We Want Your Mission Ideas

[Hiver]

I would just like to point out that im seeing a lot of contributors here applying the "gray morality theme" in a very wrong way - by simply forcing bad consequences on good decisions.

Doing the "right" thing is rarely profitable. If good moral choices allowed easy profit, there wouldn't be any evil doer.

I did not argue for "good decision bringing in good rewards or easy profit" at all. Not a single word about it.
I believe i was clear enough and i dont want to turn it into arguing so no further replies from me on the subject.
Still, thanx for the opportunity to set things straight.

[Jabberwok]

I would like to see an artist's community of some kind. A place that embraces the hope of a renaissance in the dark times. Of course the growth of arts can happen anywhere, but I mean a specific semi-bohemian happy place for creative types to commune and encourage/criticize each other.

Not a bad idea, but a semi-bohemian happy place seems likely to be at the mercy of some significantly less bohemian types. It would have to have a more militant side (or be under the protection of one) to avoid being burnt to the ground by ex-convicts, looters, robot scorpions, etc

Or perhaps the artists themselves are the unsavory ones? Asylum escapees? Fascist warlords convinced of their own cultural superiority?

[Jabberwok]

There is a lot of talk of moral dilemmas, but personally I would prefer that not every mission be centered around overt morality decisions. Overdoing that will make the game feel designed instead of realistic, because that is frequently not how reality works. Sometimes, things just happen, and have no moral context, whether black and white or gray. Especially in a turbulent, chaotic environment like Wasteland's, sometimes decisions will just be taken away from people, or will simply not exist to begin with.

Choices are definitely a good thing, but my point is that I would rather the game feel like a dynamic and living thing, instead of feeling like an apparatus which exists only to test and entertain me. I don't want to feel like I have complete control over it. The vision document already mentions not wanting to use simple A/B moral choices, so this will probably not be an issue.

[Jabberwok]

I would just like to point out that im seeing a lot of contributors here applying the "gray morality theme" in a very wrong way - by simply forcing bad consequences on good decisions.

Doing the "right" thing is rarely profitable. If good moral choices allowed easy profit, there wouldn't be any evil doer.

What Hiver meant is that 'gray' often means that there are no decisions which are morally superior or inferior to the others. In other words, none which would net you Light/Dark Side points. Choosing to do the "right" thing is still the right thing even if the unintended consequences are bad.

[vadrick]

My contribution. The whole thing can probably be spun from the USAF perspective, using Edwards instead of Long Beach.

Six months after the war, a surviving US boomer (nuclear missile sub) pulls in to what is left of Long Beach. They have half of their SLBMs left on board, plus an assortment of conventional weapons. Using what they could scrounge from the port, they can keep the sub running for a long time. They craft a new flag, run it up a pole, attract other remnants of the US armed forces in the nearabouts, and declare themselves a new city-state, complete with a nuclear arsenal. (I'll call them the Submariners, since Boomers was already taken--thanks Chris.)

They are led by "The Skipper," who along with his "War Council," has become a bit unhinged. They've altered their uniforms, coloring them with large red stripes and pinning to them all manner of flare from shoulders to feet . Founds items, such as smiley face buttons and 3.5" floppy disks, are traded from uniform to uniform as a sort of eclectic currency. The Skipper wears a huge hat reminiscent of the age of sail, except this one has noses and ears of his victims stitched into it. Everyone is heavily armed, though the War Council is distinguished by their swords that are crusted in dried blood, a reminder of their preferred method of execution for disciplinary problems or troublesome outsiders.

Flush with (nuclear) power, they start terrorizing various communities that are emerging from the ashes. From some, they take tribune. Others they make vassals. A few they just wipe out completely, usually carting off the women to keep as slaves and some of the men for sport torture and killing. Their small numbers make any serious expansion difficult, though their weapons and technology advantage give them a long reach.

Eventually, other groups shift from just trying to survive to restoring order and civilization, such as the Rangers. Each pose a new threat to the security and prerogatives of the Submariners, who send teams to reconnoiter and possibly make contact. The following is the story of contact with the Rangers, which have four general paths from which they can choose. They are:

PATH 1: The Rangers strike a deal with the Submariners.
Consequences: It would effectively abandon large portions of the West Coast to their terror, where the Rangers become the bad guys to the East. As a reward, they can call in a conventional missile strike from the sub. (if it isn't delivered within 30 minutes, the next one is free!)

PATH 2: The Rangers organize some local groups to attack the Submariners and put an end to their reign of terror.
Consequences: If it succeeds, you are heroes. If it fails, the Submariners nuke everyone, including the Ranger Compound. The Ranger Team may survive and escape, but they are mostly on their own, only making the occasion radio contact with other Rangers in exile (perhaps affording them the chance to still get promotions).

