Setting:Fantastic America

'Fantastic America' is a setting-in-progress by Squash Monster.

Fantastic America is set, intuitively enough, in a fantasy version of America in time period that resembles a confused mishmash of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It is a setting where humans, elves and dwarves coexist with races created from evil Nazi experiments, and discomancers and mysterious government agents cooperate to thwart the evil plots of aliens, soviets, and dragons.

Squash Monster says there might be a system/book in the future for this setting, but I wouldn't trust him.

Organizational Note

I'm going to do this page a little differently. The rest of this page is broken up into four parts. Material under "The Setting" has been written up by Squash Monster, approved by /tg/, and integrated into the setting - if you don't want to fiddle with anything just read this part. Material under "Treatments" is stuff someone wanted to add, which Squash Monster wrote up to fit the setting's tone and integrate nicely: if anything is there, you should go put comments on it (discussion pages are for chumps) about what you like and whether it should be a part of the official setting. Material under "Proposed Additions" is a list of things people want in the setting which have not been given a treatment yet: add all you want to this, go nuts. And treatments that don't go over that well go under "Failed Treatments" so people who did like that material don't lose it entirely.

That is to say, new material will be added to the setting this way: 1. Someone (you!) adds something to "Proposed Additions" 2. Someone (probably Squash Monster) take that, fluffs it up, and puts it in Treatments 3. Someone (YOU!) discusses that treatment. 4. Squash Monster puts the new treatment into the setting or the failed treatment pile, depending on response.

The Setting

Player Races

• Humans - you know humans.
• Gremlins - small mechanically-oriented creatures. They sleep in engines: you could have one renting your car during the nights. Like mischief, but it's strictly harmless nowadays
• Elves - traditional fantasy elves, they live in houses in large trees, which the typical suburb has a few of (elves are not strange, you grew up around elves, the first lady is an elf). The Drow were only recently integrated into society as a part of the civil right's movement, so racial tension with them is still high
• Dwarves - traditional fantasy dwarves, they live underground, in settlements that are usually half as large as whatever settlement is above. Dwarves are a little more secluded than elves, but you still have dwarven coworkers and friends. The Duergar were integrated into society as a part of the civil right's movement, racial tension with them is even higher
• Robots - hokey old-fashioned sci-fi robots that look like humans, act like emotionally-repressed humans, and move like they have severe joint stiffness. Generally defined by their job and taking learning a recreational activity very seriously. Manufactured by a few sources, but all models are in long term consumer/government/military/etc testing and they're still rather rare
• Ubermensch - very rare since this is a German thing and not that common even in Germany, but we're not at war with them anymore so they do exist. Strong stoic men with fairly well-concealed Frankenstein-style stitches, originally created as a part of a Nazi plot. Most people have forgotten they were suspicious of them because they're such hard workers that it's hard to dislike them.

NPC Races

• Greys - gray, big-headed, big-eyed, no-mouthed, no-nosed, aliens. From Mars, of course. They're suspicious, generally seen talking to agents and disappearing (not that you should know about this, citizen!), and almost certainly up to no good. As a race they're running multiple (possibly conflicting) plots that are generally quite strange in goals. They probably don't mean harm. They probably won't mind killing anyone who gets in their way either.
• Nordics - hippie aliens that look like idealized Nordic humans, thus the name. They never get anything done. Agents generally try to cover them up anyway. Incredibly strong, if it ever comes up.
• Deep Ones - fish/frog/tentacleface people in cloaks. Trying to do something inscrutable, nonstop. A lot like the greys, really, but usually near bodies of water instead of the middle of nowhere in a desert, and encounters end in insane visions instead of a bunch of agents telling you never to talk about what you saw. Their plans tend to be more overtly sinister, but also overly complicated
• New Soviet Man - Soviet extension of Ubermensch technology. No Frankenstein stitching visible at all, minor facechanging powers. Great people, way too easy to like - in part because of Mormon levels of thoughtfulness and wholesomeness, in part because of projecting a fey glamour. Talking to them can have the same effects as being exposed to communist material (learning about communism makes you communist) without anything obviously happening.

Proposed Additions

• "Grifter" style class for Farris Bueler and other moxie-based heroes.
• Something for super spies like James Bond
• Something invoking Science!
• Whatever Macguyver does
• Someone should be able to play a street version of Indiana Jones
• Cryptids: Ahool, Loveland Frog, wikipedia "List_of_cryptids", mothman
• Conspiracy theories: MKULTRA, monarch mind control, project blue beam

Failed Treatments

Reptilemen

Reptilian aliens secretly control the world's religions, governments, and authority figures.

Elvis knew about this and was starting to organize the resistance before he died. He hid the knowledge in song, where the aliens can't reach it, and whoever picks up his mantle as Archwizard of Rock will inherit this responsibility along with his powers. The discomancers and metalheads know the master of the one true style will inherit his title and powers - that's what they're always at eachother's throats for - but have no idea about the secrets. Their entire struggle is protected from reptilian intervention by one of Elvis's spells, at least.

The Man knows about the reptilians but has to keep up the pretense that he's their pawn so they let him keep up what he's doing. In addition to hiding a lot of stuff the aliens don't want you to know about, The Man is hiding things he doesn't want the aliens to know about. The frequent cooperation between the Greys and The Man is due to the Greys being the only sane source of trade and partnership that is very definitely not under reptilian control. Agents on the ground have never actually met The Man and certainly don't know about any of this, they just have assignments.

Half the Hippies think they're fighting the reptilians but they're not accomplishing anything, and most people don't take them seriously, so they're allowed to continue. The upper levels of the Soviets know but are fine with reptilian rule so long as it works out for them. The upper levels of the American government know but can't do anything about it. The dragons know but don't care so long as the reptilians stay out of their way. The Deep Ones would actually defeat the reptilians if they ever succeeded in summoning their dark masters (this would be worse than reptilian rule) but reptilian intervention is part of why their plans are so convoluted.

(Generally rejected for being too dark and overarching.)