United Kingdoms and Pricipalities

This is, I suppose, a Test Drive Savage World, since the full Savage Worlds rules have not yet been released. There's not really enough information available to fully detail a world, but this is a decent preliminary sketch, and provides a basis for some play. If you ever care to, drop me an e-mail and tell me what you think.

Two hundred years into our future -- in the year 2213 -- the world experienced a rapid and ever-expanding circle of riots and violence over the drastic disparity in the distribution of wealth. By this time, the entire world had been industrialized to one degree or another, so everyone was dependent on an established infrastructure in order to maintain the quality of life. The riots destroyed large amounts of this infrastructure: airports, bridges, roads, manufacturing, electrical production, refining and many of the other requirements for modern societies. Many governments ordered their militaries to protect this infrastructure, but in the de-militarized future, this was both too big and too unsavory a job for the militaries to actually carry out. The command structure of most organized militaries either collapsed or was undermined by unwilling lower echelons.

Ultimately, the United Nations moved to take worldwide control of the distribution of food, goods, and services, but they were unable, as a body, to influence the entire globe. World population fell by 63% over a period of five years through starvation, disease, violence, and accidents. Anarchy broadened its hold on the world to the point where local or regional warlords arose to take control of localized production sources. Turf wars occurred throughout the world as these warlords contested with their neighbors to control more of the dying world's resources. The more shrewd of these worlords began to gather technical and engineering talent in order to build their armies and establish new infrastructures. Many warlords fashioned themselves kings.

The kings began to formalize their power in time. They controlled those who understood and could produce technology -- and, just as important, food -- and as such they were able to dictate the terms of society to all in their sphere of control. Others tied themselves through oaths of fealty to these kings, and were given land, technology and food to use as they would, provided they served their liege when called. The United Nations still formally exists, although its members are now the kingdoms of those who have risen to predominance. It has been renamed to the United Kingdoms and Pricipalities, and now serves to maintain the political status quo of those who have wrested control for themselves, and there is no overt movement to re-establish democracy or the rule of law anywhere; all those who publicly dissented from the new order were silenced.

The rank-and-file of the world is now no better off than they were before the riots. In fact, much worse. The distribution of wealth is exaggerated beyond the worst of capitalism's transgressions. Most slave away in the cities of old -- breaking down what they find to take to refineries and centers where the new technology can be produced. Others are high-tech peasant farmers who have all the risks and life shortages of peasants down through the ages, as they are working on a routine basis with chemicals and biological agents that, while they make food production possible, are toxic to those who must handle them.

There are some who would wish for a better world. They pursue this dream in a number of different ways. Some have chosen to simply do what good they can in the part of the world that has been given to them. Others strive to become great leaders -- to rise from within in order to turn the new system to the benefit of many, instead of only a few. Still others quietly talk, and talk, and talk with people about what could be if only they would unite. All have risky lives, as the world is a harsh, dangerous place, and there are many out there listening and watching for those who would upset the established order. There are many easy ways to die, and many who would be willing to help a troublemaker find one of those ways.

The world features engineers, computer hackers, mercenaries, cybernetic soldiers, scavengers, spies, nobles, pilots, tinkerers, techno-knights and many other possible characters. Equipment includes cybernetic enhancements, laser and gauss weaponry, powered armor, super-sharp bladed weapons, hovering vehicles, jet aircraft, tanks, and varieties of projectile-delivered chemical agents (PDCA's).

PC's may be working for or against the established order, or they may simply be mercenaries in the middle of a variety of conflicts, hoping to make their money and buy their way to a better life. Drop them in anywhere you like. However, given the nature of the society, virtually everyone has taken an oath of fealty to a feudal lord, or are owned by a lord outright. This isn't specifically noted in the descriptions (forthcoming) of any of the various character types, but it is implicit from the world description, and should be assumed.

The class distinctions noble, high, middle, and low bear no resemblance to the current use of these terms. Nobles and high class are far beyond even the most noteworthy of the middle class. All those in the lower two classes are simply property, resources to be managed, and certainly beneath the notice of the nobility. Every character must select a class. Only the middle class is "free" in terms of its affect on character creation. The other classes use up either a hindrance or an edge (or two edges, in the case of noble). The two lower classes feature a penalty to Charisma, which is an excellent way of combining the various effects of poverty, mistreatment, and disregard into a single effect.

Cyborgs have no class and stand outside the social structure as simple, but effective, once-human tools.

Low Class
Minor Hindrance
-4 to Charisma

Middle Class
-2 to Charisma

High Class
Edge, no requirements
You are permitted a life of luxury

Noble
Edge, requires the High Class edge
You have land, a title, and a vow of service to another noble

Arcane Background: Cyborg
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d8
Grants +2 Toughness. The character has been cybernetically enhanced and can take powers as explained in the cyberware section, below. This edge must be taken before the skill Biotap may be purchased.