PATH 3: The Rangers conduct a surgical strike to take control of the submarine and kill the Skipper.
Consequences: You could succeed, fail (death of the team), or drive the sub to abandon the port. If you drive them from port, you'll have to find some way to cut a deal before they start nuking people. The deal won't give you an air strike bonus, but you won't be as vilified by the locals either. Success results in the scuttling of the sub, the end of the reign of terror, and surviving military folks becoming "normal" since the Skipper is dead; the port will become a new community called The Beach, which promises to support the Rangers.

PATH 4: Ignore them. There will be an escalating set of encounters with their emissaries. Eventually it will lead to an ultimatum--deal or no deal. Even after all this the Rangers choose to ignore them, the Submariners will launch conventional cruise missiles to eliminate the pesky Ranger compound.

No path is permanent until a deal a deal is cut (either PATH 1 or 2), a full-scale assault begins, or you scuttle the sub.

The Submariners are all fanatical fighters as long as the Skipper is alive. They will turn on the War Council the second he is dead. The Skipper will be found in the launch control part of the Sub, basked in the red glow and muttering in Colonel Kurtz -like prose. His hat barley fits on his head against the low ceiling and he caresses a shotgun as if it was his new bride. He will be surrounded four guards, who are naked but painted white. Their only weapons are the keys to the missile launcher. They're tongues have been cut out, but they still hiss softly what must be strange prayers to an unknown god. The Skipper will try to cut a final deal with the Rangers, which will include PATH 1, as well as offering one of his elite fighters to join the team and safe refuge at the port whenever needed. Otherwise, he has to die.

[TiLT]

There is a lot of talk of moral dilemmas, but personally I would prefer that not every mission be centered around overt morality decisions. Overdoing that will make the game feel designed instead of realistic, because that is frequently not how reality works. Sometimes, things just happen, and have no moral context, whether black and white or gray. Especially in a turbulent, chaotic environment like Wasteland's, sometimes decisions will just be taken away from people, or will simply not exist to begin with.

Choices are definitely a good thing, but my point is that I would rather the game feel like a dynamic and living thing, instead of feeling like an apparatus which exists only to test and entertain me. I don't want to feel like I have complete control over it. The vision document already mentions not wanting to use simple A/B moral choices, so this will probably not be an issue.

You're entitled to your opinion, but the very first post in this thread says:

We are looking for mission ideas with deep moral dilemmas that challenge the player to make hard decisions. These choices should have short and long term effects that affect the player’s campaign in ways that they could not imagine. No design should be completely black or white but instead reflect the gray area of morality that your ranger party experiences.

Because of that very specific request and because straightforward quests/missions are also pretty straightforward to make, it's easy to assume that what the team wants is exactly what they're asking for. Coming up with good morality quests is hard.

As for myself, I'll keep brainstorming and trying to come up with gray morality quests we have rarely if ever seen in computer RPGs before. It's far too easy to stumble into Fallout clichés when you write this stuff.

Edit: To clarify that last sentence, I'm not saying Fallout is cliché, but that merely repeating what we've seen in those games already is.

[Wild_Bill_711]

by Son of Max » June 14th, 2012, 3:25 am
locations from the original Wasteland: The Mineshaft.
Let's say that, a few years after the events of the original, John and Dan Citrine started a mining company based out of Quartz. They sank every penny they had into it, but the mine was barely breaking even. To keep the company going, especially when a promising seam appeared to be finally in reach, they took on a partner from Needles or Vegas, someone with lots of cash, but short on scruples or patience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had been thinking along this same line... BUT, JOHN and Dan Citrine ? (Not Ugly John, the 'outlaws' leader !)
After 'rescuing' Dan and 'releasing' his father (for 'reward'), Dan 'helped us' for a while and was eventually "Dismissed". He went on to reunite with his father; together, they had acquired 'The Mineshaft', or at least the 'mineral-rights',... had been 'scratching-out' a meager existence, but expanding the mine, had discovered a more 'promising' vein of silver & had hired a small crew of miners to assist them.
The 'miners' are evenly divided... all want more 'protection' from the critters that wander in seeking shelter & the humans sneaking in to 'steal' their silver, BUT half want 'higher pay' & other 'benefits'; the other half would prefer a 'cut' / 'profit-sharing' arrangement (maybe 10-20%) of the future profits instead, because they think they're on the verge of striking the 'mother-load' ! 'Miners' (replacing the Human remains, with gear scattered about) would offer 'cash & junk loot' as a reward (Perception, Charisma, Confidence) for 'killing critters to help them'... killing Dan, his Father, or any 'Miners' should NOT be a 'profitable' venture... (Dan & dad might have Bullet-proof shirts and a rifle or carbine) maybe worth 10 'experience points' each AND occasionally their armor (Leather Jacket), weapon (knife, club, or pistol), and/or a couple 'clips' of ammo and small amounts of cash (under $10) !

