This Union Pangaea

Genre

Steampunk

Theme

Steampunk / Time Travel / Alternate History / Post-Apocalyptic

Victorian and 19th century American refugees and figures from throughout history flee a future-ending cataclysm, escaping back in time to settle in prehistoric Pangaea. There, they struggle for survival in a wild wild world of dinosaurs, astonishing discoveries, and inescapable human conflict. Armed with intrepid steampunk technology, strange Ether-awakened abilities, and an adventuresome spirit, the kaleidoscopic and talented remnants of humanity must either unite to forge civilization anew, or allow anarchy and avarice to destroy what the ultimate cataclysm of time and space could not. In the past lies the future, and deep in the heart of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea a more perfect Union may yet be born.

Background

Annihilated by reality-rending bombs of the 20th century, Earth has no future. Shockwaves running backwards through time obliterated modern history, slowly only slightly before reaching the edge of the 19th century. Warned of the pastwards-flowing cataclysm and the impending doom of their time in history itself, in 1895 brilliant scientists across the globe organized the construction of hundreds of timeships and led a mass exodus backwards through the Ether into the relative safety of Earth's prehistoric past. There, in the heart of the prehistoric supercontinent Pangaea, all timeships were to meet at Rendezvous and there begin to rebuild civilization.

Motivated by either benevolence or hubris, the crews of many timeships could not resist the temptation to gather up prominent historical figures while stopped at waypoints and pit stops during their journey backwards through time. For better or for worse, numerous historical figures found themselves taken up by people of the future and dragged backwards into the ancient past, deposited into the base camp of what would become the seed of the new future of humanity.

Beginning anew at Rendezvous, the most famous leaders and geniuses of all Earth-That-Was picked up shovel, spyglass and gun along with the rest of folks, and have become part of the new chessboard of human endeavors. Exploration of the surrounding territory has begun, precious resources are in high demand, dangerous creatures stalk the jungles, and the populace has formed its own diverse frontier society and power structure.

Antagonists & Conflict

Man vs. Nature (and Monsters). Pangaea is savage, untamed, and full of natural hazards. (And dinosaurs!) In order to survive and make progress in rebuilding civilization, characters must climb mountains, explore caves, hack through jungles, and weather the brutality of prehistoric Earth.

The jungles and rivers are populated with all manner of fantastic and dangerous creatures - both those firmly grounded in the "real" fossil record and novel, aberrant creatures mutated by the Ether. Dinosaur attacks are a constant threat, along with raids and kidnappings by wild ape-men. Troglodytes, monstrous and twisted inbred mutations of refugees who overshot Rendezvous by hundreds of years, lurk in the caves and hills and jealously wait to ambush the unwary and kidnap breeding stock.

Man vs. Man. Humanity in Pangaea is both blessed and cursed with a deep roster of ingenious, charismatic, and daring personalities. Factions have formed amongst the refugees, and no group which claims to go its own way can avoid conflict with the others for long. Abraham resents the long scar given to him by Douglas. Newton can never forgive Abraham for nearly killing him on the journey to Rendezvous. Religious cults are gaining hold and fighting for the souls of new humanity, and deep philosophical differences could cause irreparable rifts. These powerful people and their followers vie for resources, prizes of technology, and positions of power in the tenuous civilization that is forming.

Philosophy for the Future. Mankind must choose how its future will be governed - or not - and what the rules of a Union Pangaea might be. With the presence of so many historical figues, this is more than book theory - characters might debate possible government models with Confuscious himself, or confront a Spartan about the merits of systematic infanticide. Given a blank slate, anything is possible.

Special Features

Steampunk technology remains the primary engine of civilization, military force, and renewed attempts at industrialization. Scientists and engineers were ferrymen and favored passengers during the Exodus, and many had the foresight to bring back advanced tools and schematics so that they would not have to reinvent the wheel - just find the materials to build it. As such, the acquisition of raw materials for refining and construction is an important concern.

Only backwards time travel has been shown to be possible. But with necessary time-travelling resources exhausted and the timeships dismantled, humanity in Pangaea focuses on the present past. The majority of refugees came from 1890's Earth and before. No time-traveller has appeared in Pangaea from any further forward in time than the 1920's.

