Viewpoint If not zombies then what? What do you care to see in apocalyptic roleplays?

[Bullyboy Squad]

Personally, I usually don't mind the setting. For me, TWD zombie, or TLOU mutants, or anything else like that is just the backdrop and a device to drive action.

What I do care for are the characters and their struggles. Watching their bonds grow and strain. Or break. That's what keeps me turning the pages or in this case, reading my group's replies, eagerly awaiting my turn to prompt more drama, and eventually, get to a fulfilling end. Not necessarily a happy one.

What is it that you care for in apocalyptic roleplays? Zombie or no zombie? Does the setting matter as much as the characters in it?

 

[nerdy tangents]

I like environmental renewal because I am a massive nature nerd. So chill farming vibes is what I’m looking for more then anything.

If I am gonna imagine the day after the end of the world I am not dealing with messy fall out. If humanity survives at all I’m assuming a drastic change in ideology because why the heck not?

So yeah I would say the setting is way more important and I am entirely uninterested in survivalist horror. Slice of life or don’t bother is my motto.

 

[Kahelle]

I love a balance of both storytelling devices via setting/external challenges and character development/internal struggles! I think they’re interwoven and one can drive the other in moving the plot forward. So I’m always excited to read about greats feats of strength and endurance either via combat/action or just the perseverance of characters when they struggle with difficult emotions like grief or anxiety. It makes for a pretty compelling RP when both are present imo!

Apocalypse-wise, I tend to really like futurism and the rise of technology or even an alien invasion! I blame one too many episodes of Black Mirror and my love for utopian/dystopian plots for that.

What could be cool for an apocalyptic plot I think would be some sort of reproductive failure or just human extinction from a genetic level. Think Children of Men by PD James or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. It would really bring into focus the importance of life and might even leave the character’s pondering about the meaning of their existence.

 

[Lorsh]

totalitarian dystopia is another good backdrop

 

[Bullyboy Squad]

Slice of life or don’t bother is my motto.

Very interesting approach :3

might even leave the character’s pondering about the meaning of their existence.

Oh yeah I can totally see that....pretty depressive concept but thought provoking

 

[Kahelle]

Oh yeah I can totally see that....pretty depressive concept but thought provoking

It definitely lingers on a darker tone, for sure. But I think it’s good to think about these sort of things. I’m no philosopher or deep thinker, but being able to dig into these themes once in a while is exciting for me. What makes a human, a human?

Then again, it doesn’t have to be focused just on an existential crisis. There’s always room for levity when you insert a more lighted hearted/comedic characters into the mix or just weirdly, absurd situations that don’t make sense. Like a retired genetic AI now turned into a pizza making, hyper-intelligent machine serving people food with nuggets of wisdom on the side. XD

 

[Murdergurl]

Two words: Mad Max
Not technically an apocalypse setting, but more for the POST apocalypse setting. I find the idea of murderous bands of marauders hyped up on fanatic zeal and gasoline to be MUCH more appealing than the very tired trope of shambling undead. And if you want the element of people getting eaten in the narrative, there is always cannibalism.

And if you want to forego the wasteland theme in exchange for a more aquatic setting, there is Waterworld.

Wherever it goes, there's gotta be action and violence. The kinda stuff that needs trigger warnings for the more delicate crowd. lmao

 

[Bullyboy Squad]

Wherever it goes, there's gotta be action and violence. The kinda stuff that needs trigger warnings for the more delicate crowd. lmao

*looks at our LL franchise* Check, check, aaaand check

On the serious note, I somewhat agree. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am actually not a fan of gore/violence for the sake of violence, but... I'm also unable to stay engaged with a pure slice of life approach.

Good cocktail of action, drama, and romance is what I most appreciate in my roleplays. As long as I genuinely care for the characters that is.

hyper-intelligent machine serving people food with nuggets of wisdom on the side. XD

After reading "food", I couldn't imagine the nuggets of wisdom as anything other than chicken nuggets with a note like fortune cookies xD

 

[Murdergurl]

*looks at our LL franchise* Check, check, aaaand check

On the serious note, I somewhat agree. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am actually not a fan of gore/violence for the sake of violence, but... I'm also unable to stay engaged with a pure slice of life approach.

Good cocktail of action, drama, and romance is what I most appreciate in my roleplays. As long as I genuinely care for the characters that is.

I've never been good at writing romance, tbh. In fact, I would go as far as to say that my writing forte is limited to very well-written scene setting and action sequences. But I'm lacking in my ability to actually develop characters.

It definitely lingers on a darker tone, for sure. But I think it’s good to think about these sort of things. I’m no philosopher or deep thinker, but being able to dig into these themes once in a while is exciting for me. What makes a human, a human?

Literally the theme of Blade Runner. The motto for the Tyrell company was "More Human than Human"

...hyper-intelligent machine serving people food with nuggets of wisdom on the side. XD

Michael Sheen's role in the movie "Passengers" comes to mind. Though I'm sure the archetype existed in many other instances before.

 

[Onmyoji]

I think NieR Automata has a cool concept for post apocalyptic setting. It has no zombies, and basically no humans. So you could check it out for inspiration.

 

[Walliver]

Zombies are always good, because they tend to move the plot along and give a certain drama and frame to the story.

But I love the Long Dark, so I love the idea of a quiet apocalypse, where it’s just man and the elements, no more technology to depend upon, just yourself and whatever you can scrounge up

 

[Murdergurl]

...I love the Long Dark, so I love the idea of a quiet apocalypse, where it’s just man and the elements, no more technology to depend upon, just yourself and whatever you

"This is the way the world ends, Not with a bang but a whimper."

