Guest GM for Disney Land

[kevarin]

most important thing i can think of is to tell you to calm down and not to panic if i may ask what setting is this under and maybe a little info on what type of camapin you are thinking about running and any of the gm guids put out give you a few start to finish missions that could give you an idea on how to put one together

[AdmTolval]

Okay, my suggestion would be to only get info on the most popular rides that have been there since the park open. Remember, there will still be another 88 years of changes to the park before the coming of the rifts. And on top of that, at least 300 years of erosion, nature taking over, etc. I highly recommend watching Life After People for ideas on what is left after people stop taking care of buildings. Now, imagine most of the park has sunk into the ground. Florida is on limestone which can cause ground collapsing. Combine that with the natural diseasters brought on by the rifts and most of the park would be destroyed. What's left would be underground. Make those caves. Good for limiting players who always rely on robots and PA. Fill the area with ratlings in the tunnels or dinosaurs. If you really want to be saddistic, have a "main badguy" in there. Let it be the brain of Walt Disney preserved in a glass container which is hooked up to some computers. The rifts revived him but he's insane. Let his hook up of the computers allow him control of what's left of the park. Maybe by then the park would have real robots for the rides and laser holograms. Maybe the robots build him a working robot body out of a ride. For those of you that have read Deadlands: Hell on Earth, yes, it would be copying a dime novel adventure but it would fit. Most of all, have fun.

[AdmTolval]

Ooops! You're right. Disney Land is in California. You said Disney Land and it registered Disney World for some reason. Same ideas though about the land. Instead of limestone, the fault lines could have erupted and caused it to cave in. A ratling is a race of humanoid rats. You can find them in the Rifts Conversion Book 1. If you don't have that book, just use regular 3d6 stats but minus points for a lower strength and give them some kind of bonus for smell. You and your players should enjoy it.

[kevarin]

what i ment by setting was what parts of the rifts game were you using didnt want to suggest things out of a book you didnt have and theres no reason you couldnt use the park still being there is easy fade town the park or do a pocket dimension the fade town could be cool because it can add a time limit to it every few days to hours this park appears they go to see whats up and then they have a set amount of time to get out before it fades away again maybe when the park fades to a different dimension is when all your odd things can start happening the ghosts of the people that have died there haunting the place and they have to stay alive till it fades back to rifts earth just another thought maybe your old man is a emotion and ppe vampire he feeds off the fear from not being able to get out and running from the crazy rides and ghosts and is makeing the park fade in and out of this dimension catching new people in the park for his sick games hope this helps and will think on this more at work tomorrow

[mobuttu]

If your current base of opperation is MercTown I suggest you to go to Disney World instead (it is closer). Take Dinosaur Swamps (or Advetures in DS, can't remerber) where it is more or less described (the Castle in the Jungle, tunnels and the such). And for a ghostly experience use the guidelines in MAdhaven. I think would be a wonderful (yet scary) rpg-experience!

[kevarin]

if you really want to use the one in california and your base of operations is in merctown would do it this way

your players are at a local bar in walks a drunk dirty old man (maybe your old man from the park) starts moving from table to table till he gets to theres says hes offering a map to an enchanted kingdom for just a drink someone in the group takes pitty on him and buys him a drink and he hand over a post card showing the walk way and most of the front to the castle
and walks way singing its a small world not sure if your casters are high enough but should be able to port there with the pic as a reference i think and once there let teh fun begin they may not even be the only ones there could have a few groups of people that have fallen for this trap and would lead to some dram after there traped there everyone blaming each outer and fightingover ammo and what not as the place goes weird

now once there its easy on your they keep seeing the guy and he vanishes before they catch him he could be ducking in to the underground maint tunnels since the players dont know about them they would think hes just disapearing at night these tunnels could open up for maint robots to come out of and do repairs on the place allso collect any bodies laying around would see them as trash could lead to a big stash of weapons and gear under the park

just ideas on how i would run this campain and after thinking this out i may try it out and see what kinda hell i can give my group

