User:Diplodocus/8-Bit Dystopia

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The following article is a /tg/ related story or fanfic. Should you continue, expect to find tl;dr and an occasional amount of

awesome.

Elegan/tg/entleman, I have an idea for a classic gaming roleplay. A homage to the 8-bit and 16-bit era
with a grimdark retelling, much like that excellent 80s pop-culture setting we had a thread on a few nights
ago. For Writefaggotry, see 8-Bit_Dystopia/Writefaggotry

Imagine, if you will, a city stretching into infinity. The endless dark nights, bright skyscrapers dominating the
skyline while chemical factories spew purple sludge into the river. A city dominated by crime syndicates,
ancient clans, and high-tech conglomerates. From the tops of buildings high, the heroes and villians of the city
watching the ant-like masses below them. This is the world of 8-Bit Dystopia, a homebrew setting that started
as a simple idea on /tg/ and snowballed into a massive conglomeration of fluff and writefaggotry.

Contents
▪ 1 Crunch
▪ 1.1 Stats
▪ 1.1.1 Basic Traits
▪ 1.1.2 Derived Traits
▪ 2 Setting
▪ 2.1 The Invasion
▪ 2.2 Reconstruction
▪ 2.3 Light
▪ 2.4 The Corps
▪ 2.4.1 Egg Industries
▪ 2.4.1.1 Egg Destroyer Robots
▪ 2.4.2 Wily Corp
▪ 2.4.3 MetPharm
▪ 2.4.4 Foot
▪ 2.5 Drugs
▪ 2.5.1 E-Tank
▪ 2.5.2 Ring
▪ 2.5.3 One-up
▪ 2.6 The City
▪ 2.6.1 The Pipes
▪ 2.6.2 The Mushroom Kingdom
▪ 3 Other Stuff
▪ 3.1 Kyr'be
▪ 3.2 Lylat System
 ▪ 3.3 Kongs
▪ 3.4 King DDD
▪ 4 Augmented/Robotic Persons
▪ 4.1 Bioroids
▪ 4.2 Mechaniloids
▪ 4.3 Animal Men
▪ 5 Get Shit Done
▪ 6 External links

Crunch
Sadly, there exists very little in the way of actual game mechanics for the setting. Things like skills and flaws
(and what kind of dice this monster uses) need to be figured out eventually. You can help by getting shit done.

Stats

Characters are defined by five basic traits, each one rated from one to ten; each one starts at 1, with a default of
12 points to distribute between them. The human average is about three. They also have several Derived Traits,
Edges, Crutches, and Skills.

Basic Traits

▪ TOUGHNESS - Your character's physical endurance.

▪ BRAWN - How much you can lug around and how hard you hit.
▪ GRACE - Your speed and agility.
▪ WITS - Your character's ability to think on his feet. Not equivalent to intellect - that's more a measure of
how many ranks you have in your Scholastic skill.
▪ MOXIE - Charisma and mental endurance.

Derived Traits

▪ HP: Toughness times 10. The amount of hits you can take before you crumple.
▪ BULK: The average of Brawn and Toughness. How large your character is. Comes in handy when
grappling - less handy when you're trying to shimmy through ductwork.
▪ JUMP: The average of Brawn and Grace, plus any bonuses from Edges. In 8BD, jumping is an essential
skill.
▪ ATTACK: The average of Grace and Wits. Your skill at hitting something with another thing.
▪ HAGGLE: The average of Wits and Moxie. Your skill at coercing people to see things your way. Usually
used to get discounts at the item shops.
▪ SANITY: Moxie times 5, plus 20. The mental equivalent of HP.

Setting
One of the predominant themes of the setting is the fact that what we call a hero is gone. The world we know,
Earth, was destroyed, bringing much of humanity with it. Those that survived fled to the very edges of
humanity's domain. One world, a former mining colony, became the City. Here the black and white morality of
the past is gone, leaving only murky shades of gray behind. In this world the ends always justify the means, and
some of the most horrible atrocities committed are done for the sake of saving that which remains. The heroes
of this world are often no better than the monsters they fight and, in a few cases, even worse.

This is not to say there is no hope. A few brave souls still have the will to stand against the encroaching
darkness. Some are familiar faces; others unexpected, and at times, even shocking. These are the Player
Characters; the last hope for the City, and its last spark of morality.

The Invasion

Ten years ago, in the year 2000, Earth was invaded by aliens. The planet was overrun, but thanks to the efforts
of corporations at the forefront of technological research, most key cultural aspects of human culture were
successfully teleported to a habitable planet called Hyrule. The nature of this teleportation ended up with many
things near each other that logically would not have been had they been built independently.