-T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Men (1925)​

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

A supernatural apocalypse. Not like "A supernatural event has ended civilization," no, but "Something completely natural ended the world, and now supernatural creatures just sorta have to survive now."

 

[Jannah]

I'm kind of over zombies tbh. I like more realistic apocalyptic scenarios now. Things like deadly diseases wiping out most of humanity, nuclear war or climate change destroying civilization. You know, the sort of threats we can more directly relate to.

 

[Murdergurl]

A supernatural apocalypse. Not like "A supernatural event has ended civilization," no, but "Something completely natural ended the world, and now supernatural creatures just sorta have to survive now."

imagine being the only immortal in the world, and now everything else has died off. Sucks to suck

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

imagine being the only immortal in the world, and now everything else has died off. Sucks to suck

Road trip about a vampire and a werewolf trying to find the last humans before they starve to death

 

[Murdergurl]

Road trip about a vampire and a werewolf trying to find the last humans before they starve to death

Legit plot, right there

 

[Kahelle]

After reading "food", I couldn't imagine the nuggets of wisdom as anything other than chicken nuggets with a note like fortune cookies xD

We have the same mind! I was thinking fortune cookies, but chicken nuggets work too! XD

Michael Sheen's role in the movie "Passengers" comes to mind. Though I'm sure the archetype existed in many other instances before.

I’ve never seen Passengers, but I feel like I should give it a try. Thanks so much for sharing the title!

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Only to realize, "Fuck this ain't worth it, let's just hybernate."

 

[StrixDesmodus]

Though I was ill equipped for it and still am, there's a concept I tried that I love. (Or, well, loved.) It was a magic based zombie contagion, with mythical creatures and humans alike as characters. There were vampires and mermaids and winged people and whatnot. And the drive of the plot was supposed to be a combination of how the zombie outbreak affected the "masquerade" Gosh, I hope I'm not the only troper around.... and the stuggle between separatists and people who were actually willing to collaborate with each other, both in social and survival situations.
I'd read the heck out of the novel if it existed, but unfortunately it was a relief when the rp died because I only had one non-recycled character and I couldn't do her justice.

 

[Damafaud]

I like superpower/magic that develop because of the apocalypse. Surprise! You have super strength but so does that zombie living two floors below.

edit: there's a post-apocalypse rp group interest but I missed it because it's name is F.E.A.R Club lmao

 

[Murdergurl]

I’ve never seen Passengers, but I feel like I should give it a try. Thanks so much for sharing the title!

np. mind you, he's just a supporting actor in the movie, and his role is very much as a side character. But it's a decent movie, nonetheless.

 

[Dreamtique]

I like the 'world gone mad' type of apocalypse. As in people just turn terrorists cuz of alien mind control or something.

For me it's always about what kind of unique drama you get from the apocalypse you have in mind, the setting is just a setting.

 

[Kylesar1]

One of my apocalypse ideas was a sci-fi robot uprising. I'm talking robot dogs with advanced sensors, military bots with extreme firepower, cop bots that move extremely fast, scout bots that can see with precision, snitch bots that screech which attracts more bots, and constructor bots with the ability to create more bots. Sonar, radar, cloaking tech, thermal vision, zoom sight, sound deafeners. Blink modules, a rotom-esque bot that possesses non-robotic machinery, nano bot swarms designed to tear you limb from limb

The group would be out in rural country living with primitive gear. Radio Waves, the weaponry of today, vintage cars. Things that can't have its serial number looked up and then location-tracked. Brick phones, direction finding, old maps. Emphasis on stealth more than anything and thinking before moving.

The goal would be to re-establish the radio towers, take advanced weapons, reverse engineer bots or bot gear, search for survivors and ultimately launch the Blackout Bomb (a failsafe EMP) so humanity can begin a reset. The GM and the bot controllers would have full reign to exploit anything within the player's post to get them caught


Problem is, something like that is grand and it takes a fierce dedicated group. In my experience, RPs have been dropping in general player count. There is also the concept of death and most players aren't exactly eager to kill off the player they're controlling.

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

One of my apocalypse ideas was a sci-fi robot uprising. I'm talking robot dogs with advanced sensors, military bots with extreme firepower, cop bots that move extremely fast, scout bots that can see with precision, snitch bots that screech which attracts more bots, and constructor bots with the ability to create more bots. Sonar, radar, cloaking tech, thermal vision, zoom sight, sound deafeners. Blink modules, a rotom-esque bot that possesses non-robotic machinery, nano bot swarms designed to tear you limb from limb

The group would be out in rural country living with primitive gear. Radio Waves, the weaponry of today, vintage cars. Things that can't have its serial number looked up and then location-tracked. Brick phones, direction finding, old maps. Emphasis on stealth more than anything and thinking before moving.

The goal would be to re-establish the radio towers, take advanced weapons, reverse engineer bots or bot gear, search for survivors and ultimately launch the Blackout Bomb (a failsafe EMP) so humanity can begin a reset. The GM and the bot controllers would have full reign to exploit anything within the player's post to get them caught


Problem is, something like that is grand and it takes a fierce dedicated group. In my experience, RPs have been dropping in general player count. There is also the concept of death and most players aren't exactly eager to kill off the player they're controlling.

There's so much you could do with this concept.

Explore that even with a greater enemy, humanity will always fight itself.

It turns out that the robots have themselves become a sentient species in their own right, bringing up the moral question if it's ethical to damn an entire species.