[kevarin]

hummm maybe after the fade there is a main monster in each of the ride areas once you go in you cant get out till its killed
then each one has a piece to some device or key that can get the park to fade back to earth or could be tied to the oldman
would need a monster themed to each ride like demented toys in its a small world , demon bears in the bear show ect, ect ,ect could work not sure about the old man being a hologram because how did it get across the country hummm
will have to think on that maybe the old man uses the holograms to tease the players and not put himself in danger but to get to him they need to access the controll areas to each ride area and shut them down when everything is shut down in the park it fades back to earth of corse you have to do this befor the maint droids come out to fix it or have to take them offline or they would just turn everything back on and still do the monsters in each ride area guarding the controll rooms

[kevarin]

nother idea what if your insane brain is whats controlling the park droids and rides if they damage the park it considers them an enemy and it starts attacking them when there out working or starts trying to kill them with the rides could even do the archie thing with the oldman working with it and i like the curse idea but instead of making them have to keep going back maybe just makes them have to go there get sick if they dont and gets worse the longer thay keep from going

[kevarin]

for the monsters just change there mdc to what you think will be tough but not to hard in one camapin i was runnning i took something with thousands of mdc and droped it to hundreds to make the fight doable to a low level group nothing says you cant ajust mobs to fit your group example you use the maintenance drones from splicers to repair the park each one has 180 mdc if you think thats to hard drop it 100 or 80 or to a level you think is good for your group if you find the changes were to low to be a challenge can say the first fight was an older modle and up the stats for the next one.

[mobuttu]

Actually, I don't know where our GM has put Merc Town, I don't think he knows either... ....As Australians,

Download my North America Atlas by clicking on the image. I'm being Spaniard had the same problems with NA geography .

Mad Haven...cool...thank you Mobuttu...I will pick that one up this weekend....sounds perfect...

Glad it helps you.

[mobuttu]

. I would prefer to use Disney Land, as I have done so much research on Disney Land and would hate to start again... .

That's fine. So, the best you can do to travel there is to take a flight from MercTown to Lone Star city or maybe Ciudad Juarez (even rent a charted flight to Arzno - click on the PM Airport to see the available air companies (Fly By Night most probably) and from there a land trip to Disney Land.

[mobuttu]

Thank you Mobuttu....At first, I thought 'Oh, No!! Its all in Spanish!!' ...but worked it out and found the maps...thank you again.

You are welcome! (In fact, it's in Catalan...but never mind )

[Carindel]

A couple other points you might want to consider. First, the Disney movies could provide all kinds of fantastic NPCs/challenges, both as villains and as potential allies; they also showcase some truly powerful magic items, which might interest your magic users. One example: a powerful sorcerer, driven insane by the mental echoes of everyone who died at the park, now fancies himself Jafar (from Aladdin) and is attempting to use a magic lamp (rune item?!?!) to summon a genie (Alien Intelligence?!?!?!?!) Some of the more positive NPCs (Mickey Mouse, anyone?) might also be able to help your group run the park. ALSO, it might make a truly fantastic base from which your characters could operate, if they could just clean it up and master part of it - this could be the focus of a series of recurring adventures, and might give your group added motivation. The idea is to provide all sorts of opportunities for your group to expand themselves and explore other possibilities, in addition to the challenges you've been developing. Plus having a base in old Disney Land would be epic : ) The other idea, if you can find the books, would be to check out Arzno and Madhaven for the effects of a large number of people dying in the same place, and how their mental attitudes (i.e. Disney Land was meant to be a place of joy) might be reflected in the Post-Apocalypse landscape. And, of course, if Disney Land isn't on a ley line or a nexus point, where would be? Might give your magic users some extra punch. Just a few thoughts to mull on.

[Khanibal]

Don't forget to add a loveable NPC that you can butcher in front of the pc's after they've developed an attachement to him/her. Always good for a laugh.

