Prison Planet Alternative Query

[Hopeless]

Been wondering about picking this up and recently been thinking about Escape from New York (or Los Angeles or whatever the sequel was called but liked the original better) and picturing a world under the effects of an anti-technological field of unknown origin.

The best tech is roughly similar to the Escape from New York but more 70's style so at some point someone's going to realise they could use an old style rocket to escape offworld where the field doesn't reach.

But I'm left wondering if that sounds like a good idea for a campaign or game since I'm picturing convicts or prisoners being dropped off and having to cope in this setting until they can figure out whats going on and whether to even bother trying to escape if they have a better chance on this world than where they came from.

Also thought about a few subplots like for example from the movie someone is shipwrecked there and the Pcs are sent in to recover them with their only means of escaping requiring they find a way back into orbit with their rescued hostage.

Not so keen on dosing them with poison in this case, maybe use the Batman Assault from Arkham idea except the anti-technology field renders it worthless but it would take a while before they realise that...

 

[AndrewW]

Maybe some kind of hot air balloon, or airship that can get them above the field?

 

[Reynard]

I'm desperately trying to remember the name of a movie and the star. It's a future society and deals with a real shady private prison system similar to the Fortress movies but prisoners are dumped on an island heavily monitored and the waters around it are trapped. Prisoners live on what they find. One group is pretty much political prisoners and traffic ticket violators which include the brainy nerds. The other side are the savage psychos ruled by the strongest. Like Gilligan, it's primitive as can be but ingenuity builds from salvaged scrape and local resources. While defending against the crazies, the hero and brainy guys are trying to get off the island an expose what the company is doing to people in secret. Sound familiar anyone?

Now do this on a planet.

 

[AndrewW]

Sound familiar anyone?

No Escape.

 

[Hopeless]

I was picturing it starting that a ship crashlands there and a ship is sent with the PCs locked in capsules ala Batman Assault on Arkham and told they need to find a certain person and return with her if they want to be picked up.

Since the world they're being dropped onto has been described as a "hellhole" the eventual realisation its stuck in the 70's because of an anti-technological effect and the person they're searching for is even more psychotic than the villains they will have to confront if they want to find a way back offworld...

Then there's the fact they're not even the first team sent in and then they discover the real reason they were sent...

Problem I have is that its way too easy to develop this so they'll have no reason to want to leave so maybe I need to let them come up with a reason why they were prisoners in the first place and a reason for why they want that pardon for completing this mission... all without letting them know what they're letting themselves in for...

Sounds too much to you?

 

[Reynard]

I realized there was another inspirational sci fi movie to fit a prison planet scenario and fits in with the Space Station supplement - Fortress 2. It's an orbital prison satellite that, supposedly, is escape proof.

 

[Hopeless]

What about the Guy Pierce movie?

He played an operative who was framed and sent to such a prison but during a visit by the President's daughter there was a break out and he was given the mission of rescuing her.

Wasn't the first Fortress with Christopher Lambert and his character was imprisoned believing his wife had been killed when she had been held captive instead?

 

[Reynard]

That is true Hopeless. I pointed out Fortress 2 because of the orbital station aspect. Fortress also has an interesting plot useable for a Traveller scenario dealing with a severe way a social issue is handled. Brings up the Law Level concept and banned things.