Lands of Adventure (High Fantasy Setting)
Real Dragons of old are long unheard of, but flying lizards with their messenger Riders cross the sky, reminding of the good old days during a murky, rainy day in the Capitol of Imperia Centralis. A dark day it is indeed: The Emperors 3rd son was struck down by a rebel assassin, while the other sons are overseeing the progress of the war against the Kingdom of the witch-queens, down in the far south.
A relatively classical High Fantasy Setting with mystical beasts, wizards and what appears to be a clear good vs. Evil conflict. Easy to be played, because of a lot of maps and a detailed time line as well as a huge list of important NPCs. The setting has a high level of conflict, both politically as well as magical and armed conflict and a high potential for adventures, but is also garnished with a good sense of humour and some extras other fantasy settings don't have, Elves for example appear to be plant live...
Including ready-to-play Scenario “Totenland”: A Wizards apprentice has got hold of his masters book of power and now sets out to adventure and find another, even more powerful book together with his companions... with pre made handouts, pre-created characters; adventure anchored deep inside the settings plot.
Ancients
A strike of lightning from the clear sky announces the coming of a Champion of Zeus and his army, but the sun burns hot today and Atum-Re's Priests and Army will not be quickly defeated. The Land is going to be soaked up to the ankles in blood of the fallen, before a decision about the future Ruler of the great city of Heliopolis will be made...
In this pre-antique and antique like fantasy setting anthropomorphic Gods and their followers are fighting for the supremacy about humankind's growing Resources. Avatars, Champions and sometimes even the Gods them self walk the surface of the world. More then just one town or city did build a huge temple to worship a certain pantheon or god, ruining it's inhabitants and was brought down in the blink of an eye by some other god a couple of month later. Do the gods really care for offerings and prayer or are they just self-absorbed, overpowered Beings that handle and herd humans like cattle?
Detailed setting with a huge list of pantheons, fractions and gods, as well as superhuman powers granted to mortal followers. Does include a map of the known world and a lot of ideas for scenarios.
This setting is Part of the Metaplot (see section „Metaplot“ below).
Buccaneers and Pirates
The Caribbean Ocean, a salt encrusted clock and calender tell it's June of 1640. The Crew is hungry for adventure and the ship is slightly rolling on the waves towards an unknown island, said to have a huge Inca treasure but rumoured to be a grave to every sailor trying to conquer it's riches...
An almost-historical Setting, B&P combines historical facts about colonies, politics and ships with sailors cock-and-bull stories come true, secret societies, occult artefacts and real seaborne monstrosities.
This setting is Part of the Metaplot (see section „Metaplot“ below).
Dark War
It is unbelievably hot and dusty, Panzerkampfwagen III (German Tank) on a hillside does guard the expeditions camp, while several dozen native workers dig, being watched by a fistful of German officers and scientists. Drawing nearer from the coast – yet undetected – is a British reconnaissance corpse. They are on a mission to investigate what is going on and to make sure that no more important artefacts fall into the hands of Nazi-Germany and thereby the hands of darkness itself.
Dark War combines historical Background under the premise that the Nazis were actually in league with the devil himself. The setting combines 1930s flair and technology, Indiana-Jones-Feeling and a overwhelming dark and brutal enemy standing in the shadows, using the Nazis like a puppeteer. The Setting includes Maps of Europe during the war, a time line of important events.
Including ready-to-play scenario “Temple of Göbekli”: An expedition corps does have to investigate a Nazi digging site in turkey and will find a dark and demonic inheritance... with pre made Characters, a map of the temples surrounding and historical facts on the region and Nazi-archaeology
This setting is Part of the Metaplot (see section „Metaplot“ below).
Nanopunk
Two officers are knocking at your door, without waiting for a response, eight N-SWAT members of CCCP (ConcordiaCityCorporatePolice) – armed to the teeth – are moving up the stairs, but you already had your breakfast and did load and engage your updates. You leave your flat with a jump of 3 levels down, but you are well prepared with jumping-leg improvements and medium body armour. The Data you carry is too important for all inhabitants, it has to be made public, you can't let them get you...
This is a dark future setting with heavy Cyberpunk influences, both in the Punk body of thought – rebellion against the rulers, corporations, etc. – and in Cyber-part – there is a lot of body modifications to choose from to improve you in your battle and develop an individual style. Nanopunk also contains Elements of Horror and strong oppressive feelings, supported by it's deep Metaplot involvement and it's vertical city design of Concordia. Here the rich and powerful house in their palaces of steel and glass atop the poor, dirty and outcast, some of whom never have seen the real sun or taste real, organic food. It gets darker from level to level, until no light is left, down in the morass of society and rumours say there are still ... levels down below.
The Nanopunks hack Nanites – officially distributed by WHO with all food to prevent the outbreak of some obscure disease – and make them improve their bodies to be faster, harder and stylish. Nanopunks haven't just got more style then the rest of Concordias inhabitants, they are also predestined to be hired as bodyguards, sniffers digging for obscured secrets or to do about any kind of illegal work. They also got a place in row #1 revealing the secret plot behind the Nanites and the masterminds who planned it.