Reconstruction

The new world is very rich in minerals, though biological wealth was purely fungal, and early construction was
relatively easy. This construction saw the first mass production of bioroids of increasing sophistication. The
culmination of these construction models was the L series.

The L series, or "Lemmings" as they were commonly known, were supposed to be the ultimate development in
construction biodroid. Simple minded and obedient to a fault, these blue clad golems would work tirelessly to
fulfill their assigned duties. Each one was outfitted with a miniaturized fusion generator and a nanolathe, and
could perform any number of simple predetermined actions. When inactive they were passive, resolutely pacing
their holding pens until given instructions. While they had no free will, and were little better than Robotnik's
robots, they were loyal, they were useful, and they were incredibly easy to use. The only problem was that they
needed constant shepherding. The advertising literature boasted that if you were to order one to dig and forgot
to recall it, it might never stop tunneling. The problem was, of course, that this absolutely and one hundred
percent accurate. They were unstoppable. Unless you micromanaged them they could easily move out of range
of the control wards. This wasn't a problem to begin with, as there were always more control rods, and they
conformed to designated tasks. But when the Lemmings were given templates, people got lazy. They told
groups of lemmings to build things, and then left them to their work. Now the Lemmings exist at the edge of the
city, eternally expanding it. When one breaks down, the others repair it, and the newly refurbished Lemming
resumes its work without hesitation. Building. Always building.

Light

Dr. Thomas Light is a hero to men and a father to all robots. The doctor was a member of Wily's first research
team, and together they competed with some of the greatest minds of their day in an effort to create a platform
from which all future robots could be built. Eventually they succeeded with the creation of the Positronic Brain,
a mysterious construction that remains a Wily Corp trade secret to this day.

Over time Light grew disenchanted with the company, and even his former best friend Albert P. Wily. In the
end, he caused the catastrophic explosion that shook Wily Towers and vaporized himself and much of his lab in
what most likely was a failed attempt to create a new reactor system. Oddly, rumors have persisted that Dr.
Light survived and that he is out there somewhere, building an army out of the scraps the Lemmings leave
behind...
The Corps

The ruling powers in the City. These mega corporations bear little resemblance to ours. They rule almost every
aspect of life. Setting high prices, low pay and few jobs. Of the Corps(Or Corpse as some call them) there are
four major powers, each competing with the others and dealing with the constant nuisance of small timers trying
to get in on the money. The Big Four are:

Egg Industries

Owned by doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Recently the good doctor has come under fire from environmental
groups for alleged breaches of environmental safeguards and unsafe working conditions, but investigations by
the state have turned up no evidence of any wrong-doing. So Doctor Ivo continues to steadily dominate, even
deploying automatic armies to 'safeguard his assets' in less developed nations, which sometimes results in
ruthless purges of surrounding areas. Recently, the doctor has met stiff resistance from a group of activists led
by the mysterious 'Big Blue', of which nothing is known.

Robodyne's patented biodroid series, known as "Badniks", are the company's most successful product line to
date. Badniks come in a dizzying variety of shapes and sizes. All are geared towards the labor industry, though
they often share a disturbing resemblance to living creatures. It also noted that Badniks have organic hardware
built into them. Where these organic components come from is a total mystery.

Also of note are Egg Industries' so-called "Foe Replicas". No one is entirely sure where the designs for these
sophisticated androids come from. Some say they're modeled after enemies from Robotnik's past days spent
exploring the frontier, or even more oddly from ROBODYNE's recent rivals. Of course the true nature of these
machines is a trade secret. More often than not, these units are built with a unique self-destruct mechanism that
destroys all critical portions of the unit, preventing further inspection and the potential theft of patented
technology.

Egg Destroyer Robots

Space unintentionally left blank. You can help by writing it!

Wily Corp

What started as a small-time engineering firm pre-crash quickly became one of the single most powerful
companies to ever exist. Wily Corp is a complex entity founded by The Father Albert(Uncle)Wily The current
president. The company excels in robotics and techniques for refining metals, fuel compounds and rare earths.
Employees on its payroll enjoy a standard package based on their zone. This includes a one room apartment in
one of the numerous Pre-fab Wily Corp hab. towers, a standard issue TV for receiving media broadcasts, an ID
card that allows all employees to receive food rations and store credit that they accrue in the form of company
currency, ZENNY(Valid at all Wily Corp and select Foot Limited Retailers) and an assortment of other fine
comestibles.