[kevarin]

I feel I am gaining some really good footing on so many levels here...so deeply appreciated, thank you so much to all my generous advisors here.

There is still one big issue I am so stuck on and have been going no-where with it....I have been pummeling my brain, trying to think of various things I can do to the still working rides to make them some what more interesting....examples being various water slide type rides and various roller coaster type rides (one of which is through a mine shaft in miners trolleys actually). May I please ask for some kick start, etc... thoughts on these too?

since this is a more advanced time line for the park could do interactive 3d headsets for the rides would make it look like things are flying at them and monsters are jumping at them from the sides think that would be the upgrade from there normal robot displays they have now and up them to maglev or anti grav tracks for faster run speeds to get that puke factor

and the interactive head sets could be how they can see the hologram old man and could go farther and say its how they see the monsters and ghosts in the park there just enough out of faze with the players that they cant see them but they can still interact with the players but the 3D video systems in the park can filter them in and let them be seen could be funny they think there not real take the headset off no monster put it back on its closer till one takes a chunk out of one of them then its o crap that things real and the fight is on

pretty tired so this could be to silly but hope it helps

[kevarin]

I feel I am gaining some really good footing on so many levels here...so deeply appreciated, thank you so much to all my generous advisors here.

There is still one big issue I am so stuck on and have been going no-where with it....I have been pummeling my brain, trying to think of various things I can do to the still working rides to make them some what more interesting....examples being various water slide type rides and various roller coaster type rides (one of which is through a mine shaft in miners trolleys actually). May I please ask for some kick start, etc... thoughts on these too?

since this is a more advanced time line for the park could do interactive 3d headsets for the rides would make it look like things are flying at them and monsters are jumping at them from the sides think that would be the upgrade from there normal robot displays they have now and up them to maglev or anti grav tracks for faster run speeds to get that puke factor

and the interactive head sets could be how they can see the hologram old man and could go farther and say its how they see the monsters and ghosts in the park there just enough out of faze with the players that they cant see them but they can still interact with the players but the 3D video systems in the park can filter them in and let them be seen could be funny they think there not real take the headset off no monster put it back on its closer till one takes a chunk out of one of them then its o crap that things real and the fight is on

pretty tired so this could be to silly but hope it helps

WOW!!! Love it!!!... ....My mind is reeling with the possibilities... ....Have you ever seen that movie set in a Glass House...I think it was called 'The Ninth Ghost'...something along those lines anyway...a horror movie...but the point is, the only way the people in this movie could see the ghosts was by wearing these glasses they found throughout the house.

This idea is a definite in the game...thank you Kevarin...I will be ticking it over in my head all night now...

yea that movie is where i got the idea of neding the hologram unit to see the monsters i was thnking something along the lines of cyclopses visor that went around the eyes and covered the ears for sound for the rides tho like the mine car all tho there are section that are out in the open to the riders its all in tunnels bats and rock slideson the water rides if they look over the sides they see sharks or gators fish jump up out of the water ect all in stero thru the headset

[kevarin]

you know i think that movie was called 13 ghosts the ghosts got let out in a sertian order and when they were all out they went to a room in the house and opened a gate to somewhere that could work here to each ride has a the ghost of an innocent person traped there with a small hord of ride specific monsters keeping them there you have to free them when freed they all go to a special room in the castle and force the park to fade back to earth or open the portal to leave the park

[Khanibal]

Sick and twisted.
I like it, but go ahead and add the magical tome. Can have the Necro-Undead becoming spell and say a few other rare and valueable spells. That way, as a follow up, you can steal it from them just when they think they're going to cash in big time.

