Autochthonia the Journey
2 minute read
Autochthonia: the Journey is a tabletop RPG campaign based around a combination of elements, including:
- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (anime)
- Exalted: The Autochthonians (RPG setting sourcebook)
- Battlestar Galactica (series)
- Snowpiercer (movie)
- BLAME! (anime movie/manga)
It will be set on a single train attempting to journey through and eventually reach its goal within the heart of Autochthon.
My plan is to 3d print the entire train so it can serve as a visual and tactile game aid. This will also allow me (because it will be printed in PLA) to do things like actually damage the train cars in response to the campaign events. Train car hit with acid? I can take a heat gun and melt away part of the train. Gashed by gremlins? I can use a dremel to do some serious damage.
Combined with this will be a system that tracks resources and people across the entire train, meaning that decisions about where the train goes can be partially determined by the pressure of shortages. I'm drawing here on the population tally of BSG.
In order to let the players experience the world fully without expectations of prior knowledge, the party awakens as freshly-made Exalted hero-cyborgs. But the memory transfer process was interrupted, and as such not only is the party starting from near-zero but in addition the train doesn't know WHY its on this mission.