City's Edge
Outside the city is a radioactive wasteland, more desert
than anything else, and that desert crawls right up to the
edge of the city. The city blocks at the edge of the desert
are the worst place to live within the city. Radioactive dirt
constantly blows into the streets, piles up against the
buildings, and invades the lungs of those unlucky
enough to live on those blocks.
The invasion from the waste is not just limited dust.
Often humans wander into the streets of the city from the
wastes, out there they somehow managed to scrape a
living, but something perhaps hunger, or hope, has
driven them into the city. The waste is full of mutant
animals, commonly called monsters, that sometimes
enter the streets seeking food, or territory.
The very edge of the city is marked only by a dust caked
road and its constantly flickering street lights. There have
been calls for the city to be walled in, or rather the for the
wastes to be walled out, but there has not been enough
pressure on REDD to start such a massive construction.
Within the city, building and upgrading of blocks is
constant, and redirecting the construction effort to such a
wall would come at the expense of improving people's
housing. Some areas do have walls facing out towards
the wastes, but such constructions have been built
privately by wealthy individuals or public subscriptions.
These walls rarely stretch for more than a block or two.
The People
The people that live in the desert-facing blocks are
tough, they have to be to live there. With high radiation
levels, crime beyond control, deadly rad dust filling the
air, and mutants wandering the streets, you're either
tough, or you're dead.
The people you meet on the street in the edge blocks all
tend to look the same. Rather than fashionable attire in
bright colours, they trend to wear shabby drab clothes.
This serves two purposes. Firstly the environment is so
dirty, dusty and dangerously radioactive, that outer
garments that can be shrugged off, or disposed of, just
make sense. Secondly, looking drab and the same as
everyone else makes you less of a target for the criminal
elements.
Almost everyone on these blocks travels the streets
armed, regardless of the laws, as the threat of criminal
attacks is so high. The edge of the city is almost
universally made up of the poorest of blocks.
The mentality of these people is also quite distinct from
the majority of the city's inhabitants. They tend to be
physically tough, able to take a beating without
murmuring, and very self reliant. Many of the city
services are limited or outright unavailable to the edge
blocks, stalwart doing-without and self reliance is a
common trait.
Invaders
Immigrants from the wasteland are illegal entrants within
members in the block at the rate of one a week.
the “Righteous Brother” he has been sniping gang-
fathers scoped rifle. He has a secret identity. Known as
living on the 13th floor. He's 14 years old, and has his
David Drake is an orphan (his parents killed by a gang)
should have been given to those in need.
else and operate a black market for the goods that
the local mobsters move in and appropriate everything
clamber for food parcels. Once the REDD convoy leaves
During delivery times there are near riots as residents
to the 17th floor. Which operates as a mall, of sorts.
A weekly REDD convoy delivers the necessaries of life
criminals or wandering wasteland monsters.
smaller groups or individuals would easily fall prey to
journeys out of the block they do it in large groups, as
and rarely leave the safety of their floors. When they risk
People on the upper floors have electricity and water,
here.
suffering addictions, or insane would even try to live
living on the dusty lower three floors, those without hope,
Only the dregs of society are found trying to scrape a
on the lower four floors.
maintained REDD-only delivery elevator. No lights work
elevators or escalators work in this block, except the well
a foot deep or more all across the ground floor. No
lobby doors have long since disappeared and the sand is
windows on the bottom three stories are broken. The
is piled against the walls twelve feet high. All the
the city and REDD apprehend or execute any and all
such that they find. Each station house has a holding
room for this radioactive collection of miscreants. They
are normally fed, and clothed before being flown out to a
spot roughly a hundred miles from the city. When they
reach the city these illegals are often found to be
mutated, sometimes harbouring super-human abilities.
Roll on the following table to establish what's special
about an illegal.
Invader Aspect
Roll Aspect
1 Nothing special
2 Extra limb(s)
3 Bestial
4 Claws
5 Disease carrier
6 Psionic powers
Interpret the results from the above table to any level.
For instance, "extra limb" might indicate, an extra arm, a
prehensile tail, or eight spider-like limbs. Claws might
just be long nails, or claws capable of ripping steel.
Diseases might be airborne, touch based, or otherwise.
Bestial might be a man thinking they're a dog, or an
actual rage driven werewolf. Psi powers are a little
different, roll on the following table to establish the psi
capabilities.
of the first full size blocks to be built. The wasteland sand
This block is on the edge of the wasteland and was one
Clifton Duncan Block
Tainted rain 6 Sensor-Unit: A set of 5 movement sensors and a
Quake, exposing sink holes 5 and five rounds.
Solar flare, electronics fail 4 condenser, a single-shot zip gun (looks like a short tube)
Hail of stones 3 enough food for a day, a fire starting kit, water
Insect swarm 2
Radioactive sandstorm 1
Event Roll
Wasteland Event
environmental event.
2D6, on a result of 9+ roll on the following table for an
environmental concern. At the beginning of each day roll
very heavy deluges. The weather is not the only
The predominant weather is hot and dry, with rare but
poisonous crater-lakes, and occasional cactus forests.
oasis, ruined old-world cities, cave communities,
interspersed with occasional points of interest, such as
The wasteland itself is mostly a rocky desert,
of damage, and may set clothes or fur on fire.
same time it emits a loud roaring sound. It inflicts 1 point
five foot diameter and lasts for a half second, at the
powered flame bursts out the barrel. The fireball has a
swarms. When the trigger is pulled a large bloom of gas
Designed to scare wild animals off or deal with insect
forward grip, and a large bulb in place of a stock.
Psionic Ability
Roll Ability
1 Aura of depression
2 Death stare
3 Illusions
4 Touch of luck
5 Mechanical Jinx
6 Healing
The wasteland breeds all kinds of unique animals,
predominantly carnivorous, and its not uncommon for
these to wander into the city seeking or pursuing food.
REDD always exterminate such interlopers. These
beasts always kill citizens, and are always hard to kill,
having 2D6+2 Hit Points. Roll on the following table to
establish the primary aspect of a beast.
Wasteland Monster
Roll Aspect
1 Pack-animal
2 Climber
3 Camouflage
4 Poison
5 Grows when eating
6 Armoured
Let your imagination go wild on the aspects in the table
above. Does a climber also leap from roof to roof? Does
Hand-Flamer: A carbine with shield in front of the
size and how many moving creatures are out there.
camping. The monitor can show the user the direction,
monitor for them, this is used to set up perimeter while
pounds containing five ration bars each of which is
Ration-Pack: A small package weighing a couple of
water, fire, and radiation.
shoulders. The rubberised material is proof against
can be fixed across the front, or thrown back over the
can be pulled up over the head (and helmet). The cape
uniform and hangs down to just below the waste. A hood
Rad-Cape: A cape that fixes to the shoulders of the
with the following:
cuff. If given time to prepare they may equip themselves
wasteland, but such expeditions are not always off the
Judges would simply ride their bike out into the
Of course, if in hot pursuit of a criminal most REDD
themselves heading out into waste.
are stationed near the city's edge will often find
has a secret storehouse out there, so REDD Judges that
Sometimes a criminal runs into the wasteland, or even
Criminals
deadly slime in its path.
poison mean it stabs like a scorpion, or that it leaves a