[Zer0 Kay]

Okay, my suggestion would be to only get info on the most popular rides that have been there since the park open. Remember, there will still be another 88 years of changes to the park before the coming of the rifts. And on top of that, at least 300 years of erosion, nature taking over, etc. I highly recommend watching Life After People for ideas on what is left after people stop taking care of buildings. Now, imagine most of the park has sunk into the ground. Florida is on limestone which can cause ground collapsing. Combine that with the natural diseasters brought on by the rifts and most of the park would be destroyed. What's left would be underground. Make those caves. Good for limiting players who always rely on robots and PA. Fill the area with ratlings in the tunnels or dinosaurs. If you really want to be saddistic, have a "main badguy" in there. Let it be the brain of Walt Disney preserved in a glass container which is hooked up to some computers. The rifts revived him but he's insane. Let his hook up of the computers allow him control of what's left of the park. Maybe by then the park would have real robots for the rides and laser holograms. Maybe the robots build him a working robot body out of a ride. For those of you that have read Deadlands: Hell on Earth, yes, it would be copying a dime novel adventure but it would fit. Most of all, have fun.

Not to mention that if she did mention Florida it is now the Dinosaur swamps and the terrain shifts.

[Zer0 Kay]

Okay, my suggestion would be to only get info on the most popular rides that have been there since the park open. Remember, there will still be another 88 years of changes to the park before the coming of the rifts. And on top of that, at least 300 years of erosion, nature taking over, etc. I highly recommend watching Life After People for ideas on what is left after people stop taking care of buildings. Now, imagine most of the park has sunk into the ground. Florida is on limestone which can cause ground collapsing. Combine that with the natural diseasters brought on by the rifts and most of the park would be destroyed. What's left would be underground. Make those caves. Good for limiting players who always rely on robots and PA. Fill the area with ratlings in the tunnels or dinosaurs. If you really want to be saddistic, have a "main badguy" in there. Let it be the brain of Walt Disney preserved in a glass container which is hooked up to some computers. The rifts revived him but he's insane. Let his hook up of the computers allow him control of what's left of the park. Maybe by then the park would have real robots for the rides and laser holograms. Maybe the robots build him a working robot body out of a ride. For those of you that have read Deadlands: Hell on Earth, yes, it would be copying a dime novel adventure but it would fit. Most of all, have fun.

Thank you AdmTolval.... Yes, as I went through the list of rides, I have written beside them as to whether they were broken and unworkable or not...all depending on what I feel I can do with each particular ride. I thought Disney Land was in California? I live in Australia, have never been to America, but I thought there was one in Florida (Disney World) and one in California (Disney Land)...if I have mixed them up or am mistaken about California altogether, please correct me...If there is one in California, thats the one I have in mind. I absolutely love the idea of caves, tunnels, etc...I can see ways to use that and the Walt Disney brain...AWESOME!!! LOVE IT!!! Maybe the old man can be a hologram of Walt Disney?...and as you suggested, 'gone insane'...the ride body is an interesting concept also, I can see possibilities there. What is a Ratling? We don't have PA's or robots at this moment...did have a PA, he got sick of not being able to enter places, so rolled another PC...we have 1 x Juicer, 1 x Were-being, 1 x Head Hunter, 1 x Mystic, 2 x Ley Line Walkers, 1 x Techno Wizard, 1 x Mystic, 1 x Mind Melter.

Remember that the West coast was bombarded by tidal waves so... Most original structures on the West Coast and any other costal regions for that matter have been washed away UNLESS they were megadamage structures. Now after the advent of the MD age and the coming of the rifts the Disney/Marvel/(what ever other companies you think Disney would absorb) consortium may have built the biggest... whatever because the MD structure now enabled them to do so. Maybe... just Maybe the entire park was enclosed by an MD wall with an MD glass geodesic dome so everything survived... but when they get there the inside is in a perpetual winter because that is what the climate/weather control machine was left on.

