After trying to put together an unplanned "pickup" game the other night, I was reminded of just how helpful original, fan-created content can be to the GM in a hurry.
In that spirit, I thought it might be cool to post a thread of some of the "go-to" settings, characters or locations that have been fleshed out in our games over the years so others might benefit from them (and hopefully save a little time!).
I'll get things started with "Fossil Station", a town I always feature prominently whenever my PCs are in the Dinosaur Swamps. Don't feel like you have to be as detailed as me--I just have this level of detail already in my notes.
Ignore references to specific Adventures, this is copy-pasted from my notes.
Original GM Resources
Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones
Original GM Resources
Last edited by JonofPDX on Sat Sep 09, 2017 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Original GM Resources
Fossil Station
A working dinosaur station (a ranch where the animals are caught/bred and trained for sale as livestock) 100 miles south of Fort Hawkins in the lowlands of southcentral Georgia. Established three decades ago as a ramshackle collection of outbuildings around a makeshift paddock, the station has since grown into a bustling (and profitable) wilderness outpost. Fossil Station's primary income is from their thriving livestock business but they also collect revenues by providing protection and basic services (such as electricity and running water) to the small community of servicepeople and merchants that has sprung up around the station, in return for a cut of their earnings.
Hooks into Fossil Station:
>The PCs start as employees of Fossil Station, possibly about to “cash out” after one last job (good way to get players together, explain relationships, supply challenge-appropriate starting equipment, etc for starting campaign).
>The PCs hear about Fossil Station or the “Dino Drives” (where large groups of dinosaurs are taken to markets, for training or grazing) and come seeking work, expertise or dinosaur livestock.
>The PCs find an escaped dinosaur from Fossil Station (identifiable by RF tag and/or brand) and return it for a reward.
>The PCs hear about Fossil Station from nearby mutant tribes who are coming into conflict with Boss over land use (though Boss doesn’t know that yet).
>The PCs hear that Boss offers a standing bounty for breeding pairs of exotic and/or rare animals (this is false, but Boss might make an exception if the PCs show up with something truly special).
Related Adventures:
>Little and Lost (the PCs must retrieve a lost juvenile triceratops—Cera).
>Big Game Hunting (Fossil Station receives an order for an Alien Rex and needs help tracking and capturing one).
>Rolling the Raptor Rustlers (the PCs must track down and steal back a pack of stolen raptors).
>Blackwater Fever (a sickness is infecting the livestock and the PCs are asked to find out if a witch in the Okefenokee is behind it).
>A New Red Shepard (the PCs must find out why a local tribe has suddenly become unfriendly towards Fossil Station).
>Shadows in Amber (The PCs are asked by Miranda to investigate a pair of suspicious travelers staying at The Amber).
>Dino Drive (PCs are asked to accompany the Dino Drive for extra protection as bandits (or splugorth) have been seen in area).
>Betrayal (Borkum, in league with bandits or splugorth, has turned the guards and started a coup for Fossil Station).
Population:
Station employees: 60, including 10 full-time guards and 35 full-time handlers/trainers
Non-employees: 22 family members of employees + ~16 people living/working in the Bone Market + 6d6 (~20) travelers, customers, merchants or servicepeople
Notable Places:
The Brick House:
Rebuilt from the destroyed “Colquitt County Sheriff’s Station”, The House is the central structure of the Fossil Station complex, housing the station's technical equipment in the rebuilt basement storage and holding areas (automated water purification, fusion reactor, machine shop, armory, etc) and providing the living and work space for the foremen, Borkum and the Walders on the ground level. It is in this area where much of the clerical business and dialogue with customers is handled.
The Paddocks:
Surrounding the complex on all sides are four large paddocks which house the station's livestock. Each of these paddocks are secured with (MD-capable) electrified MDC Hyper-Alloy fencing and imported GAW sensor equipment/software designed to autonomously track each dinosaur at all times. The Rex paddock has additional flexible MDC plastic foundation supports for additional strength and stability—necessary due to the creatures incredible strength. At least 2 stationhands monitor each of these paddocks at all times. A fifth, smaller, paddock sits south of the main facility and is used when a single dinosaur or group of dinosaurs need to be separated from the rest of their species (usually for training or medical care). The station's livestock changes based on season and demand, but each main paddock will be filled with one of the following at any given time—different species are never mixed within the same paddock (roll 4d6—rerolling duplicates—for random result if desired).
1) 1d4 (~2) Tyrannosaurus Rex, or half that number Alien Rex. Half will be juvenile (kept separated from untrained adult specimens). Because Fossil Station only keeps and trains Rex to order, it is unlikely there will be a fully trained Rex at the station at any given time.