Time travel was made possible through the mysterious vaporous dimension between fixed spacetime known as the Ether. Passage through the Ether awakened strange new abilities in a small percentage of refugees. These ethereal powers usually manifest as classic psychic phenomena - telekinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, pyrokinesis, and other manipulations of space and energy. Other ethereal powers are possible, but high "magic" in a fantastic sense is not a reality. Exposure to the Ether also gives rise to mutations which may alter both people and animals physically, giving them bizarre features.

So-called enchantments or "magic items" do not exist in the classic sense. However, exceptional examples of super-science are possible, especially for scientists who dare to craft devices out of experimental Ether-tech, and may end up breaking all sorts of rules.

The God of Abraham (Lincoln) may exist, but mankind can count on no divine intervention.

Violence, danger, and adventure are commonplace on the frontier. Even the most pacifist of enlightened scientists understands the ever-present danger of dinosaur or wild animal attacks, and most people carry blades or guns openly.

Prehistory is stranger than anyone expected. The history books never told the whole story, and there are dangers in Pangaea (both natural and unnatural) that no archaeologist could have foreseen. Exploration has even discovered seemingly impossible remnants of ancient human settlements (a few timeships drastically overshot Rendezvous by both years and miles, and had untold centuries to build, fall, and bury mysteries in the hills.)

PC Role

The playable setting begins a handful of years after Rendezvous. Almost all of the timeships have arrived and been unloaded, dismantled for precious materials now that their time-active engines are permanently exhausted. Humanity is stranded in the current place and time. The rebuilding of civilization has begun, factions have formed amongst the refugees, and power is up for grabs on the wild frontier.

PCs are exceptionally adventurous and capable souls banding together to explore the spectacular wilderness, survive dinosaur attacks and troglodyte ambushes, seek out precious resources for use in super-science, and make their own way amongst the schemes of and tribulations of their fellow man.

Possible iconic PCs in Union Pangaea:

Grizzled civil war veteran turned adventurer frontiersman, member of the union-building Sons of Abraham, equipped with a trusty Gatling Rotational Rifle, horizon-probing Etherscope, and his innate, virile healthsomeness.
Plucky engineering wiz and pilot of a small hyper-dirigible, who loves to reconfigure the boring old technology of Earth-That-Was into ingenious Ether-tech contraptions that others just don't yet appreciate. Big cool goggles!
Malcontent Victorian dilettante who hates the stupid past but delights in blowing up things with rare pyrokinetic ethereal abilities. Secretly hopes to join Queen Victoria's court at Widow's Peak.
Displaced Roman soldier, snatched from his own age and currently alienated among the strange folk of the future. Thankfully, a strong sword arm is still of use and an empire worth serving might yet be formed if weakness can be culled.

IN THE PAST LIES THE FUTURE.

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Comments

Please Review All Top Contenders!

Submitted by matt.banach on Fri, 02/19/2010 - 19:43.

Now that we're getting down to the wire and the top contenders for selection are becoming apparent, I heartily encourage the entire Swarm to PLEASE REVIEW ALL TOP CONTENDERS.

Regarding This Union Pangaea, I've noticed that folks either seem to really love it (thank you, love you back), or really don't (thank you for being honest). I wrote it intending that it be exciting and evocative, and so I'm not surprised that it generates strong reactions, depending on whether or not it is your particular cup of tea.

But please, Please, if you've given a strong rating (either in favor or opposed) to any of the top contenders, do right by the Swarm process and cast a vote for all other top contenders with similar honesty. That way, when all the information is compiled the voting will best reflect the preferences of the Swarm.

I don't think that's enough.

Submitted by Satyr on Tue, 02/23/2010 - 04:43.

Everybody who has put a seting online has put a lot of work and effort in his setting, no matter if it was perceived as good or bad, and thus I think that everybody also deserves a fair review for the work. So please, review every setting, not only the ones currently in front in the competition.

Another sample Character/NPC for this setting

Submitted by matt.banach on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 23:42.

