This is a short text I wrote a little while back when I was working on establishing my own guidelines for what the RPG Retrocity would be. It speaks well about the most basic of my intentions.
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Retrocity is how you want to make it. It is yours.
In fact, I am still considering calling the Gamemaster “The City”.
You, Gamemaster, give the city the face you want to give it.
Mine is a mix of High-tech and decay.
Shiny High-Tech in the more recent neighborhoods, with a taste of dust and rust in the old areas. The original Retrocity, the one from the 2011 graphic novel, remains the core of the city, with its gigantic walls enclosing it. Yes the gates are open today, but this area is a perfect excuse for me to recreate this dark BladeRunner or Se7en atmosphere that inspired my writings in the first place. Something very 80/90’s were the rain is making everything shiny and glittery. Wet dark concrete reflecting neon lights.
On the opposite, as a contrast (and I love contrasts), the new neighborhoods, more recent, feature many technological advancements. It is cleaner, more controlled, more crowded. Busier. The building are taller and people are everywhere. And light, a lot of artificial light all over, flashing and blinking. In comparaison, the Old Retrocity is silent and calm. And yet, alive and dangerous. It remains the dark heart of the city.
Retrocity - Into the long night - Offers a canvas, a frame, a structure, a playground, in the shape of a gigantic city. A city that molds its inhabitants, giving them unexpected mental or physical shapes … Implants, infusion, processing disease and mental corruption, all those are part of the Retrocitizens daily routines. And it is up to you, Gamemaster, to paint this city as you want. Give it the shade you wish, the texture you know your players will appreciate , and paint a full fresco with them as the centerpiece.
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