns for this setting are spread around the world (London and the old USA to date) and the Fleet is a linking method to allow game masters to have their player-characters move from one location to another within this campaign setting. Could you describe the origins of the Asteroid Cybele setting?
The premise is that a large asteroid from the asteroid belt lost its orbit and began to approach Earth's orbit. When the asteroid approached Earth, efforts to destroy it were unsuccessful as the asteroid was made up of mostly iron - though it was broken into several large pieces, all of which eventually impacted the Earth. Failure by major governments to cooperate led to nuclear launches by the US and Russia while the asteroid strikes were going on. This horrific situation of major devastation and destruction was exacerbated by a several year-long mini-ice age caused by the debris of the asteroid strikes and major new plagues striking the decimated populations of the world's nations. Nations fought over scarce resources and the weakness of the "major powers" encouraged other nations to act upon long-time hatreds and barely restrained desires for war in regions like the Middle East. As with most AFTERMATH! campaign settings, the Asteroid Cybele setting is twenty years after the destructive events begun by the asteroid strikes. Are other supplements planned for this setting?
Yes, work is going on with a setting in Australia (from Stephen Dedman who wrote "Lords of London") and for looks at Prague (major surviving center in Europe) and New Tokyo. Those are probably at least a year off publication date. Are other settings for AFTERMATH! coming?
FGU is a publishing house, not a development house. The answer to that question is up to our various writers (and, hopefully new writers) who might want to create another setting. It should be noted that David Harmer (author of "The American Wasteland" and "The Fleet) and Stephen Dedman (author of Lords of London) wrote their original campaigns in this setting without the intent of linking them. It was noticed that their settings were almost identical and we decided to make a few changes to their "Backgrounds to the Ruin" and to link them in the same setting. The two authors worked together to be sure that things contained in either of the two original books would match up to the descriptions of the other book.