"The Spartan" - Displaced Warrior

The cold-eyed soldier referred to as simply "the Spartan" might just be the most vicious and competent melee combatant of all the fighting men of what remains of humanity. Dragged back in time to an alien, dinosaur-infested wilderness by (those he views as) a weak and undisciplined people, a disapproving scowl never seems to leave the Spartan's battle-scarred face. But given the choice between even an imperfect civilization or the troglodytes of the hills, the Spartan protects his fellow man willingly and sates his bloodlust by zealously slaughtering anything not human which gets in his way. His unmatched skills with sword, shield and spear have made him a valued pillar of the settlement's defense and a folk hero among those refugees who came from simpler times and cultures. The Victorian court has recently increased efforts to woo him into their service - ostensibly to serve as guard and protector, but some suspect to be employed as the Queen's own assassin.

Another Sample Character/NPC for this setting

Submitted by matt.banach on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 22:47.

"E.P." Huxley - Ace Dirigible Pilot

The mirth of the skies, E.P. (Elspeth Patricia) is well-regarded for showering her allies with smiles and convenient rescues and raining fire down upon her enemies. Ace pilot and tenacious protector of the nimble hyper-dirigible Ingenia, E.P. is a master of improvised repairs and has resurrected her beloved airship from several "sub-optimal descents" (crashes) with little more than foul language and a bent crescent wrench. She is the proud big sister of her baby brother Aldous and eagerly anticipates the formation of a proper air-corp to protect him and the rest of humanity from the monsters in the skies and the all-too-dangerous jungle below.

More Comments! More Reviews!

Submitted by matt.banach on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 19:26.

If you haven't given a review of Union Pangaea or commented on anything you like or don't like, please do so!

Question to the Swarm: What do you think would be a better title for the setting? "Union Pangaea" or "This Union Pangaea"? Or something slightly different...?

Sample character/NPC for this setting.

Submitted by matt.banach on Sun, 10/25/2009 - 01:50.

T. Edison Colt - Expedition Leader

A deadeye shot and seasoned explorer, T. Edison Colt has led more successful expeditions into the dangerous primeval jungle than any other person, escorting prospectors and scientists as they comb the wilds for vital resources. Reluctant heir to the wealth of bullets of the Colt Armory, the young Colt eschews the family business except when acquiring supplies or trying out the latest experimental weaponry from the mischievous Gatling Brothers. Stubbornly idealistic, he detests and avoids the treachery of camp politics by heading off into the wilderness at every opportunity, hoping each time that when he returns humanity will be more good and sane if only he can get them what they need and buy them time against the monsters attacking from without.

EDIT: push up the date of Exodus to 1895 or so

Submitted by matt.banach on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 23:07.

I've been looking at historical dates and important figures in steampunk literature, and I think it would be too limiting to cut off our historical figures at 1865 as previously mentioned.

True fact: In 1895, "The Time Machine" was first published by H.G. Wells. (my big idea: ...with complete diagrams for precisely how to build such a machine.) Perfect.

I still want 1865 to be one of the 'key dates', when we bring back a big chunk of refugees from both the American Civil War and mid-Victorian England. But there are just SO many awesome historical figures in both America and England (and other countries, of course) during the late 1800s, so I want to make sure we can include them, too. Nikola Tesla, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Jack the Ripper, and many more.

So let's plan on a healthy number of refugees coming back from 1895 as well - so late 1800's are fair game.

but what about the meteor

Submitted by redeamed on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 01:23.

but what about the meteor that kills all the dinosaurs?

It's not a problem, it's a feature.

Submitted by matt.banach on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 07:27.

Good point - the time and place of Rendezvous might have been chosen at a time when paleontologists were not as certain as to why the dinosaurs had died off - maybe nobody knew about the world-kill meteor/asteroid.

Possible solution: once they discover this "oversight" and new impending doom, characters must organize massive "Armageddon"-like expedition to land on asteroid and blow it up with TNT (and maybe fight the meteor-men who inhabit it). Would make for a GREAT special module!

Another alternative

Submitted by mikeb on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 08:40.

The dinosaurs existed for millions of years, so there's plenty of a time window there for a human colony to survive. Human civilizations has really only prospered for less than 10,000 years or so, and there's been a lot of technological progress in that small snapshot of the various dinosaur eras. The Mesozic era (consisting of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods when the dinosaurs dominated) lasted for 180 million years.

It could be interesting though to have one human colony that believes - based on scientific calculations - the date of the meteor to be soonish (next few years, maybe few decades) and are preaching that man is destined to die regardless of what they have done to try to survive. There could also be interesting plots of mistakes in human belief that are discovered due to humanity's ability to directly observe the dinosaurs.