Mayor Pedros resumed the role of 'governing' Quartz, but efforts to re-vitalize the community are unsuccessful because of the arrival of a new 'crime boss'. This 'low-profile Boss' has assumed control by 'extortion/intimidation/bribery' of the local Police Chief, Justice of the Peace, Town Council members, and other officials. The Boss's 'wealth' was 'accumulated' from an illegal 'gambling hall', 'loan-sharking' activities, and selling 'protection' from trouble to the local businesses. He'd also be 'interested' in the 'Mine' if it becomes a profitable operation.
Scott & Ellen continue 'working' in the local bar... Felicia (the Mayor's wife & 'chief assistant') recognizes 'Rangers' from her past experience with them. She'll observe Rangers and follow them from a distance... appearing to 'contact them' in various locations/businesses where the 'events' are unlikely to be 'observed' and 'reported' to the criminal element.

A vehicle (Jeep) which COULD offer 'transport' to the next two or three 'settlements', in sequence... 'breaking-down' at each and requiring 'simple repairs' before continuing-on (a Jeep Driver/Mechanic basic 'skill' being necessary - a 3 point skill requiring an IQ of 18-19) to 'fix' minor problems, i.e. "over-heating", "out-of-gas", "dead-battery" & "flat-tire"... requiring Rangers to 'find necessary parts' or 'find a store' to 'buy' the items - could use water (from a Canteen) to 'top-off' radiator, 'can', 10 gallons of gas $50, Jeep battery $100, Spare tire $150. Ultimately a 'blown-engine' and a 'qualified shop-mechanic' to 'replace the Engine'... At its 'final destination', 'hits a land mine' OR 'catches on fire & explodes', leaving behind a 'pile of wreckage, nothing salvageable' and 'slightly injured' Rangers... the 'explosion' attracting the attention of local 'adversaries'. Would like the 'skill boosts' to be practically certain if the Jeep 'stops inside' the 'location', otherwise... stop 'outside', still in the desert', to allow for 'additional tries' when the skill-boost DOESN'T occur !

Just some thoughts for consideration...

[TiLT]

As the player characters approach a small settlement they haven't seen before, they realize to their horror that they're wandering into the middle of a massacre. Everyone is dead. Every man, woman and child has been cut down. Examining the bodies (with someone skilled in weapons and/or firearms) reveals that most of the villagers were shot at point-blank range, most likely execution style. Some were shot in the back while running. A scant few have wounds implying that they died while fighting for their lives. At least most of them died quickly.

Suspicions of raiders disappear when there are no signs of valuables having been stripped from the dead. Upon further exploration the player characters find a small squad of Desert Rangers huddled up in a small shack, each one of them with a haunted look in their eyes and the leader herself sitting on a chair with her head buried in her hands, weeping openly. A male ranger is lying dead on the floor, with gunshot wounds to his head and to his crotch. The player characters recognize this squad. They had been sent out on a mission not long ago to build up relations with a newly discovered settlement, which turns out to be the one they're currently in.

Approaching the Desert Rangers is dangerous. They clearly have itchy trigger fingers, but they look frightened and broken as well. If the situation can be calmed down enough to engage in civil conversation, they reveal what has happened.

Things had been going well. The Desert Ranger squad had been building trust over a few weeks. Things suddenly turned ugly however when one of the rangers had forced himself upon a young woman and got caught. Panicking, the ranger had killed the man who caught him, but this attracted the attention of the entire settlement. The Desert Rangers as a whole were blamed for what had happened, and weapons were soon brandished. Bad decisions were made, and soon several villagers were lying dead on the ground, with the rest being summarily executed in a desperate and panicked attempt at getting rid of witnesses and further threats. By the time the rangers' bloodlust abated it was far, far too late. When the ranger who had raped the woman argued that they all had it coming, the others shot him, first in the crotch, and then in the head. They were hoping to slink away in the night, blaming the whole thing on raiders, but with the player characters here they are out of options.

They have no intention of fighting. They beg the player characters not to tell HQ what has happened. It was all a mistake! It was all that guy's fault (pointing to the dead ranger on the floor)! It won't ever happen again! The promises come fast, but are they convincing?

The players have several obvious choices. They could "forget" they ever saw anything, leaving HQ none the wiser but giving them a valuable group of allies that may show up again at a vital moment in the future. They could report their fellow rangers to HQ, which results in the squad attempting to flee (nonviolently), never to be seen again. This gives the player characters a more solid reputation with HQ. They could take matters into their own hands and provide a sense of justice by killing the rangers, who have some decent equipment that could be looted.

And what about that poor kid who managed to get away unseen during the massacre and is at this very moment heading directly towards a larger town in the distance, ready to spread his tale of atrocities committed by Desert Rangers?

Looting the settlement is also an option, but the place is very quickly going to attract the attention of beasts smelling blood. Tarry too long and it could result in yet another massacre at the hands of mutants.