2) 4d6 (~14) Triceratops or two-thirds that number Razorback Rhinoceros. One-third juvenile, one-third adult untrained, and one-third trained and ready for sale.
3) 3d6 (~10) Dilophosaurus, or 1d6 (~3) Titan Raptors. At least half will always be trained and kept to keep the others in line.
4) 6d6 (~21) Pachycephalosaurus. One-third juvenile, one-third adult untrained, and one-third trained and ready for sale.
5) 5d6 (~17) Hypacrosaurus (duckbilled honkers). A few may be trained by request, but most are raised for meat and materials.
6) 4d6 + 20 (~34) Thinobadestes (large ground sloths). A few may be trained by request, but most are raised for meat and materials.
Stabling:
Located just east of The Brick House, the main stable, or “Stabling”, is where the dinosaurs and livestock owned by the station and employees are kept and cared for. Despite a maximum capacity of over 30 triceratops-sized animals, Stabling rarely houses more than half that number at a time as most animals are kept in the paddocks themselves when able. The plasticrete structure was once the Sheriff’s Station's two-story parking and storage structure, and the Station's few vehicles are kept on the structures second floor.
The Bone Market:
Capped by The Amber at one end and the Stationhand's Quarters at the other, The Bone Market is quiet by day but transforms by night into a small but bustling high street filled with merchants (both established and traveling) hawking their wares to passing travelers and the station's off-duty employees. Common goods (food, alcohol, familiar recreational drugs, basic medical and/or adventuring supplies, etc) as well as E-Clip or electrical system recharging will likely be available at 75% of average. But any technical goods or services (weapons, armor, technical repairs, etc) will be very rare and likely cost 150-200% of average (if they are available at all). There is a small chance that magical goods or services may be available—likely by a visiting tribal mage (probably a mystic or eco-wizard) and these will likewise likely cost a premium of 150-200%.
Stationhand's Quarters:
The Stationhand's Quarters house all of the station's employees (and family) below the foremen, Borkum and the Walders. Each family is assigned a room (sized according to the number of people in the family) and supplied a simple food ration as part of their wage. By day, several of the adult family members run a daycare and basic school out of the Quarter's common areas.
The Amber:
Part saloon, brothel and inn, The Amber provides for much of the recreational needs of the station's visitors and employees. Much like the rest of The Bone Market, The Amber is fairly quiet during the day but as the station employees begin to end their shifts, the atmosphere quickly livens. Food, lodging and service are available for 75% of average. Many traveling salesmen or performers may also be found here.
Notable Characters:
Boss Walder (Human, male, 60), founder and proprietor of Fossil Station
Boss is always on the lookout for new opportunities to make a profit or expand his business and has little time—and less interest—in most things not related to the station he built from nothing over the last 30 years. But for all his (unashamed) focus on money, Boss also has a reputation for loyalty and fair dealing and can generally be counted on to act with integrity. In Boss's view, the best deal is one where everyone wins, goes home happy, and comes back to do more business with him later. Boss is very protective of his employees and, especially, his daughter Abigail (whom he loves dearly but frustrates with his coddling).
Borkum (Orc, male, 28), Operations Manager and second in command of Fossil Station
Borkum has gone from simple stationhand, to foreman, to Second in Command of Fossil Station in just five years. A rise that has earned him the jealousy and contempt of many of the men and women of the station, as well as rumors that he only got the position because of his frequent flattery of Boss’s ego (a common sign of submission and respect in orcish culture). Ironically, Boss actually dislikes Borkum (a fact Borkum is well aware of) but can’t deny that the orc is smart, driven and resourceful and has excelled in every position he’s been placed in. Secretly, Borkum thinks Boss is weak and would love to kill him and try and take over Fossil Station, but for now he knows he doesn’t have the support he would need among the workers.
Abigail Walder (Human, female, 24), Boss's daughter and third in command of Fossil Station
Having grown up on Fossil Station, Abigail’s whole life has revolved around the business, the livestock and their employees (many of which she’s known since she was born) and she cares deeply about strengthening her father’s business and legacy. She’s in a good position to do so as well, having proven herself over the years to be smart, hardworking, capable and charming. But Abigail is frustrated that her father promoted Borkum—whom she both dislikes and doesn’t trust—over herself to be his Operations Manager and right-hand man (Abigail is third in command of Fossil Station, after Borkum). Abigail loves and respects her father but is deeply frustrated that he underestimates her.
