A setting 50 years in the future

[bloodmoney]

Im going to run a setting I have made with Spycraft 2.0 that is set in 2059. Technology has progressed realistically (for the most part) so stuff is gunna be more compact, a bit flasher etc..

What campaign qualities and other general adjustments would you make to set the game in the near future? The calibre of things wouldnt be the same etc (though that doesnt mean assault rifles are suddenly commonplace) so I need some advice...

[spinningdice]

I think consensus was that the current firearms advancement doesn't make things better, just adds more features. And the current firearms rules are at a level set for game balance. You could probably mock up firearms of 2059 by reducing weights 25% and giving an additional free upgrade. If you wanted to emphasise more lethal firearms you could probably do it via a quality rather than just upping damage across the board.

Anything electronics/computing based could probably automatically have the miniature gear pick gadget applied.

[Krensky]

Well, it depends.

Is this a near-future (cyberpunk or post cyberpunk) type setting, or a today with flashy sets type setting?

[MilitiaJim]

I see a couple big choices:  Are there metropoli that shine at all hours of the day and night, or was there a massive die off, and dispirited populi shiver in their hovels at night, and spend their days using hand tools in agriculture.

Also, is this going to focus in one country or city, or be worldwide?  There may or may not be a giant technological leap that no one expects, but lacking one of those, some shrewd guesses on geopolitics are possible.

[Desertpuma]

In a post apocalypse setting, a box of shotgun shells for a brek-action side by side is a treasure not to be used unless necessary. But in a Cyberpunk setting, you'll rip through the box in a day maybe two or a very intense fight it could be done in one fight.

It all depends where you are going with it. ... Details?

[bloodmoney]

Sorry guys I was a bit vague, allow me to elaborate.

The setting is called Dissident and is an criminal/espionage/military conflict game. The premise is futuristic cold war. Humans are doing well, the middle class has fattened out due to cheap power generation and digital fabrication.

It has elements of cyberpunk in it, but not overly. There is the obligatory one world government called The World Coalition, that is comprised of smaller coalitions and unions (most based on real life like the EU etc). The World Coalition is not perfectly all powerful, this isnt Orwells 1984 yet, it may be one day but not yet. Its a world on the brink of becoming your typical dystopian setting.

Russia is a big super power again (maybe unrealistic but pfft) as is China. The idea is is that there is a cold war between The World Coalition, Russia and China. Parts of the world have been decimated from flooding and earthquakes etc, so everyone is huddled in big cities. The lawless parts arent all Mad Max, still realistic for the most part, just worse. The metropolitan areas are more condensed and bigger

In Africa and some parts of the world there is a lot of strife still, most of these militias will still be using AK's and RPG's, nothing changed there. On the high end there will be robots used in the military (like the Talon SWORD, UAV's, BigDog etc) and these will be common place. Power armour and railguns etc will be the most cutting edge stuff, they will not be commonplace. Everything else has progressed fairly realistically. I say fairly because if you make a game thats accurately how the world will be in 50 years then that game will probably be boring heh heh. So I turned the heat up a bit, and made technology progress a little faster.

If anyone wants a look just email me or PM me...

Ive done quite a lot of work on this project, which at the moment is non system specific. I chose to run it with Spycraft because I think the system will suit it perfectly. Im looking for writers and contributers to this project, and when its up to standard I will be submitting it to a few game publishers to see if they are interested in making it a small, cheap .PDF for an add on setting to their system. PM or email me at: bloodmoney@myway.com if you are interested or want a copy to read.

[glimmerrat]

The World Coalition could carry out brutal police actions in the lawless areas under the auspices of the Patriot Act, arrest terrorists and 'illegal fighters'.

Russia could have re-annexed a lot of it's old territory, like it's obviously doing with Georgia right now.

[bloodmoney]

Yup absolutely.

[MilitiaJim]

I feel it necessary to note that the use of AKs and RPGs in Africa is on the decline and will be way down in 50 years.  The "recent" surge in violence came after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  The collapse flooded of the world arms market with cheap rifles and, more importantly, with cheap ammo.  The cheap ammo is running out. 

African governments will be able to afford ammo, and there will always be banditry out in the bush, but the bandits will be back to threatening with guns and killing with machetes.  Places like Somalia will still be violent backwaters, but the roving bandits will be less well equipped and less deadly.  (The pirates won't be less deadly, as the ransoms they "earn" are enough to keep them in marine diesel, AK ammo and RPGs.)

[glimmerrat]

So are you going to post up some more of the details for us?!