[Gilgameš]

Another one! It is conventional in most aspects, but grayer than my previous writings.

The Dig
There are things, people, crawling in the wasteland, digging. The pith helmets the diggers wear to ward against the sun bring in memories of times past, exploring exotic nations and faraway lands. But this is not an ancient culture they are investigating, it is the still aching wound that has crippled the world. Whatever the cost, the same must not happen again, and some secrets may well be better left unburied. (/sales pitch )

There is a group of (crazed?) archeologists digging up an old missile silo in the desert. They are genuinely interested in history, and want to display the weapons that brought doom upon all so people would remember their past mistakes and never repeat them. Unfortunately, there are also people who still realize the might that slumbers within an intact nuclear weapon -- immeasurable power in an age without missile protection systems or decent guards to defend against a land-based nuclear attack. Power to hold an entire cities hostage. And those people know that there are men digging at the dunes.

The great question here is if the possible nuclear device is to be uncovered at all, and if so, how can it's safety be guaranteed? (if it is not safe, there is substantial chance that someone will try to use it) Then again, if it is made defunct in an efficient manner, it can forever stand as a monument to the past sins of mankind, so that they would never be forgotten. On the other hand, such weapon in the trusted hands of the ranger organization could benefit on the long run
-- if it's finders are willing to give it up, that is.

Someone needs to tell the rangers about the situation. The most logical choice is, that either the archeologists seek protection from the rangers (providing their coordinates), or someone who really wants to get their hands on the goods trusts the party enough to ask their aid in the acquiring (the worst "bad guy" version?).

In any case, the rangers would probably get conflicting orders. Someone in the ranger hierarchy is wise enough to want the relics buried forever -- either on-scene detonation or blowing enough rock on them to last the lifetime of the human race. Someone else thinks that a great tool of power from the past would benefit the rangers in the future, and demands they take it by any means necessary and defend it until a convoy is dispatched to pick it up, either negotiating with the scientists or taking it by force, then defending it from possible hostile takeover. Then there is the archeologists' way, displaying either the weapons themselves, or finding a way to deactivate them and then make them a monument.

In any case, the party is bound to make enemies, and might even make decisions that keep them awake at night (haunted by slaughtered archeologists trying to stop you taking their greatest find?). In the end, whatever their decision, they have altered the fate of the wasteland in some manner, although it is possible the changes won't be visible in their lifetime. Only their self-consciousness will truly tell if they did the right thing.

[YoungFreud]

The Rangers, while traveling, get lost and find themselves below what used to be the Mexican-American border. They run across some small Mexican communities that have continued to survive the war but are hesitant to deal with "Norte Americanos", whom they hold long grudges, blaming them for the war and viewing many of them as raiders prey on them.

While the Rangers are getting their bearings sorted out, they run into "federales", the Mexican equivalent of the Desert Ranger. They find that Mexico City was largely spared from the nuclear bombardment, but a civil war broke out in the aftermath that's only just resolved within the last couple of decades (To flesh out MY idea, a popular Mexican communist movement fought the previously-American-backed government and eventually won, since the survival of this pocket of civilization would require a collective effort. Since this your game, the politics of the two sides can be whatever). Mexico City is desperate to get the country back under control, sending out expeditionary groups to re-establish communications and trade. However, the expeditionary party the Rangers have run into has largely been left to their own devices and begun running the area they're supposed to be helping as a personal fiefdom (for a cinematic example, think Mapache in The Wild Bunch). A few dissenting soldiers have deserted and gone into hiding and are willing to take control of the situation, although some have less than altruistic motives.

In addition, the remnants of the opposing faction of the civil war have been hiding out in the area and raising an army to fight off the "federales" expedition and claim the area for their own.

The end result is that the Rangers can kill the "federales" themselves and lose an important connection with civilization, back a "white knight" within their ranks and hope for the best, aid the opposition forces in winning their first battle in what maybe a long and bloody civil war to retake their country, or find a fourth option by getting the people to rise against the "federales" (perhaps with a deserter "white knight" helping out).

[Feirefiz]

Here are several ideas. I tried to keep them short and simple. Sometimes it worked, sometimes I failed miserably . English is not my first language, so please excuse the poor spelling/grammar.

A Wasteland Night's dream:

You stumble upon a strange camp in the woods. The inhabitants call themselves the Seelie Court and try to speak, dress and behave like the Elves we know from Fantasy Books or Shakespeare's famous play. They have even undergone cosmetic surgery to look more like the mythic creatures they try to embody. It's an odd bunch, fascinating and slightly pathetic at the same time.

Turns out they are a group of wanna-be Eco-terrorists and through conversation and/or sneaking around you find out, that their fanatic leaders - a couple called Oberon and Titania (of course) - have gotten their hand on a pretty big bomb and plan a devastating assault. Maybe something like destroying the biggest power plant in the region (to bring humanity back to nature) or blowing up the biggest meat processor near by.

