Setting Tips for the 60's

[SquirrelSlayer]

I've had a long term vision of a high level campaign, but one where the PC's are hasbeens past their prime, trying to make their name again in a world that has forgotten them.

So since we're starting at level 1, I wanted it to be roughly 50 years in the past (in order to make the above scenario possible in the future). That puts us in the 4760's. Two big things happen in that timeline: Andoran has its successful "democratic" revolution and Galt begins its failed one. I had imagined a campaign where the party is caught up in Galt's turmoil, joining a revolutionary militia only to find it's just as corrupt as what it replaced.

Issues:
1. So far we have a witch exiled from the North and a gnome Druid. Not exactly the types that would get caught up in urban politics.
2. So grimdark... I have a feeling dystopia isn't really this group's cup of tea.

So ideas on how this might work? Or any other scenario from that decade?

[Kyros Deun]

Possibly having them facig old villains from past campaigns with that hint of familiarness. Also have it be a gritty urban crime story. Dirty Harry, or something like that.

[SquirrelSlayer]

I think I was unclear.

Someday I will run the party through the "hasbeen" campaign.

Currently they are brand new characters and this is our first chapter. I want them to be starting out in the 60's so in a year or two we can jump the characters forward in time and they'll be upper-middle aged, setting the scene for the hasbeen campaign.

Right now I'm just interested in an interesting premise for starting characters in the specific time period of 4760-4770.

[jonc]

Your idea to start them off in Galt sounds interesting. It reminds me of the spanish civil war. There were so many different groups involved. Catholics, monarchists, facists, traditionalists, communists, socialists, anarchists, republicans...

Many left-wing idealists from across Europe (including George Orwell, see Homage to Catalonia) went to Spain to fight against facism, only to get mired in the squabbling between different subdivisions of communist.

The party could easily be idealists, locals, or just people caught up in the conflict and "encouraged" to participate. You could ask your players for thoughts about how their character might be motivated to be involved. The old family vendetta or working for coin are always available.

Some guerilla fighting, "get the intelligence" type heists and betrayal by former comrades give you some scenarios to string together and provide some potential fodder for the hasbeen campaign. You could end the scenario with the party working their way out of Galt after being betrayed or becoming disolutioned.

It doesn't have to be dystopian, because the rest of Golarion is not suffering the chaos of Galt. That gives hope of escape, or hope Galt can be saved. Especially when the revolution seems to be going so well in Andoran. You can even find in game ways of letting them know how well things in Andoran are going to serve as method of drawing contrast with Galt.

[Illeist]

The most important tip: you're not playing in the 60's; you're playing in the '60s. Apostrophes are never used to pluralize, but they are used to denote that part of a word has been removed. Thus, when you write "60's" you're discussing something owned by the number 60. When you write "'60s," you're (generally) discussing the sixth decade of a century.

[Son of the Veterinarian]

Cheliax? Perhaps the reason the characters were forgotten is because they've been written out of the official histories.

[blackbloodtroll]

Watch the pilot for A-Team.

Go from there.