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matt.banach

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Setting Concept Score

3.4

Read review by cptbeefalo

Posted 1 week 6 days ago

by cptbeefalo

Inspiring:

Originality:

Writing Quality:

This one makes my brain go "WHEEE!!!" I find it very innovative, yet also somewhat limiting, so that while I can be imaginative in my creations, I also know that I cannot take anyone from post-1920's at latest and that the tech will be steampunkish or crazy Ether-tech in nature. This means to me that the setting does indeed give you a path to start on when you first find it, which I think is vital for any new game setting.

The concept is novel to me, especially in its approach. I know there have been many superheros thrust back into an odd prehistoric past or settings like Land of the Lost, etc, but this one feels unique to me in it's use of temporal travel through "Ether" and historical characters twisted. Many players gravitate to and will want to play the more weird and esoteric possibilities of a game system; this system allows those parts to be as much mainstream as any other player who prefers a more "vanilla" PC.

As for inspiration, hooboy. I can think of several historical figures that I think would be fun to figure out how they live in this new world. Does Nero have some sort of "Pied Piper" Ether power and is trying to rebuild a new Rome with essentially emotional automatons? Does Jesse James and his new gang have to thread the needle of evading the wrath of the people they steal from while also avoiding capture by the Troglodyte hordes whose caves they escape into? The possibilities abound!

The writing is well expressed and concise. I think some things could be expanded on, but for a beginning this is exactly what I'm looking for in a setting concept outline. It even comes with tagline included.

Read review by Zack Faust

Posted 2 weeks 1 day ago

by Zack Faust

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Huh, thought I had already given a review for this setting. Anyways, I think this setting is rathe unique in what it is (steam punk meats alternative history meats scifi meets prehistory), but I admitedly am less found of this genre then other genres so I'm not as inspired to work with it. Of course, this purely opinion orrianted. All in all, I think this would be one of the most solid settings for us to work with as it is unique while familair and isn't too broad or narrow in scope.

Read review by HollowerFollower

Posted 2 weeks 1 day ago

by HollowerFollower

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I definitely think this is one of the more unique and interesting setting ideas. There are a lot of possibilities available within this particular setting and I would say that it is worth exploring further. I would love to see some further explanation of the ether powers as well.

Read review by trinchen

Posted 2 weeks 5 days ago

by trinchen

Inspiring:

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I don’t like this.
This looks a lot like a game which is fun, but has no depth whatsoever. Even worse, the creator seems to take refuge in audacity and tries to present his unwillingness to do the research as something positive.

In my opinion, suspension of disbelief is something a setting should politely ask for. This Union Pangea demands it at gunpoint.

Sadly, this setting is going to win the competition anyway, but I don’t think that it entirely deserves it.

But I have to admit, the text is well structured and easy to read.

Read review by Fenris

Posted 5 weeks 1 day ago

by Fenris

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As a science fiction game with modern or futuristic refugees in prehistoric time, this would be good - if the mesocoicum is presented exactly.

As it is, this seems too much like a convoluted mess, and doesn't offer any rational explanations of how things come to pass. I agree with Satyr that Steampunk is not a very good choice of setting, and hurts the time travelling concept.

A hard science fiction time travelling setting would be awesome. This is not.

Edit: After reading all setting drafts and reviewing most of them, I felt like I had to adjust my initial rating of this setting. I cannot give the same rating to a better game, that wouldn't be fair. So due to the relative quality between the setting concepts and reviews, I corrected the score.

Read review by Satyr

Posted 5 weeks 4 days ago

by Satyr

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This setting has some serious problems. I usually prefer verisilmilitude and accuracy over superficial 'fun' in a game, and this union pangea looks too much like a style over substance games and is too incoherent for my taste.

This starts with the very genre: Steampunk as a genre has a significant drawback: It just makes no sense. This hurts the game's verisimilitude, and is thus a really bad design. Most people of the 21st century know pretty well how technology works and what it can do and can't do.Unlike magic which can pretty much become whatever you wants it to be, technology has a direct equivalent in every day life of each player. So trying to use technology as a blanche card for weird stuff, it is not interesting, it's just incoherent.