You can try to talk them out of it, simply kill the bunch, rat them out to the target place for a nice reward, assist them if it suits your goals ... heck, you can even try to convince them to attack another target, something that would help you in some way. Maybe killing the power supply will open up a way to enter a place that was previously inaccessible. Lots of options there.

Freak-Show Murder:

Just because I'd simple love to have a circus/freak-show setting.

You enter a town in uproar. You find out that a child has been brutally killed in the streets. The rip-cage is torn open, there are claw marks all over the body and fur in the wounds. The residents believe this must have been done by some huge beast and the mayor is quick to point fingers at the nearby traveling freak show, that just arrived a few days earlier.

An angry mob is forming and to deescalate the situation you offer your help to solve the case - maybe even threaten them with violence, if they don't listen to reason. Next you collect evidence (take a closer look at the body, the wounds, search the pockets, take a fur sample etc.), talk to residents, travel to the freak show and do the same. Just some basic police stuff, really.

In the end you identify the true killer. It was the son of the mayor, who did some unimaginable things to this innocent little child. The claw marks and the rest was just a cover-up by the son and his father (although you can't prove his involvement) to avert suspicion and put the blame elsewhere.

Of course, it's your choice what to do with that knowledge. Arrest him? It's a corrupt world and Daddy is rich and powerful enough to probably get him out of jail rather quickly. Kill the bastard right away? Daddy will not be happy with that and it might cost you dearly later. Kill them both or spread rumors and let the mob do the work? Keep it a secret to call in some big favors later? The help of such an influential man could be crucial at some point. Blackmail the mayor and be rolling in money? But do you really want the blood of the innocent freak-show folks on your hand?

Negotiator

Here's a rather simple scenario: A man robs a bank, but is unable to flee. In desperation he storms into a school and takes the children and the teacher hostage. Due to your rank, training and experience, your squad is asked to take over command in the efforts to free the hostages.

You learn that he's basically a decent man, but a combination of circumstances has led him to this desperate move. You can try to talk him out of it. You can try spiked food/drink if you have the right pills handy. If you have a sharp-shooter on your squad, he might climb a building and try to get a clean shot or you could simply storm the place and hope for the best.

Science and other drugs

You meet a sleazy salesman. Weapons, Ammo, Drugs, Information ... whatever you need he either has it in stock or can get his hands on it.

He offers you a deal: a permanent 20% discount on all his wares and some valuable information for free, if you get rid off one of his rivals in the drug-business for him. Competition is bad for business, you see? And he's just another criminal, so who cares? He gives you the coordinates and you'll find a shabby looking farm. But the outside is misleading, cause the inside is all high-tech, albeit a little chaotic. The owner is a scientist who basically does the drug stuff to finance his other project: he's trying to develop an artificial fertilizer strong enough to wrest some harvest from even the most barren land. It could put food on the table of thousands, maybe millions of people. Although it seems he's years, maybe even decades away from a breakthrough.

He's obviously not keen on dying so he makes you a counteroffer: some free stuff whenever you visit and 30% on all his wares. He also has a job for you and the pay is very good. He noticed that animals around a certain cave seem to be much bigger than their counterparts elsewhere. He figures it could help him in his fertilizer research, if he knew what caused their abnormal growth.

Unfortunately they are also much more aggressive than normal beasts, so he never came close enough to find out about their secret. He wants you to enter the cave and look for the cause of the growth/mutation. If you accept the job, you'll find a pond in the cave, with a luminescent algae carpet floating on it. You take a sample and bring it back.

The Professor is delighted, pays you the reward and starts with his research. If you visit him later, he hasn't found a way to put the strange plant to use with his fertilizer, but has managed to produce a very potent drug. Taking the pill will increase the aggression level, so the party member will have more action points and be able to dish out much more damage. At the same time it's highly addictive and there's a chance he will go berserk in battle and you will lose all control over him. So use at your own risk.

[happyinmyhead]

Basic idea: Treasure Hunt (Advanced Fetch Quest)
Moral Dilemma: what will be done to get it and to whom is it given


Place a few items in the world that carry great significance (in some way shape or form).

The last Bible in the world
The constitution/ any famous document
schematics for an extremely efficient water purifier
a personal memento of some dead adventurer
an escaped slave
a kidnapped child
the holy grail
etc.

The basic idea is that there is something out there that at least two parties want. One party wants it for some reason and is willing to give you X. The other party wants it for another reason and is willing to give you Y. The typical idea being that the ones who want it for the rite reason will give you less and the ones who want it for the wrong reason will give you more. Or something along those lines.

Getting the whatever can also pose a moral question. There it is rite there, ripe for the taking, but if you grab it it will swith an alarm thus trapping some poor innocent inside what would then be his tomb. Things of that nature... Something that makes the player consider just leaving it behind or making it impossible for anyone to have it.