Wily Corp's headquarters is within the several towers at the very heart of the controlled Zones. These buildings,
collectively known as Wily Towers, are home to all high ranking personnel, research centers and even president
Wily himself. It is here that the latest advances in robotics are being made, and where the Positronic Brain was
born. Soon after, the iconic Metool line of robots was born.

The first Positronic robot capable of performing complex tasks, the Metool has come to symbolize much of
what Wily Corp stands for. Their bright yellow helmets are emblazoned with green crosses; the symbol of
modern progress. In the City it is said that for every job there is a Metool to fill it. It might not be far from the
truth. The original design was a small unit that was designed to scurry up and down mining shafts digging out
precious ores. These days they now fill a variety of niches thanks to their easily modified chassis. However,
even with the success of the Metool, Wily Corp turned its attention once again toward the future, and it was not
long before the first humanoid robots entered production.

JOE units were the first fully humanoid robots produced from the factories of Wily Corp. These cyclopean
peace keeper units now walk the streets of the City enforcing the will of Wily by any means necessary. The
standard olive green unit is armed with a thick blast shield and an internally mounted machine gun. Both of
these weapons are put to great use surprisingly often...

Perhaps even more dangerous than the JOEs are the "Beastform" robots. Orignially designed as "test bed" units,
the Beastform series robots are a dangerous mix of technology and basic instincts built into an animal's nervous
system. Beastforms were supposedly created as a basis for Wily Corp.'s biodroid programs, though the majority
seem be far from stable, and are too costly and time-consuming to mass-produce. As such, these units are used
for much more devious ends.

Finally, we have Wily Corp's crowning achievement. After MetPharm's failure with the L series, Wily Corp
knew it had to do something that would prevent a repeat of the madness that had ensued. To this extent Wily
and Light Made use of their recent breakthrough in the form of the Positronic Brain. For four years they toiled
in secret, hidden from the world as they perfected their magnum opus. In the end, it was an advance that would
change the world.

The "Robot Masters" were created to oversee and administrate the various lesser machines that Wily Corp
produced. They performed admirably, but their original purpose has long been abandoned. Now the Robot
Masters act as the enforcers of Wily's rule, commanding the machine armies as they slowly seize control of the
City.

MetPharm

The world's best researchers in organ regrowth and augmentation... just last year they announced that, yes, they
did use alien stock in their parts. They expected a huge backlash, but nothing happened. Maybe it was because
the populace was so used to bionics. Maybe it was because the alien presence was "minimal", tiny bits of code
from beings described as "smallish, floating, electricity-drinking jellyfish". Or maybe it's because the ones with
the implants just... don't talk back when it comes to MetPharm. Just as well.

Mother Brain wouldn't let them, anyway.

Zebes is a planet owned solely by MetPharm. Hidden somewhere in the system from prying eyes it serves as the
main arm of MetPharm. From here is gathers the vast majority of the raw materials, technology and even life
forms that are converted into Bio-augments and drugs back in the City for sale. Creatures native to Zebes such
as the metroid and various other aliens are sold as exotic pets to those willing to pay the right price.

MetPharm has a leader folks don't talk about too much. A giant brain. The orchestrator of Zebes. An alien. Of
course theres more to it than that. To say the mother-brain is merely an alien is like saying a laser pistol is
merely a gun. The mother brain is the networked system through which metpharm operates. It is in essence
driving force behind all decisions. It is also never spoken about outside of the select individuals privileged to
speak with it. These hands and feet are hand picked by the creature to be its emissaries amongst humanity.

The Chozo are the native inhabitants of Zebes, Which is currently hidden far from prying eyes. The Chozo are
never seen by the common man and even most of the employees of metpharm only know of it as a sort of Skunk
works. A common reference for a person that simply goes missing amongst met pharm employees is that the
Chozo got him. The Chozo are a race of highly intelligent avian humanoids that have mastered both machines
and biological sciences. It is from them that many of the technologies that are used by MetPharm were first
produced. This includes such things as the metroids, the standard issue power armor, blaster technologies and
most bio-augments.

The metroids are all-purpose genetic instruments created by the Chozo. They can grow organs for transplant,
produce retrovirii, and collect genetic material. Metroids are in there most pure form the base from which the
vast bulk of metpharm technology and products are developed from. Things such as the ever present E-tank
were first developed using the unique steroid like hormones that a metroid produces when it breeds or is
exposed to energy. Several major bio-morphic weapons platforms are also directly able to trace their lineage
back to these at first glance rather harmless little blobs with teeth.

