Factions of #CopperheadCounty
Here is a mockup I made of a factions page (by taking the factions page from the QS and typing over it), and descriptions of each. I am keen to hear what anyone thinks. Its a smaller setting than Duskwall, and the factions are a little lower-tier across the board than Duskwall, and the underworld is a little smaller; but I hope it still captures the trappings and diversity of the New South.
The setting is a fictional county in mountainous eastern Tennessee, in the present day, where a long tradition of crime and corruption is shaken up by modernity, growth, and hungry new forces (including the PCs). The county has a smallish city in the center, surrounded by the rural hinterlands and a few small towns. It occupies a hazy space on the TN-NC border, an hour from everywhere.
One new thing here is the Outside Actors category. Copperhead County is not a metropolis of Duskwall’s caliber, but it isn’t an island. The powerful local criminal players control pipelines to terrifying national (or international!) syndicates. The dream of every new crew is to take over a pipeline for yourselves and join the 21st century global criminal economy. These Outside criminal factions are examples you can use as potential allies or enemies in the end-game, when the PCs get mighty enough to contend with them. Of course, as the PCs advance, they might also attract the attention of state and federal powers, who might seek to destroy what they’ve built (or cut a corrupt deal with them)…
Some of these factions you might recognize from my writeups of my alpha game (which, we had our third session last week and it was a doozy but I haven’t finished the writeup yet). The quickstart-type metaplot I used involves the Pettimore Clan being weakened by an attack from a rival faction of your choice, auguring a new era of upheaval in the hills. Will your PCs rise up to claim what they can? So far, mine are doing a good job fuckin shit up.
I’m with WOOD FOR CLERK!!! (waves notary stamp)
Jason Corley If you’ve been searching for the RPG of local politics, look no furth- hey where’s everybody going
I actually kind of have, joking aside, but not in the Blades in the Dark format. It’s kind of stunning/disheartening to me how many of my gamer friends can explain to me what happened in some obscure corner of some idiot dragon TV show but can’t tell me what happens at our local county supervisors’ meeting. Anyway, please keep it up, would love to see this when it’s done.
This is glorious.
First off, two outlaw biker gangs. Well played.
Mabry Barnett. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. Sweet tea instead of apple pie?
Copperhead Patriots = criminal football team? You had mentioned Southern Bastards as an influence.
Not sure if there’s a reference to get, but… is the McMorrow Clan essentially your Boondock Saints?
The tier difference between the GOP and Democrats.
Kuruma Motor Corp. There’s no way that’s not GTA, right?
Outlaw Country! http://i.imgur.com/G5dAEMt.gif
I really like the Pipelines idea. My wasteland hack is what I like to run but yours is what I’d love to play.
Adam Schwaninger Haha, my cunning plan was to change ‘B’ names and change a country store to a gas station. The first draft of this was such a straight-up Justified rip.
The Patriots are a militia ala Crowder’s Commandos. But man a Coach Boss faction would be good. That could fill out tier I or II a little more.
I’ve never seen Boondock Saints. The McMorrows come from the idea of old feuds, and being the remnants of a family that collapsed when the Pettimores took over decades ago. It kind of started as a rip of Arlo Givens but went in another direction with the younger generation.
Kuruma is from GTA and also just in the grand tradition of super obvious GTA names. It’s Japanese for car!
I really want to run a game where the PCs ally with the county Democratic Party and dismantle the corrupt GOP regime. Maybe when my playtest group advances…
Adam Schwaninger And then Kuruma and Outlaw Country are also from real-life Tennessee stuff… Kuruma is a combination of the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga with the Nissan plant near Nashville. The union angle is inspired by an actual failed UAW drive at VW a couple of years ago.
And then Outlaw Country is a combination of Dollywood and the many regional theme parks in the south. And the name is a dumb joke but I like it.