[sparkee666]

I have been waiting and lurking for a real opportunity to start sharing ideas, and now the time has finally come I hope more threads like this will start to appear.

Though not completely familiar with the number of well know industry veterans working on the Wasteland project, I have heard on numerous occasions that the folks at InExile are the best people to have on a cRPG. Instead of providing the intricate details of a mission I think it would be more productive to just give my idea with a brief synopsis.

I have two ideas that I personally feel would make interesting missions:

1. Sir William Winston III`s Wild Wilderness Adventure

Like every other place in the world the thrill of the hunt attracts many adventure seekers, to add on to that the bigger the critter the better. After the occurrence of an unforeseen hunting accident several of Sir Winston’s associates were killed and a plethora of dangerous wasteland creatures escaped his game reserve. As a ranger you have to restore order and maintain public or animal safety. The ultimate goal however is to retrieve these animals for Sir Winston or to set them all free through any means necessary. (Live capture options would be cool)
Once the wild creatures are returned to the game reserve or killed, you find out that a group of elite hunters will be joining Sir Winston to pursue “the most dangerous animals on earth, people” in this part your party of four characters is broken up and given a simple hand gun or melee weapon before they are tracked by the crew of elite huntsmen in some interesting place. The dangerous animals you dealt with in the first part of the mission can be used as an extra challenge. As each of your rangers now has to fend for themselves there will be an ample opportunity to test and play with the skills and combat style you selected for each party member.

2. The Robotics World Fair

A giant mechanical platform that is forever moving has become an instrument of terror as it passes through communities trapped within its fixed path. The aged Expo. destroys everything it encounters with deadly robotic solders and morbidly exciting mechanisms painted in the colours you would only see at the ``Robotics World Fair``. The only warning of this monstrosities arrival is the high energy 80’s midi music that the fair constantly plays as it moves through the wasteland. Your mission is to find a way to stop it so people can finally live in safety without having to dread of when it will once again pass through their town.

[Grave]

While I don't have detailed ideas, I'll throw out a generalization that you may get ideas/inspiration from:

- In the Vietnam War, US soldiers sometimes burned down entire villages, because it was thought the village was aiding the Viet Cong (VC). The VC could have been hiding weapons, using the village as a staging ground for future attacks, or any number of other things. Often times, the villagers themselves were forced to comply with the demands of the VC by force. Then the US soldiers get a tip that a particular village is aiding the VC. Often because of the cultural barriers, the US soldiers couldn't always get the villagers to come clean and rat out the VC. Depending on who was calling the shots on the US side, the US soldiers were sometimes ordered to burn down the entire village. I feel something like this could be implimented in Wasteland: what would you do? Would you burn the village down, or would you try and find a peaceful alternative?

[Jabberwok]

You're entitled to your opinion, but the very first post in this thread says:

We are looking for mission ideas with deep moral dilemmas that challenge the player to make hard decisions. These choices should have short and long term effects that affect the player’s campaign in ways that they could not imagine. No design should be completely black or white but instead reflect the gray area of morality that your ranger party experiences.

Because of that very specific request and because straightforward quests/missions are also pretty straightforward to make, it's easy to assume that what the team wants is exactly what they're asking for. Coming up with good morality quests is hard.

The initial posting is actually what I was referring to, as well as other things they have said in the vision document and elsewhere about mission design and morality. It wasn't a comment on the individual story ideas in this thread.

[Hasenklein]

Mission: The characters need to get an engine/other technical device.

To create a moral dilemma, it is necessary that the characters are not the only ones who want or who need the engine: either, a community has one, but doesn't want to give it away because they need it for themselves. Or it is willing to give it away, but promised or sold it already to a third party. Or a party has an engine and is willing to give it away, but needs it to solve a certain problem of their community, and simply doesn't possess the knowledge necessary to recognize that the engine is a key to solve the problem.

So in the first case, the characters may simply take the engine away by applying certain means, but the second party will know or guess who took it, so their actions will have consequences with regards to themselves and/or Ranger Center. In the second case, consequences will be triggered either by the second party, or the third party, or both parties, depending on how the player managed to get the engine. In the third case, the community in question will suffer the consequences, and they may backfire in the long run if their members learn that the characters exploited their lack of knowledge. (It may equally change the way how members of the community will approach ousiders in the future; they could adopt to strategy that the players used, and start exploiting opportunities for their own good.)

Especially the last case provides an opportunity for the player to realize that in the absence of any state authority NPCs have no other source to judge the players than by their actions, that mutual trust is hardest currency in the wastelands, and that it's pretty hard to regain trust again. The characters may possess the power to control the effects of an action, but the application of such means will very likely lead to further dilemmas and future consequences that cannot be controlled by means of power.