Through this, and some arbitrary problems ( time travel is always a paradoxon, no matter how you do it), this is exactly the setting's problem: It is not coherent. The single elements have their problems (19th century time travel and other anachronisms are just the tip of the iceberg; more jarring is the complete lack of any form of time paradox,). Using historical personalities just for dropping the names is not that innovative either, and while dinosaurs are kinda neat, the unwillingness to present them in an accurate way, is just a waste of potential (and would be sufficient to induce nerd rage in a four year old).

To put in a nutshell, this setting seems to be overtly occupied with questions of style, and too little with substance. Therefore it might be interesting for a oneshot adventure, but it is frankly not interesting enough for a longer preoccupation.

Read review by Starknight

Posted 9 weeks 4 hours ago

by Starknight

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Nice idea.

I like the name 'This Union Pangaea', as it hearkens back to 'This Island Earth', one of the classic science-fiction movies of all time. The setting is fairly unique (some might consider it derivative of 'Cadillacs and Dinosaurs'), and leads to a lot of open-ended possibilities for adventures, future expansions and setting material.

One thing to possibly consider is that the disruption caused by the Reality Bombs may have caused ripples in the Ether, occasionally dumping artifacts/creatures from the future (i.e., most of history and pre-history) out on Pangaea to be found (or to cause problems)... it also may leave tears in the fabric of space-time which are the source of the mutations of the local animal populace. So, instead of only having saurians to deal with, various mammalian mega-fauna may be around, like saber-toothed tigers, dire wolves, etc., as well as mutant velociraptors. ;)

I could see playing or running this setting, and would definitely be interested in writing for it.

Read review by chado

Posted 13 weeks 6 days ago

by chado

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Although as a player this setting would be a tough sale for me, I think it shows a great deal of originality and thoughtfulness. It also seems to be grabbing a great deal of attention among the swarm, which is a good thing. It is well thought out and could be expanded easily. From a game design point of view it could be a ton of fun.

Read review by BookmanCU

Posted 18 weeks 1 day ago

by BookmanCU

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I like the concept. Shades of Riverworld, but without the rigidity inherent to that setting. The Ether is a nice touch, and will make for interesting possibilities for the Gamemaster.

Read review by robosnake

Posted 19 weeks 4 days ago

by robosnake

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I want to avoid ratings, since I'm not sure how to make them helpful, but I wanted to say that I really like this setting.

Ah, I see they are required. Ok.

It has a lot of things that I really like, like Pangaean dinosaurs and ethertech and philosophical conflict over the future governance of humankind. The only weakness I can see on first reading is that Victorian vs. dinosaur might get old after a while. I think it would be interesting to add specific mechanics governing the problems of survival. This would also add another layer of conflict, if things like food and clean water and shelter aren't necessarily assumed.

Otherwise, though, I really liked this setting, and I can easily think of characters and conflicts to drop into it. I also like the added complexity of having great minds and figures from the past jammed into society, their ideas conflicting with 'modern' ones in the face of harsh reality. I even like that it is a deeply hopeless setting - the people there are divorced from everything they have ever known, certain (?) that they can never return to the world they knew.

Bonus points for writing "innate, virile healthsomeness" as well.

Read review by RHManiac

Posted 19 weeks 4 days ago

by RHManiac

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I LIKE THIS!

I have been role-playing for 30+ years, so I am kind of cynical when it comes to original concepts. I have simply seen and read too many to not draw comparisons on what has come before.

That being said, this is a pulp-adventure game with a post-apocalyptic twist, and a well-written concept at that. Bravo!

Read review by mikeb

Posted 20 weeks 1 day ago

by mikeb

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I like it. It would be really easy to find inspiration by taking a scientifically-bent historic figure and create a character for the setting. That would help a lot to guide people's creation. Great work.

Read review by Zack Faust

Posted 20 weeks 3 days ago

by Zack Faust

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I'd like to start by saying, wow, this setting sounds like it could be incredibaly fun to both make and play in! I like the blending of both the ether aspect and steam punk science to make a world that is both familiar and completely alein to the players and also gives the GM a lot of versatility to work with. All in all, I think this is a very good setting, it has a few things that might be tricky for us to work with when we get to mechanics (trying to come up character stats for most types of people from most histories, and figuring out what historical figures came back and how they would interact would require a lot of work on our part, but it also gives us a lot of stuff to work with too), but there is a lot of content that can be built upon on this unique and fun sounding setting!