Locales as Buckets [in Rapture]
I've talked about this a bit before, but I want to explore it a bit further: Locales are buckets. What does this mean? Moreover, why does this matter?
Locales in Rapture play a role in structuring encounters and the overall game. Instead of thinking in massive worlds or universes, start smaller. Want to explore a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse, start with a small strip mall or hospital and grow from there. Each locale becomes part of a larger world, and each locale is something that can be revisited, revised, and recycled as players move around and explore the setting of your Rapture-powered game.
Locales are comprised of Action Rating (AR) pools. These pools can be easily divvied up into encounters—combat, non-combat, and in-between.
For the sake of an example, I am going to use the hospital from the first season of The Walking Dead to create something for my own zombie apocalypse game.
Let’s say the character in question is just starting—much like Rick is. I will say this hospital, in all of its post-apocalyptic glory, has an AR of 50. Unlike the original setting, I will be adding a few more challenges.
First, the character must push past the thing blocking the door to their room. This is an easier challenge, but it is still a challenge. So, this encounter will be an AR 10.
Once they have pushed past the heavy barrier, the player must then navigate the hallways, searching for a way out, all the while avoiding closed-off sections labeled “Dead Inside.” If successful, the character will find a safe exit, without cutting themselves on the broken glass or getting attacked by hungry zombies. This, too, will be an AR 10 challenge.
After leaving the hospital behind them, the character is left with the toughest challenge of all: A group of ragged soldiers is evacuating the hospital’s grounds, shooting to kill anything deemed unfriendly. They’re looking to evacuate using the last remaining helicopter coming into the city. The character must either convince these soldiers to bring them to safety or they must fight them without any weapons. This encounter has an AR 30 rating.
Notice: We had two easier challenges, with plenty of time for the character to become awash in the new zombie world. By the end, the real challenge becomes apparent: This is all about survival, and not everyone cares if you live or die. Locales here serve as larger buckets, used to poor the foundation of a larger setting and theme.