(Quoted from my reply to this post: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2392)

Footnote:
An item "wanted by two parties" isn't enough to create a moral dilemma. A bunch of desert scum that ambush the party in order to get their items (wanting condition is met on both sides) won't create a moral dilemma. Rather, it is the "needing" condition (which can be qualified by "needed for a non-selfish purpose") that creates the dilemma, while the "wanting" condition doesn't have to be met (as shown above).

A moral "worst case scenario" would confront the players with a situation in which they face a second party who needs an item, the players have the item, the players are willing to give the item to the second party, but the second party refuses to simply take it (e. g. because they don't trust the characters, or some kind of code demands it), but rather persists on fighting the characters in order to get the item.

[Hyaon]

Mission Title Vermin.
Mission Objective - To scout area grids [about 4 blocks wide and quite far off from main base, unexplored terrority] on the map and clear it of any foes that may be spotted here. Very unlikely to stumble on this location without being assigned mission. Scout team [of 2] had spotted a ruined mansion which only has a ground floor but it is where an outpost is to be installed.
Scouts intel is they saw a lot of signs of people traffic, [none to be seen] numerous bones with teeth markings on them [unknown] Because there was no sign of any movement in the day, assume hostile wild life in heavy numbers come out at night. You and your team are to set up camp at the ruined house which will be named "Outpost Hiawatha" [native american leader name] You are to engage any hostile wildlife in the area. Take in mind if they are clean meat to kill them cleanly for butchering, do not waste the meat! That means no rocket launchers [insert char/npc name who has heavy weapons skill]! Most predators hunt at night, assume the wildlife will only come out during then, therefore you are to sleep at Outpost Hiawatha until our main engineer party arrives in 3 days.
Secondly you are to peacefully engage the people travelling the area and gain intel on the numbers, if hostile or willing to trade/join The Desert Rangers. You have the authority to barter with our resources but do not promise them the world!
Good luck rangers.
The rangers move out, as they travel and hit some encounters [maybe] the land starts to change.. it becomes greyer, darker. More numerous ruins than usual are dotted about, wreckage.. It's nothing much different from other areas with cities but it just feels.. wrong.
You approach the mansion. it's quite pretty, it's still light. Peaceful music. You investigate the mansion groundfloor, it's not too bad.you could probably build on top of this solid foundations! There are family possessions scattered on the floor, small pieces of bones and dried blood splatter. When was the last time you've NOT see blood in this wasteland you muse to yourself... This is probably a lair for the wildlife here.
You get the choice to build a hunting stage [small wooden tower[ before the night is out. You can decide to build max 2 of these or keep everyone in the mansion and look out the windows with limited sight. In this one, stay in mansion. You go to sleep with member/s on watch and it fades out. It goes black. *Scratch scratch.* You wake up, "what was that?" Your on watch members [or maybe even fell asleep if known to be dozy, making what happens next even worse due to team delay] reply there's something at the door and can't see quite right through the window frames, it is just too dark outside. A party member has to be assigned to do this.
"This sounds like a big rat you know..."
Door opens, a check is done on the strength of the unlucky party member, he will either fight back and push off to activate his weapons properly or be grabbed into a horde of many rotting, undead humanoids. If you are daft enough to use a low str/non combat npc to open that front door, you lose that npc to the hordes outside.The whole bloody place is surrounded by them and they smash down/pour through the windows and front door. The back door is also surrounded by them.
You either kill all of the hordes, we're talking...insane numbers of undead, with many different types, some big ones, small nimble children that want to rip your eyes out... Do a spot check, in which you find a trapdoor under debries and choose to leave through that, guess what it's full of bloody undead too! but less and more managable to kill as it's tunnels based. This leads to a survival bunker that the family who lived in the house must have built and never got in quickly enough.. It has a heavy metal door and you can choose to sleep 2 days, until rescued by large engineer group or leave and fight way out again, but with items found in the small vault that may help in the effort. Sleeping is of course the easy option but you lose out on xp and you get mocked that you needed saving by the rangers at main base... Fighting way out, you gain many perks.

[Shaewaros]

Drug related guests. A community might be relying heavily on growing and selling narcotics to other settlements and the player might be hired to shut down their drug production or maybe to protect or deal their drugs to people. There is a genuine moral dilemma since his actions will ultimately hurt either the drug growing community or the people who get addicted from their products. Maybe there could be a possibility for player to supply an alternative for the drug growing community to get their living in another way, but maybe this solution could upset another faction that is relying on their drugs for their political/financial ends.

[Sub-Human]

Someone with their own sick mentality goes around trying to bring 'justice' to the wastes. They come into small settlements, kill animals and murder the weak (all under their 'reason'). Nobody ever sees them, but they just keeps on coming. People are afraid and also really pissed off. Some believe that it's punishment from above thus making sacrifices. Others are more down to the ground and think it's a bunch of raiders.