Mickey (Human-mutant, male, 44), Scout and trapper at Fossil Station, friend of the Walder family
When Fossil Station was founded, Boss needed experienced crews to catch, train and care for the livestock and hired most of his initial employees from the nearby mutant tribes. Mickey, all of 14 when he was hired as a stationhand, was a natural tracker, trapper and swamp guide and Boss still counts him as one of the most dependable men in his employ (as well as one of his few trusted friends). If he had more ambition, he would likely have Borkum’s job as Second in Command. But Mickey is perfectly content where he is, still catching and caring for the dinosaurs like he was doing 30 years ago. He is looked up to and respected by many of the rank-and-file trappers, stationhands and swampmen and is completely loyal to Boss and Abigail.
Miranda (Elf, female, age unknown), Owner and operator of The Amber
Charming, beautiful and as stubborn as a T-Rex, Boss had little chance against Miranda when she came to him 20 years ago to propose founding The Amber as a place for the employees and passing travelers alike to blow off steam (the offer to share her profits didn't hurt her pitch). But since that first meeting, a deep friendship (and occasionally more) has sprung up between the two and she cares deeply for both Boss and his daughter. Miranda doesn't talk about her past before coming to the Old American Southeast. If asked, she’ll usually just shoot the questioner a seductive glance and claim that she likes being a mystery. But those that have known her longest—people like Boss and Mickey, who know better than to ask—have seen the way she'll triple-check a lock or cast the occasional stranger too intense a glance. What even they don't know is that Miranda (once M'yr Anyi) is an escaped slave from Atlantis. And when she escaped, killing her mistress in the process, she took something of incredible value that even she herself does not know the full significance of.
GM Notes:
>If the PC's choose to stay in or around Fossil Station for an extended period (and perform more than one Adventure in aid to the station), Boss Walder, Abigail or Mickey may considering hiring the PCs on and paying them not in credits or trade goods, but with room, board and exotic riding training. If the PCs help the station enough, they may ultimately even be given a dinosaur mount/mounts of their own. The PC's should also not underestimate the simple value of having good relations with Fossil Station as the station's reputation and money are influential in the southern Dinosaur Swamps.
A working dinosaur station (a ranch where the animals are caught/bred and trained for sale as livestock) 100 miles south of Fort Hawkins in the lowlands of southcentral Georgia. Established three decades ago as a ramshackle collection of outbuildings around a makeshift paddock, the station has since grown into a bustling (and profitable) wilderness outpost. Fossil Station's primary income is from their thriving livestock business but they also collect revenues by providing protection and basic services (such as electricity and running water) to the small community of servicepeople and merchants that has sprung up around the station, in return for a cut of their earnings.
Hooks into Fossil Station:
>The PCs start as employees of Fossil Station, possibly about to “cash out” after one last job (good way to get players together, explain relationships, supply challenge-appropriate starting equipment, etc for starting campaign).
>The PCs hear about Fossil Station or the “Dino Drives” (where large groups of dinosaurs are taken to markets, for training or grazing) and come seeking work, expertise or dinosaur livestock.
>The PCs find an escaped dinosaur from Fossil Station (identifiable by RF tag and/or brand) and return it for a reward.
>The PCs hear about Fossil Station from nearby mutant tribes who are coming into conflict with Boss over land use (though Boss doesn’t know that yet).
>The PCs hear that Boss offers a standing bounty for breeding pairs of exotic and/or rare animals (this is false, but Boss might make an exception if the PCs show up with something truly special).
Related Adventures:
>Little and Lost (the PCs must retrieve a lost juvenile triceratops—Cera).
>Big Game Hunting (Fossil Station receives an order for an Alien Rex and needs help tracking and capturing one).
>Rolling the Raptor Rustlers (the PCs must track down and steal back a pack of stolen raptors).
>Blackwater Fever (a sickness is infecting the livestock and the PCs are asked to find out if a witch in the Okefenokee is behind it).
>A New Red Shepard (the PCs must find out why a local tribe has suddenly become unfriendly towards Fossil Station).
>Shadows in Amber (The PCs are asked by Miranda to investigate a pair of suspicious travelers staying at The Amber).
>Dino Drive (PCs are asked to accompany the Dino Drive for extra protection as bandits (or splugorth) have been seen in area).
>Betrayal (Borkum, in league with bandits or splugorth, has turned the guards and started a coup for Fossil Station).
