Still a Glow On the Horizon

Folks have been sending me emails explaining that they've just read an amazing post-apocalyptic rules system but don't want to share it with me because I am working on Glow. Sometimes it's called "Glowing," I am still looking for where that came from. All I have answered is, please send me the links to the stuff. I only huff about "folks stealing my ideas" because the authors actually beat me to it. Frankly, I am pretty confident, that I am doing something good here. If I find great great rules, I'd love to submit my scenarios for consideration to those systems. For my shorthand though, Red Bat is the form that is being used in writing and during the play.

The reason why this work keeps going is because, it keeps getting played.  In case you're wondering, Glow is going to be released as a "setting" for the TROTT system, which has been updated into something called Red Bat. I cannot tell you much about it, except that it is all but finished, but to not expect it within the next sixty days. The reason why I bother you with this info is because, someone else might be writing scenarios for the setting as well. From an email to this latest potential contributor I responded with the following info. Mind the reader, though there are quotation marks around the material, it's paraphrased.

"...The technology of Glow goes from space-faring to stone-age. Here's the handle, take something about your part of the world that is wrong and turn it into the dark future.

Here's some highlights of my own campaigns. Rather sheltered folks, "Bubble-heads," from the nano-tech capable Bubble Cities get thrust out into the Great Swamps (one time known as the Great Lakes). The "hi-tek" Rustbelters run a railroad track, aptly named the Rustbelt, from Pitt (Pittsburgh) to Terminal (just east of Chicago). Chicago, itself, is now often referred to as "Techno-City." The area is now full of robots controlled by a human-hostile AI working out its expansionist aims, and composing poetry-- it might also take up pottery. Most of rural areas of Ohio and Indiana are covered by the Y-Jungle, filled with agriculture livestock and plants gone wrong and wild. The Y-Tribe clones in the area keep quiet under the psychic command of Clone One. The other population centers are controlled The Nation of Billies, "Noobs," which have road warrior armies keeping mutant populations in the thrall of "Soapies" (Pure-Bred humans), the Noobs want the Rustbelt for their own.

My favorite scenario to run, "The Temple of Elvis." Here's the backdrop: Memphis is like Rome to the Noobs; Chicago is like Jerusalem. The tech-level? Think of the sociology of Europe around 1490 and then picture some road warriors and robo-tech monsters and you have a good start. Now picture yourself as a serf with a hoe and bag of turnips. From there the world is your oyster.

Beckett, the earliest of converts to this game, is working on The Violent Northwest, err North Wastes. He's got Silicon Lords, complete with sex bots and other toys, dwelling in bio-domes atop of just about-to-erupt volcanoes. He's got mutant Brotherhoods in the cities running pro-wrestling leagues. He's got Yojimbo style settlements where different Pharma-clans are warring. I don't think he's quite done there either..."

So, dearest reader, here's a plan. I am going to finish up Red Bat very soon. There should be four post-apocalyptic scenarios ready for publication by the end of the year. Hopefully, I can do some cross-game system editions of each.