Foot

A series of generalist chains filling damn near every niche from food production to rodent control via their
patented 'mouser' system. Their employees don't complain mostly because of their wonderful security guards.
Rumor has it they were looking into genetic engineering sadly, nothing breaking has been developed yet. The
boss, Oroku "Shredder" Saki calls the poorer folks his family. The Foot are one of the few minor corps that
actually has the potential to effect the grand scheme of things. One of the more unusual aspects of Foot Ltd. is
that they have many back room dealings with gangers and other seedy elements, this coupled with their
surprisingly skilled black ops divisions and at times impressively advanced technological expertise make them
something of an omnipresent force within the City of Light.

Mouser robots patrol the pipes, killing threats down there. Vermin, gangsters, you name it. They're a great thing,
so long as you stay out of the pipes.

Drugs

The corporations are happy to make money however is convenient. The following are popular drugs.

E-Tank

E-Tank is an upper and a stimulant. It makes you no longer feel any wounds, and gets you operating at peak
performance.

Ring

Ring speeds up your reflexes, and acts as a kind of neural buffer. When you actually get hit, you're dead sober
again, but you won't go into shock. Ring is highly addictive.

One-up

A confidence booster and hallucinogen. This is not produced by the corps, but grows in the pipes as a natural
fungus.

The City
The City, referred to as 'The City of Light' and once as 'Omegon'. It dominates and stretches on forever, dark
and decayed, the urban landscape jagged and shifting. The biggest players are indisputably Doctor Wily and
Doctor Robotnik and their positronic brains / servitor-style bio-brain bots. MetPharm pretty much dominates
everything medical, and spill out mutagens and bioroids left and right, taking up all the high-tech industry that
Ivo and Albert haven't gotten too yet. Their leader is Mother Brain, but people don't talk about that much.

What business the Big Three haven't taken over, then Foot has. Foot runs the little stores, it gets you your
groceries. It acts like the little guy even though all those little guys make for one hell of a corp.

Other factions lurk in the shadows: strange worshipers of lost deities, aliens, psychics, mutants, and the
Syndicate. A massive criminal enterprise run by the enigmatic "Mr. X". The only reason they aren't legit is
because the legit business market is cornered.

The Pipes

The underworld of the city, full of mutants, gangers, and bioroids. It's where the folks go to hide when the corps
don't want to keep them, but don't want them to be seen in public. Hide in the pipes, you don't get killed and
working folks don't see you. It's win-win. Of course, it's also full of that fungus that they say is native to the
planet, but that's not really as bad for you as they say.

The Mushroom Kingdom

The Koopas, the Goombas, a few other creatures that the corps stopped caring about. They live down in the
pipes now, and they've got their own kingdom. They've been there as long as the pipes, hell, without them, the
pipes might not exist. They've got nothing much, but nobody tells them what to do, and if you're on the run
from the corps, you can hide out with them.

Other Stuff
This should be reorganized to fit together better.

Kyr'be

A resident of Dream Land, the Fantasy Zone, the Dark World, Giygas whatever you call it. All different names
for the same place; an incomprehensible alien dimension home to bizarre otherworldly monsters. The Dream
Lands constantly seek to enter the world, but Kyr'be the Gatekeeper is always on hand to devour unwitting
monsters and cultists.

Lylat System

Largely destroyed by the Sinistar's robot followers 20 years ago. Corneria and Katina are confirmed destroyed,
the fate of other locations and planets remains a mystery.

Kongs

Out in the wastes live some great, ape-like creatures. They were created by terrorists to fight bioroids and
robots, but when a smarter one was made, they rebelled.

King DDD
The King of Trash. DDD's empire of the destitute takes whatever they can get.

Augmented/Robotic Persons
This being in the distant future of the year 2010, there have been vast advances in robotics technology. As such,
individuals can be made. Most are made for combat purposes.

Bioroids

Bioroids are people made primarily from robotic parts, but with certain key elements, primarily portions of the
nervous system, remaining biological. Wily Corp makes these, growing the biological parts in a lab. Egg
Industries uses donated parts.

Mechaniloids

Full robots. Most are Non-sentient, as sentient machines are difficult and expensive to make. They are used for
purposes where human endurance is insufficient, or when the ability to be mass-produced trumps the need for
thought.

Animal Men

Also known as Morreaus, these are gene splicing experiments. As taking genetic material from animals is
easiest and cheapest, they often have many animalistic features.

Get Shit Done

The following contains information to be categorized and integrated into the wiki.

There's a ton of shit in the fourth thread that hasn't been dealt with yet.

External links
▪ archived first thread (http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/7032538/)
▪ second thread (http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/7061211/)
▪ third thread (http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/7078929/)
▪ Fourth thread (http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/12152616/)

▪ The Protomen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protomen)

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