Population:
Station employees: 60, including 10 full-time guards and 35 full-time handlers/trainers
Non-employees: 22 family members of employees + ~16 people living/working in the Bone Market + 6d6 (~20) travelers, customers, merchants or servicepeople
Notable Places:
The Brick House:
Rebuilt from the destroyed “Colquitt County Sheriff’s Station”, The House is the central structure of the Fossil Station complex, housing the station's technical equipment in the rebuilt basement storage and holding areas (automated water purification, fusion reactor, machine shop, armory, etc) and providing the living and work space for the foremen, Borkum and the Walders on the ground level. It is in this area where much of the clerical business and dialogue with customers is handled.
The Paddocks:
Surrounding the complex on all sides are four large paddocks which house the station's livestock. Each of these paddocks are secured with (MD-capable) electrified MDC Hyper-Alloy fencing and imported GAW sensor equipment/software designed to autonomously track each dinosaur at all times. The Rex paddock has additional flexible MDC plastic foundation supports for additional strength and stability—necessary due to the creatures incredible strength. At least 2 stationhands monitor each of these paddocks at all times. A fifth, smaller, paddock sits south of the main facility and is used when a single dinosaur or group of dinosaurs need to be separated from the rest of their species (usually for training or medical care). The station's livestock changes based on season and demand, but each main paddock will be filled with one of the following at any given time—different species are never mixed within the same paddock (roll 4d6—rerolling duplicates—for random result if desired).
1) 1d4 (~2) Tyrannosaurus Rex, or half that number Alien Rex. Half will be juvenile (kept separated from untrained adult specimens). Because Fossil Station only keeps and trains Rex to order, it is unlikely there will be a fully trained Rex at the station at any given time.
2) 4d6 (~14) Triceratops or two-thirds that number Razorback Rhinoceros. One-third juvenile, one-third adult untrained, and one-third trained and ready for sale.
3) 3d6 (~10) Dilophosaurus, or 1d6 (~3) Titan Raptors. At least half will always be trained and kept to keep the others in line.
4) 6d6 (~21) Pachycephalosaurus. One-third juvenile, one-third adult untrained, and one-third trained and ready for sale.
5) 5d6 (~17) Hypacrosaurus (duckbilled honkers). A few may be trained by request, but most are raised for meat and materials.
6) 4d6 + 20 (~34) Thinobadestes (large ground sloths). A few may be trained by request, but most are raised for meat and materials.
Stabling:
Located just east of The Brick House, the main stable, or “Stabling”, is where the dinosaurs and livestock owned by the station and employees are kept and cared for. Despite a maximum capacity of over 30 triceratops-sized animals, Stabling rarely houses more than half that number at a time as most animals are kept in the paddocks themselves when able. The plasticrete structure was once the Sheriff’s Station's two-story parking and storage structure, and the Station's few vehicles are kept on the structures second floor.
The Bone Market:
Capped by The Amber at one end and the Stationhand's Quarters at the other, The Bone Market is quiet by day but transforms by night into a small but bustling high street filled with merchants (both established and traveling) hawking their wares to passing travelers and the station's off-duty employees. Common goods (food, alcohol, familiar recreational drugs, basic medical and/or adventuring supplies, etc) as well as E-Clip or electrical system recharging will likely be available at 75% of average. But any technical goods or services (weapons, armor, technical repairs, etc) will be very rare and likely cost 150-200% of average (if they are available at all). There is a small chance that magical goods or services may be available—likely by a visiting tribal mage (probably a mystic or eco-wizard) and these will likewise likely cost a premium of 150-200%.
Stationhand's Quarters:
The Stationhand's Quarters house all of the station's employees (and family) below the foremen, Borkum and the Walders. Each family is assigned a room (sized according to the number of people in the family) and supplied a simple food ration as part of their wage. By day, several of the adult family members run a daycare and basic school out of the Quarter's common areas.
The Amber:
Part saloon, brothel and inn, The Amber provides for much of the recreational needs of the station's visitors and employees. Much like the rest of The Bone Market, The Amber is fairly quiet during the day but as the station employees begin to end their shifts, the atmosphere quickly livens. Food, lodging and service are available for 75% of average. Many traveling salesmen or performers may also be found here.
Notable Characters:
Boss Walder (Human, male, 60), founder and proprietor of Fossil Station
Boss is always on the lookout for new opportunities to make a profit or expand his business and has little time—and less interest—in most things not related to the station he built from nothing over the last 30 years. But for all his (unashamed) focus on money, Boss also has a reputation for loyalty and fair dealing and can generally be counted on to act with integrity. In Boss's view, the best deal is one where everyone wins, goes home happy, and comes back to do more business with him later. Boss is very protective of his employees and, especially, his daughter Abigail (whom he loves dearly but frustrates with his coddling).