[kevarin]

went back over everything thats been suggested here in this post theres a bunch of great ideas here you use half of it and your players are going to be in for one heck of a game when ever you run this campain going to have to let us know how it worked out i think i may take this stuff and do a campain myself its definatly not a setting we normally run in and could be a good change

[Zer0 Kay]

Okay, my suggestion would be to only get info on the most popular rides that have been there since the park open. Remember, there will still be another 88 years of changes to the park before the coming of the rifts. And on top of that, at least 300 years of erosion, nature taking over, etc. I highly recommend watching Life After People for ideas on what is left after people stop taking care of buildings. Now, imagine most of the park has sunk into the ground. Florida is on limestone which can cause ground collapsing. Combine that with the natural diseasters brought on by the rifts and most of the park would be destroyed. What's left would be underground. Make those caves. Good for limiting players who always rely on robots and PA. Fill the area with ratlings in the tunnels or dinosaurs. If you really want to be saddistic, have a "main badguy" in there. Let it be the brain of Walt Disney preserved in a glass container which is hooked up to some computers. The rifts revived him but he's insane. Let his hook up of the computers allow him control of what's left of the park. Maybe by then the park would have real robots for the rides and laser holograms. Maybe the robots build him a working robot body out of a ride. For those of you that have read Deadlands: Hell on Earth, yes, it would be copying a dime novel adventure but it would fit. Most of all, have fun.

Thank you AdmTolval.... Yes, as I went through the list of rides, I have written beside them as to whether they were broken and unworkable or not...all depending on what I feel I can do with each particular ride. I thought Disney Land was in California? I live in Australia, have never been to America, but I thought there was one in Florida (Disney World) and one in California (Disney Land)...if I have mixed them up or am mistaken about California altogether, please correct me...If there is one in California, thats the one I have in mind. I absolutely love the idea of caves, tunnels, etc...I can see ways to use that and the Walt Disney brain...AWESOME!!! LOVE IT!!! Maybe the old man can be a hologram of Walt Disney?...and as you suggested, 'gone insane'...the ride body is an interesting concept also, I can see possibilities there. What is a Ratling? We don't have PA's or robots at this moment...did have a PA, he got sick of not being able to enter places, so rolled another PC...we have 1 x Juicer, 1 x Were-being, 1 x Head Hunter, 1 x Mystic, 2 x Ley Line Walkers, 1 x Techno Wizard, 1 x Mystic, 1 x Mind Melter.

Remember that the West coast was bombarded by tidal waves so... Most original structures on the West Coast and any other costal regions for that matter have been washed away UNLESS they were megadamage structures. Now after the advent of the MD age and the coming of the rifts the Disney/Marvel/(what ever other companies you think Disney would absorb) consortium may have built the biggest... whatever because the MD structure now enabled them to do so. Maybe... just Maybe the entire park was enclosed by an MD wall with an MD glass geodesic dome so everything survived... but when they get there the inside is in a perpetual winter because that is what the climate/weather control machine was left on.

Hmmmm....Thats a thought....thank you Zer0 Kay.....It would make sense with the 'Terlins'... but how about the Disney Land fading in and out concept? What do you think?

I think it is putting a little too much into "The Magic Kingdom". Either go with Disney was a warlock (hmm does that mean all the animatronics are some sort of atomata or ensorcelled people) who has always been running it. Or it has always been a place of technological wonder as it is now. They've found peaceful uses for Chromium (the super metal that composes the Glitter Boys) and it is used in the park, stuff like that.

[Shark_Force]

They've found peaceful uses for Chromium (the super metal that composes the Glitter Boys) and it is used in the park, stuff like that.

nitpick: chromium is an element that we have access to today. it is not a super metal by any means, apart from being really shiny and resistant to corrosion (it is used to make stainless steel, and it's used to make stuff shiny, and is usually called chrome in that context). if you've ever seen a motorcycle where the metal is extremely bright, shiny, and polished, odds are good it's chrome (ie chromium)

[Khanibal]

You gotta take the tome away, you don't want the pc's getting their hands on any Spells of Legend at low levels. Just leave them a clue. Eventually (in another game) they can find the thief, only to discover he's sold the Tome to a dragon or something, but the pc's can get quite a lot of level appropriate loot off the thief.