Your party of Rangers are sent to investigate. They may be lucky and find the cause of the problem on another killing spree during the night. It's possible that the guys stumble upon a squad of angry robots or even a Guardian outpost, standing no chance. It's possible to actually predict the movement of these pals by drawing a connection between their targets. You could hire temporary NPCs who are willing to kill the jerks (with their own personalities, traits... going off task for too long will make them angry and they might leave to do the job on their own). Perhaps the party could join up if the saw the 'reason' as sensible.

It could actually be anyone. Maybe it's a mutated human-beast. Or a robot. Or a guy who found some high-end equipment and decided that he has all the power he needs. Or maybe yes, it's just another pack of religious cultists who sacrifice children and puppies. I'm pretty sure InXile can think of something here. Good, bad idea?

I guess the moral of the story is... There's a flipside to every coin. Everyone's morality differs.

[richis]

Warning this story will have a surreal bent so not sure if its in the spirit of wasteland, Its called the Idiots and the Mayor.
Story first encounter:

As the Rangers team make there way to the town location they notice a Big Muscular man instantly alert due to the sheer size of him, he then comes towards the party.
He Shouts: "Hav you seeen Bubbles I can ner find hm anywheeere?", he scans along the ground looking for something, the team is bewildered.

Shocked out of there bewildered daze, he shouts, "There you arrrre" as he picks up a crude puppet made of a stick and tin can with a smiley face and lovingly touches it.

Any more communication between the team and the man is for naught as he is completely in his own world(unless you kill him of cause)the team move on feeling sorry for the poor guy.

After they walk a few paces the man shouts out "Myy town is tht Way" as he points a direction his concentration goes back to his puppet.

Vision the town:
The town is a scrapheap, trash is in heaps and some of theses pillars look like there about to collapse nothing is maintained there is a well for water and the town used to have tinned food factory that stored tons of tinned pineapple other sources of food are a crude farm and basically anything that moved liked rats.

There is also a old Stash of WWII weapons mothballed here in case of future invasion these are used by the raiders and played with by a couple of townsfolk.

The People are intensely stupid in extreme cases killing themselves (playing with grenades, playing cowboys and Indians with real guns, jumping off buildings etc.), this low intelligence may vary occasionally some will have little awareness of there situation but most seem to act like apes.

People are in different states of dress from near naked to wearing potato sacks to some capable of wearing real cloths many seem to have tooth problems due to there serious amount of pineapple consumption but starvation is more common now due to drying up of resources, the lack of capability to use a pair of scissors means all are long haired except for a few older men who look a lot like the late and great George Carlin.

Story Continues
As the team enters the town one of the guards startled by the new encounters fires his shotgun at the trash heap causing a small avalanche blocking there exit from the town.

At this event the rangers and the guards go into a fit of childish giggles as you may of guessed, the closer the team gets to town the more stupid they become the interaction with the townsfolk is just like having a intelligence level of one (One idea too increase the fun is if you have a low intelligence player the town has no effect on them making them a genius of the town).

As they walk through town they finally meet the Mayor and his gas masked guards.

The Townsfolk congregate around what seems to be a town square and listen to a speech by the Mayor.
Mayors speech involves telling the townsfolk to work on the farms and scavenge for food, giving the lions share to him as this will help his vision of a promised land, he will come aware of your existence but doesn’t care knowing the situation, finally asks if a couple of the townsfolk females will join him upstairs so that he can improve his vision some more.

The screen goes black.

The main player will awake with a gas mask over there face and a rad suit on with a grey haired man standing over them.

The Grey haired man explains that he is a scientist trying to find a cure for what the townsfolk suffer and that the only one who is immune is the mayor.

Other points
Disaster came from a half exploded bomb from over the hill where radiation seems to have a recessive effect on the mind the effect wares off the further away from the source.

The gas masked men around town are raiders who made a deal with the mayor for women (and men), food and an easy life.

Mission Paths

You walk away from town.
ST-you may loss npcs to the town and if story isn't completed will never get them back.

Save the Town Folk -Get Blood from Mayor -Give blood to Grey haired man he creates a cure -put cure in well -Kill raiders and Mayor(The townsfolk may do this themselves)(removing the bomb maybe an alternative idea to remove the problem).
ST-The peoples culture is destroyed some folk may kill themselves, they will become a burden on the rangers due to long term exposer there awareness levels are limited, access to limited arms.
LT-The Town is supported will become more self sufficient and a great ally or become a ghost town.

Make a deal with the Mayor -Kill the scientist
ST-Access to some supplies and weapons.
LT-The townsfolk stay content at there situation nothing changes, the mayor and raiders continue exploiting the townsfolk.

This story is one of the surreal ones like the large farm in Wasteland I was inspired by the film Idiocracy and maybe some more ideas could come from there, obviously these ideas could be ironed out or used elsewhere.