Unexpected Inspiration

We've all had them - those moments of unexpected gaming inspiration that strike a chord from the oddest of sources. Who would have thought that a perfectly good game setting would come from an episode of "American Dad". Not I.

I rarely watch this show. It's not that I don't like it but it's not high on my priority of shows to watch. I catch it when I can and last night was just such an occasion. Having stayed home from my regular Friday game night I was watching TV when I'd normally be rolling dice, sweating my next move and figuring out how to fight for 2nd place after Derek had claimed his usual 1st place spot. This particular episode centers around the biblical concept of The Rapture and the battle between the second coming of Jesus and the Antichrist. Let's skip over the obvious debate that could be had here and go on to how this is relevant to gaming.

In the episode The Rapture occurs and lays waste to the world, turning it into a post-apocalyptic setting filled with sinners, madmen, monsters, angels, demons and wasteland warriors. This alone is just a great idea though I will admit the McFarland-esque artwork used to spin the tale of the Rapture and Armagedon were pretty darned cool. I found myself considering the concept as a gaming setting where pockets of humanity, left behind, were caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

All the usual PA concepts are there with perhaps the notable exception of super-tech, though this would depend on when The Rapture occured in your universe. You have freakish mutants and creatures in the form of demons and the hosts of Hell. There is also the posibility of possessed or corrupted humanity to pad the list of antagonists. Then there is the consideration that the forces of Light may nit exactly be much more friendly to humanity that has been left behind. This all sets up quite a morality play and survival story for players who will have to consider which side they are on and make difficult choices to survive their war-torn planet.

I'm pretty sure this basic premise isn't new and thereh ave been RPGs down with the theme of the battle between Heaven and Hell but I am not sure if they have been done, using that battle as the background for a post-apocalyptic world. This is one of those ideas going into my big notebook of things to try to play some day.

Take care,

-Eli