Scavenger
Requirements: Novice, Low Class, Scrounging d6, Smarts d6, Notice d6,
+2 to Scrounging and Notice rolls in the burned out and smashed cities of the former world.

Engineer
Requirements: Novice, High Class, Smarts d8
This edge must be taken before the Knowledge (Engineering) skill may be purchased.

Spy
Requirements: Novice, Charisma +2, Persuasion d8, Guts d6, Notice d6
+2 to Notice and Guts.

Netrunner
Requirements: Novice, Middle Class, Smarts d8, Netrunning d6
+2 to Netrunning checks.

Pilot
Requirements: Novice, High Class, Agility d8, Smarts d6
This edge must be taken before the Pilot skill may be purchased.

Grunt
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d6
+1 Vigor to resist fatigue, disease, or the environment.

Techno-Knight
Requirements: Seasoned, High Class, Strength d8, Fighting d8
Gives the character a Knight's Blade and CeramicSteel Armor

Stigma
Minor, Cyborg only
-2 Charisma.

Ahnold
Minor, Cyborg only
No Edges which enhance Charisma may be taken.

Netrunning (Smarts), Biotap (Spirit)

A large variety of equipment is available. Some of it is genre-specific, and is listed here. Many of the items in the Savage Worlds Test Drive rules are also available.

PDCA ammo rolls normal damage for the weapon, a result of shaken or more activates the agent.

Example agents:

• Tranq (Vigor check at -2, failure causes loss of consciousness, success means target Shaken)
• Biotoxin (Vigor check at -4 each round until passed, each failure causes one wound)
• Overstim (has immediate effect as stim pack, but requires three Vigor checks during the character's next three actions at 0, -2, -4; heart attack and death if any check fails)

Other Equipment:

Stimulant Pack (increases Strength and Vigor 1 step and ignores Wound penalties for 1d6 actions, shaken afterwards)

Cyberware uses a biocapacitor and a metabolic recharge system to operate. It requires time to recharge once the power has been tapped (as long as the biological part of the 'borg is still alive). In Savage Worlds, this mechanic is simulated with the Powers and Power Points system. The Arcane Background is called Cyborg, and the skill is Biotap. Cyberware is difficult to manage properly, even for a trained trooper. A Cyborg has 10 Power Points. This cannot be increased. Cyborgs may have three separate systems installed, but no more. Activating powers takes no time, regardless of the number being activated. Powers that are always on reduce the number of Power Points available for other systems by the amount indicated. This is a permanent reduction, and represents a change in the engineering of the biocapacitor design to shunt a certain amount of the generated power to keep the specific system running.

Cybernetic Powers:

Integrated Optics
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 2
Range: Self
Duration: 3 (1/round)
Any weapon which has a cyber-socket may be connected through a jack in the 'borg's wrist to an integrated optical system in the 'borg's brain, thus providing +2 to Shooting rolls with that weapon.

Retractable Blades
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 2
Range: Self
Duration: 3 (1/round)
These blades are normally retracted beneath the skin of the 'borg's forearm. When extended, these razor-sharp claws do Str+3 damage in melee combat.

Enhanced Senses
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 2
Range: Self
Duration: 3 (1/round)
The cyborgs eyes and ears kick into high gear, while its thermal sensors, laser detectors, and infra-red systems activate. +6 to Notice for the duration of the Power.

Databank
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 2
Range: Self
Duration: Always On
The cyborg can accept data via an optical jack at the base of its skull. This data will be maintained unless and until it is erased or the cyborg is killed. The cyborg cannot erase it at will; only via a computer over the optical interface can this be achieved. Downloading, uploading, and deleting data all require a code, which the cyborg may or may not know.

Pulse Laser
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 2
Range: 24/48/96
Duration: 3
When powered up, the pulse laser provides three rounds of laser fire, each shot at Autofire 3 and 2d6 damage. If the cyborg has Integrated Optics, it may automatically take advantage of them with this weapon, so long as that power can be activated as well.

Skillware
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 2
Range: Self
Duration: Always On
Up to 8 levels of any Smarts-based Skill may be taken. These can be changed through reprogramming. If the levels do not exceed the character's pre-programmed level, the character may instead rely on their natural ability (in other words, those levels are wasted). These often come in packages, such as the recon package: Tracking d10, Notice d6, Scavenge d6.

Armor
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 2, 4
Range: Self
Duration: Always On
Two Power Points gives 2 points of armor, 4 Power Points gives 4 points of armor.