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I'm trying to brainstorm a pen and paper rpg where you play as homeless people in the dystopian near-future of West Coast City

The main enemy, of course, is other homeless people. How do you survive wiith the police having all quit and moved to the suburbs, the Ivory Towers and gated communities protected against the rampaging hordes of drugged-out lunatics high on drugs that give you superpowers, the churches and synagogues having all closed down because West Coast city is now 99% atheist, government services being a scam, and most remaining ethic enclaves patrolled by armed psychotic neighborhood watch? Can you survive and maybe even go home?

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I'm trying to brainstorm a pen and paper rpg where you play as homeless people in the dystopian near-future of West Coast City

VtM already exists. :marseystinky:

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Nosferatu bros have been playing this game

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I hate the movie but Elysium might give some inspiration of mega slums abandoned to decay while the rich live in a stupid space station.

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Classes include

Street performer

Dumpster diver

Thief

Modern hunter-gatherer

Hired gun

Welfare wizard

Gainfully employed

Stool pigeon

Beggar

Mooch

Lovable eccentric

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Modern hunter-gatherer

Rats and pigeons are viewed as a nuisance by most people. For you they're a food source and you're a very good hunter. That's not all, however. You know plants and can make primitive medicines, poisons, and salads from weeds growing in the local park and cracked sidewalks. You know p

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Gainfully employed

You have a job as a mechanic's assistant, a store clerk, a frycook, a dishwasher or something else blue collar and low-paying. Not paying enough to get an apartment that won't immediately be ransacked, but every little bit helps. The cops won't hassle you as much and now you have a place to hang out where you won't get shot.

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Thief

Five fingered discount finesse

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Dumpster diver

When they say one man's trash is another man's treasure they mean you. Everyone can dig through the trash but most people find expired canned goods. You find diamond rings, working game systems, and mattresses that can be salvaged with a bit of a scrubbing.

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Mooch

A mooch is something between a beggar, thief, and a scavenger. Someone leave their soda lying around? Yoink! Family at McDonalds didn't finish their burgers? Dinner! Buffet throwing away pizza? Not on your watch! Anyone can mooch, but you're unnaturally good at it and never suffer negative consequences for trying to take a little snack. No one ever calls the cops on you when you're trying to get fed.

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Beggar

Anyone can beg, but you're really good at it. Looking cute, looking pathetic, and feeding sob stories are your weapons of choice, and oh how the money rolls in.

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Stool pigeon

You're a government informative and an undercover cop. You face no danger from the cops or neighborhood watch. You can blow your cover and “go loud” if things get too hot or you're in too deep, but the character than becomes an npc ally whose house all the other players insist on crashing at.

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Welfare wizard

The system is broken, but you can play it like a harp from heck. You actually get the stuff you apply for and filling out forms is now not a waste of time thanks to your expertise. You can also fill out paperwork and legal documents for your friends and allies as well.

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Hired gun

You can wield guns, but, more importantly, the cops and the neighborhood watch trust you and will call on you for help when someone on a shot of minotaur is tearing his way through a kindergarten. They won't hassle you and have a better chance of showing up if you call.

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archetypes include

Gay mormon

Escaped slavegirl

Movie star washout

Hobo

Forsaken veteran

“King Lear” or “curse my ungrateful children”

Heartwarming orphan

Fallen executive

Recovering junkie

Illegal immigrant

Refugee

Foster system failure

Sped

Asylumite

Ex-con

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The Game is called “Less than heroes, more than monsters”.

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Or maybe just “Less than Heroes”.

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Should also have character traits that force self-destructive behaviour.

Playing it should feel like reading Prequel - you're trying so hard to get your life together but oops you did heroin again and now you're back to square one but with fewer clothes.

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F.A.T.A.L. might have some systems worth carrying over.

:#marseyderp:

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