Little Mouse, what do you do?
A Call of Cthulhu Home-brew Prompt.
Investigator! Are you looking to escape your ever-boring reality? Visit a fantasy world of mass disillusionment, cultists, Dark Gods, talking heads, and the slow loss of reality? I have the niche story for you: takes you from Post-Cold War feel-good feelings into a dark world of cybercrime, fake news cries, citizens openly murdered on camera, and a government telling you not to believe your eyes. And in this universe, the Hunger Games did not come when you were a teen, but you are the adult watching the whole thing unfold. Where you can hear the screams of children on demand, and just about everything cyberpunk warned us about. Oh, and an unchecked capitalism monster. Trippy, am I rite?
Here is the challenge: you are in the middle of a governmental upheaval and are facing down forces trying to strip you and your fellow citizens of power. Your country has always had problems, corruption, scandals, the occasional regime change, and a war on the poor. There is, then, a rise in terrorism, more wars, and complacency, leading to fear and a loss of truthful narratives, with the masses relying on themselves to report their own stories and advocate for their own people. In this not-as-futuristic version of reality, you get all the questions and uncertainty, without the neon lights or robotic implants… at least not anytime soon. Capitalism has run amok with Dr. Reganstien’s monster, with the last little bit of General Lee’s goodwill. When it cloaks itself in faith, love, and religion, and creates cultists in government! ( Honestly, I might need to change this bit; I worry that the writers of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex might sue me for copyright infringement. Technocities?)
Your government has never been good, but there was a time when you knew it was better and was showing it could get better. This world saw movements toward social rights and the dismantling of systemic discrimination. Maybe that’s why Reaganstein decided to create his monster, with the blessing of rightist ethno-centric necro-regilion and their money? They looked into the void, and the void looked back. You will have to explore that fun little side story.
With this social, legal, philosophical, environmental, and historical upheaval, what do you do? What factions do you align yourself with, those currently in control of the government? Or their traditional nemesis, the fools that grew too fat on corporate money to see right from wrong? Or a new group emerging from the roots of the ground, cloaking themselves in the colors of recognition? For a mere chance to change the bloated past party? Or do you align with no one? Or create your own movement? Hide in the shadows, waiting to see the outcome before deciding to act. I mean, that is always a choice, but it makes for a fairly boring game; it does give me the Lorekeeper ideas. Yes, there are always options. And I promise you won’t like any of them. So, take a risk and have a little fun.
Okay, so here are the rules of this little HB: you gotta play in this micro generation to the next micro. Otherwise, your character is only going to get about half the references, and that’s no fun for anyone. So you can be born between just before Reagan and the end of Dubya. You also gotta be from a majority English-speaking country that occupies a North American Native Territory. Bonus points to character creation if it is a country that requires you to pay for medical care. Minus two points if you have socialized healthcare and don’t have people begging others not to call the ambulance because you can’t afford it. Points will fluctuate depending on the other characteristics you choose, depending on various socioeconomic indices. There will also be other points, such as your region, religion, political interpretation of skin color, educational level, and family characteristics across generations. And for extra flavor, we could do a random draw and let the dice predict where you start out. And let fate take the wheel and live dangerously. I promise, the feel will be dystopic.
You and your party will tackle huge problems with terrible and uncertain outcomes that we can’t even begin to calculate! Friends will turn faux, and you might have to make hard choices. All the while, try to walk the fine line between action and knowledge, without losing your mind to the chaos around you. You will be unable to trust your eyes, your family, or long-time friends. And how will you prevent yourself from slipping into madness?
So join us in the making of this fantasy world’s New Order!
Something new and cool? Or has it all been done before? No, it’s too unbelievable.
Dammit.