Including ready-to-play scenario 'The 5kT Clou': A group mixed of religious fanatics and freelancers sets out to visit the wilderness around Concordia and capture a Missile site to blackmail the government for money... with pre made Characters and detailed floor plan of a real Titan Missile Site.
This setting is Part of the Metaplot (see section „Metaplot“ below).
Raid5
Your house is just 12kUnits in size and the Memory is barely enough for all your books and lumber. A friend promised to Mail you a copy of an illegal doubling soft to pack and enlarge your flat's space, but he didn't call you in days. If it goes on like this you will have to illegally copy objects or pirate some expensive data to pay the rent and stay hip and stylish...
In this fully digital setting humankind went one big step (ahead?), away from a live that had you spend 16 hours straight in front of a harmful computer screen and inside the internet, away from RealLife and it's harmful enviroment... towards an almost immortal, better then real, almighty humanity Version 2.0! Humankind has gone completely digital, an ultramodern computer array is home to over 20 million human souls now, who created a world of their own.
This new world is – for sanities sake – largely like the old reality, with some exceptions: You will get fragmented and puzzled back together when run over by a information transport, rather then being killed and ripped into pieces by a real world truck, your living space is measured in kilo Units, the currency you pay with is random important information – you may well pay your rent with a political scandal and still get two celebrity exposures back as change. The world map is circular and divided in segment shaped areas among the political groups. Objects could be replicated, but a strong digital rights management prohibits illegal copies of objects, expensive information and people, and the near real physical laws are even harder to hack...
Experts can download into vat-grown bodies outside the computer to do service work and repairs, but improvements in technology have made those trips rare occasions. The outside world is dangerous and inhabited by wild sub-humans, germs and other very dangerous things and the heroic experts downloading into the dangerous world outside – without real backups – are celebrated personalities like the 1970's astronauts.
SpaceMarines
A camouflage green Landing Pod unlocks itself from the orbiting Ship and there it drops, “Hell's Elevator” down into the designated target area. Throwing up after the ride, obligatory weapons check-up and the Marines swarm the un-scouted jungle terrain...
This Setting originated from a check for URPG's combat game mechanics (15 marines armed up to the teeth in a SciFi engagement against swarms of enemies – working well, even with only 1 GM!) and was inspired by great SciFi Series and Novels as Space: Above and Beyond, Aliens and Starship Troopers. Humankind is fighting for it's survival in this low-SciFi, dark future Setting and you are one of the first-line troopers!
Cluster
You got used to the talking Teddy with Dynamite as well as to the young witch and the disillusioned ex-N-SWAT Team leader can't disturb your good mood. You are ready to change the past to create a better future, or you just resigned and don't resist the weird time-travel experiments any more. No matter what, you will give your best!
IT, an unkown power – some speculate a spuercomputer or similar artificial intelligence – does 'import' outstanding personalities and skilled experts (Player Characters) from all times and worlds (read: all above – and more – Settings). They are used, equipped with a universal translator and tempo-spatial trans-locator (or magical artifact or whatever you may call it), to correct glitches in the timeline all over history (including the future).
The Setting is named after the space-station like cluster of cubicles the characters house in, all connected through a long, circular hall and there is more then just one strange creature in there! Every Character does get his own, personal environment inside his 4 walls and can buy literally anything that he/she/it may need in the clusters huge automatic mall – as long as there are enough credits.
As a multi-setting-crossover and cross-time setting the Cluster may sound confusing at first, but it provides a lot of fun and shows that the URPG rules are actually working seamlessly and without special rules for different times and settings. Besides this the any-time possibility to teleport a character to where he is needed most allows for variable gaming groups (this was actualy other main reason for Cluster's development): A player missing or late this session? Someone new likes to join for a one-time trial? Your favourite Character died in his setting or you have a special idea that does not actualy fit any other setting currently played? Worry not! Just use the Cluster and it's unlimited amount of scenarios and settings interwoven between each other and the effect of simply teleporting characters out of action while the player goes to fetch the pizza...
Including ready-to-play scenario 'The JFK Incident': The players find a secret agent that took his live because he could not commit his commanded operation – organizing the shooting of the US-American president JFK. Do the playersfollow the lead and assasinate him because he actualy is an alien clone trying to take over the world or will they keep the disaster from happening? Including a lot of handouts and researched material on what kind of things were “hip” those days to spice up the 60s mood.
Metaplot
A Meat-Plot connecting the very backgrounds and forces of Ancients, Dark War, Nanopunk and Raid5 in context and timeline does exist. Who silently moves the strings in which setting at what time and how the settings are linked and build upon each other, including a connection of the settings mythology and places is described in detail. Each Setting can be played indifferently of the metaplot and it can be ignored without major problems, but for those who like a deeper background story, a dark, sinister story, a story connecting it all in such a simple and logic way that you may consider it to be a good explanation even for the very reality you live in.... well, not one more word in here! Just come and follow me...