[Zer0 Kay]

You gotta take the tome away, you don't want the pc's getting their hands on any Spells of Legend at low levels. Just leave them a clue. Eventually (in another game) they can find the thief, only to discover he's sold the Tome to a dragon or something, but the pc's can get quite a lot of level appropriate loot off the thief.

Why? What is more fun than seeing a low level PC unable to use a spell of legend because they don't have enough PPE?

[Zer0 Kay]

They've found peaceful uses for Chromium (the super metal that composes the Glitter Boys) and it is used in the park, stuff like that.

nitpick: chromium is an element that we have access to today. it is not a super metal by any means, apart from being really shiny and resistant to corrosion (it is used to make stainless steel, and it's used to make stuff shiny, and is usually called chrome in that context). if you've ever seen a motorcycle where the metal is extremely bright, shiny, and polished, odds are good it's chrome (ie chromium)

Well in Rifts Chromium is the metal that the GB is made out of, now hush you fun basher.

[Khanibal]

Book of Magic rules that it takes 2 days per spell level to learn a spell. Spells of Legend are treated as 15th level for most purposes. BUT, having a spell of legend can be very dangerous. If it becomes known that such low-level characters have one, powerful beings who covet this magic will cheerfully torture them until they share it, and then kill them to keep it's availibility down.

[Zer0 Kay]

You gotta take the tome away, you don't want the pc's getting their hands on any Spells of Legend at low levels. Just leave them a clue. Eventually (in another game) they can find the thief, only to discover he's sold the Tome to a dragon or something, but the pc's can get quite a lot of level appropriate loot off the thief.

Why? What is more fun than seeing a low level PC unable to use a spell of legend because they don't have enough PPE?

Actually, I have been considering that problem with the Tome and have come up with a possible solution...it's an idea I have from an X-Box game (that games solution)...Tell me what you think...The Tome only comes with a small number of good spells, each as tempting as the other, but due to the magical qualities of the book, it only allows the mages to choose 1 spell each, then the book deactivates in their presence, they can no longer use it....Thoughts on that idea?

Oh, and the Tome is type specific, as it would be the Tome of Arch Angel Micheal, the spells available would reflect this fact.

Funny especially if they don't realize that it deactivates and keep it with them and then at a later date try to cast/learn something else from it just to find out they can't pull it "You try to draw the knowledge from the text and it starts to pull from the page again just like it did the first time you tried it but then the words blur and evaporate, appearing back on the page." Maybe make them roll percentile the first time so they think it is percentage based and then they do it the second time and it doesn't work... maybe they'll try again and again and again. Don't tell them it isn't based on percentile until your bored at their frustration. Gotta do little things to keep it entertaining for you too .

[Zer0 Kay]

...but I love the fade... ....I will need to think long and hard on this one....I do see what you mean.... ...but I love the fade.... ....

you know what? then do the fade. [secret] remember your the GM!![/secret] YOU get to choose no matter what anyone else thinks.

[Zer0 Kay]

Book of Magic rules that it takes 2 days per spell level to learn a spell. Spells of Legend are treated as 15th level for most purposes. BUT, having a spell of legend can be very dangerous. If it becomes known that such low-level characters have one, powerful beings who covet this magic will cheerfully torture them until they share it, and then kill them to keep it's availibility down.

Oh...okay...thank you Khanibal....I have read very little on magic as yet...thank you for the heads up.

It takes 2 days... unless it is a function of the magical book that it is learned in less time. One may torture but you can't get what was never learned. Basically make it an ability that requires PPE rather than the actual spell and they can't teach it to someone else or write it down... when they try it comes out in jibberish... I think the 4th dialect of jibberish.

[kevarin]

wondering if you ever got to gm this adventure was looking like it was going to be a blast ?

[random_username]

If you haven't played the campaign yet and still need ideas trying watching the last 20 minutes of Zombieland for inspiration http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/.

Similar for near the end of Beetle Juice http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094721/ carnival-like morphing.