Borkum (Orc, male, 28), Operations Manager and second in command of Fossil Station
Borkum has gone from simple stationhand, to foreman, to Second in Command of Fossil Station in just five years. A rise that has earned him the jealousy and contempt of many of the men and women of the station, as well as rumors that he only got the position because of his frequent flattery of Boss’s ego (a common sign of submission and respect in orcish culture). Ironically, Boss actually dislikes Borkum (a fact Borkum is well aware of) but can’t deny that the orc is smart, driven and resourceful and has excelled in every position he’s been placed in. Secretly, Borkum thinks Boss is weak and would love to kill him and try and take over Fossil Station, but for now he knows he doesn’t have the support he would need among the workers.
Abigail Walder (Human, female, 24), Boss's daughter and third in command of Fossil Station
Having grown up on Fossil Station, Abigail’s whole life has revolved around the business, the livestock and their employees (many of which she’s known since she was born) and she cares deeply about strengthening her father’s business and legacy. She’s in a good position to do so as well, having proven herself over the years to be smart, hardworking, capable and charming. But Abigail is frustrated that her father promoted Borkum—whom she both dislikes and doesn’t trust—over herself to be his Operations Manager and right-hand man (Abigail is third in command of Fossil Station, after Borkum). Abigail loves and respects her father but is deeply frustrated that he underestimates her.
Mickey (Human-mutant, male, 44), Scout and trapper at Fossil Station, friend of the Walder family
When Fossil Station was founded, Boss needed experienced crews to catch, train and care for the livestock and hired most of his initial employees from the nearby mutant tribes. Mickey, all of 14 when he was hired as a stationhand, was a natural tracker, trapper and swamp guide and Boss still counts him as one of the most dependable men in his employ (as well as one of his few trusted friends). If he had more ambition, he would likely have Borkum’s job as Second in Command. But Mickey is perfectly content where he is, still catching and caring for the dinosaurs like he was doing 30 years ago. He is looked up to and respected by many of the rank-and-file trappers, stationhands and swampmen and is completely loyal to Boss and Abigail.
Miranda (Elf, female, age unknown), Owner and operator of The Amber
Charming, beautiful and as stubborn as a T-Rex, Boss had little chance against Miranda when she came to him 20 years ago to propose founding The Amber as a place for the employees and passing travelers alike to blow off steam (the offer to share her profits didn't hurt her pitch). But since that first meeting, a deep friendship (and occasionally more) has sprung up between the two and she cares deeply for both Boss and his daughter. Miranda doesn't talk about her past before coming to the Old American Southeast. If asked, she’ll usually just shoot the questioner a seductive glance and claim that she likes being a mystery. But those that have known her longest—people like Boss and Mickey, who know better than to ask—have seen the way she'll triple-check a lock or cast the occasional stranger too intense a glance. What even they don't know is that Miranda (once M'yr Anyi) is an escaped slave from Atlantis. And when she escaped, killing her mistress in the process, she took something of incredible value that even she herself does not know the full significance of.
GM Notes:
>If the PC's choose to stay in or around Fossil Station for an extended period (and perform more than one Adventure in aid to the station), Boss Walder, Abigail or Mickey may considering hiring the PCs on and paying them not in credits or trade goods, but with room, board and exotic riding training. If the PCs help the station enough, they may ultimately even be given a dinosaur mount/mounts of their own. The PC's should also not underestimate the simple value of having good relations with Fossil Station as the station's reputation and money are influential in the southern Dinosaur Swamps.
Re: Original GM Resources
Very cool. Keeps with the theme of DS, and sounds like a fun place with adventure hooks. You should flesh out and submit to The Rifter.
Insert 400 character limit here.
Re: Original GM Resources
Todd Yoho wrote:Very cool. Keeps with the theme of DS, and sounds like a fun place with adventure hooks. You should flesh out and submit to The Rifter.
Thanks. Doubt I'll put that much time into it but I'll think about it. Hopefully it will be helpful to someone.
On a broader note, I was meaning this as a broader kind of resource. Anyone else have any go-to settings, characters, etc that they drop into their games as needed that they would like to share?
Re: Original GM Resources
Todd Yoho wrote:Very cool. Keeps with the theme of DS, and sounds like a fun place with adventure hooks. You should flesh out and submit to The Rifter.
Oh! Dude, I didn't realize until after I posted that you were the author for Dinosaur Swamp. That's super cool, man. Glad you think it fits into your setting!