Fury Rails

In the wastes of the old world, poisoned and drained of life, the first, true Barons built the railways between what settlements remained, taking the last scraps of the old industry in their grasps and empires. They are gone now, too, and only petty tyrants and poisoned-brained madmen remain. The deserts have grown even harsher and strange monsters lurk in their sands. The railways--those rusting few that remain--are the only way through. Civilization clings to them. Despite road agents, psychotic tribesmen, and giant beasts, the trains have got to keep rolling.

Take the post-apocalyptic cultures and aesthetic of Mad Max 2: Road Warrior and Mad Max: Fury, but make it a little less 1980s and a little more 1880s, and combined the burrowing monsters and extensive railways of Mieville's Railsea. Season to taste with The Hills Have Eyes and Spaghetti and Acid Westerns, and you've got a kickass campaign setting, I think.

More Strange Stars Art--And A Question

Here's another piece of art by the guy who has done more than anyone to define the look of the Strange Stars universe, David Lewis Johnson. We see Zao Pirates pursue a vessel, but finding that their prey-to-be has friends.

In other news, I've been thinking about doing some collections of back posts (like Jack did with his Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque books) and make them available as pdf and maybe POD. While they're all here on the blog, people seem to like compilations quite a bit and in fairness, with 1440 posts, finding things or reading a series of posts isn't always convenient.

So if you have any thoughts on that, let me know.

Back to the Strange Stone Age

Or maybe forward to a remote future? Whichever, it's a time where prehistoric humans do battle with monsters--both known to history and unknown--and with incursion of aliens or ultraterrestrials, part Kirby and part von Däniken. The actions of the aliens create sores in the skin of reality where the normal laws are warped and disrupted.

Some humans have benefited (or so they believe) from alien technology and even interbreeding. They view themselves as superior to the others and hunt them for slaves--or worse. But humans have allies, too: the gregarious Small-Folk (Halflings, pakuni, homo florensis), the hardy and aloof Stone Folk (dwarves, T'lan Imass, Neanderthals). And then there are the spirits, made stronger since the aliens rent holes in reality, with whom the shamans intercede through the use of sacred, hallucinogenic technologies--their "passkeys" into the operating system of the universe.

Inspirations:
Comics: Devil Dinosaur, Tor, Tragg and the Sky-Gods, Henga (Yor), Turok, anything New Gods by Kirby or Morrison (for the "magic as technology" aspect).
Fiction: Karl Edward Wagner's Kane stories (mainly the implied pseudo-scientific background), Manly Wade Wellman's Hok, Roadside Picnic (the portrayal of zones and alien artifacts)
"Nonfiction": alien abduction stuff and forteana, "forbidden history" stuff, Chariots of the Gods.

Wednesday Comics: Marvel Apocalypses

Continuing my review of post-apocalyptic comics with Marvel's contributions to the genre:

Deathlok
What's the Apocalypse? Not entirely clear, but evidently a coup by Roxxon Oil followed by war.
Who are the heroes? Luther Manning aka Deathlok, a cyborg.
Where can you read it? Deathlok the Demolisher: The Complete Collection.

Killraven
What's the Apocalypse? An alien invasion (from Mars) in 2001.
Who are the heroes? Killraven and his companions, freedom fighters against Martian rule.
Where can you read it? Essential Killraven volume 1.

Planet of the Apes
What's the Apocalypse? A nuclear war.
Who are the heroes? Time-displayed astronauts, a human named Jason and an ape named Alexander.
Where can you read it? back issues only. Or here.

More Sample Strange Stars Pages

Lester B. Portly sent me several more chapters from John Till's Strange Stars Fate this weekend. Here's the first page of the draft for the "Threats" chapter featuring art by Adam Moore, where the usual suspects appear (the ssraad, ksaa, and the Vokun and the Zao Pirates), but also some you might not immediately think of: a modified clone of Hannibal Early, a renegade thrax, and a blesh master criminal.

Salem and Threefold Alignment

Salem season 2 is on now (subtitled, "Witch War" according to wikipedia, which fits the lurid tone perfectly, so I'm disappointed they don't use it in advertising). Watching the conflict between the forces of the oppressive, conformist Christian Orthodoxy and the ruthless witches, out to steal the new world for themselves (and their dark master), it's interesting how both sides are presented as having legitimate grievances and a legitimate point of view. Both sides are also guilty depravity, harming innocents, and using the end to justify the means.

Though neither God or Satan has directly opined on the actions of their supposed agents but if we take the obviously real nature of witchery and the claims of its adherents and enemies as fact, then the with-hunters and Christian majority map to the Lawful side of things and the witches map to Chaos. Both show evidence of behaviors we might call "evil" and (less commonly) "good", so those are largely not of concern to the factions, just like they aren't in old school D&D alignment.

There is also a Neutral faction. Petrus the Seer wields magically powers and is most often seen helping the witches but doesn't appear to be one of them. The Native Americans likewise have magical traditions with real power but they are opposed to the witches. The tribes and their beliefs are also condemned by by the Salem Christian establishment.

So, there you go. All and all, a good example of threefold alignment in action.

Strange Stars: Trouble with 'Bots

I figured it was time for another tease of the (limited) number of new pieces of art that will appear in the Strange Stars gamebooks. This one is by Adam Moore, who Weird Adventures fans may remember from this great illustration.

I hope you guys dig it as much as I do.