RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 21-What are the major organizations of the campaign? How do they deal with visitors?

Corporations, guilds, secret societies; what groups with influence exist in the campaign and how do they interact with the setting and its denizens?

I haven't laid down any major factions beyond the Enclaves themselves. The big challenge is that there's not a lot of development in the area and I wound up expecting less and building less to make this area work. There are fewer Enclaves and Ruins here than is expected for a "typical" Ashes Without Number setting

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 20-Are there any mysteries as yet unsolved?

 Legendary tales, lost civilizations, or cryptid creatures; does the setting have anything for the amateur detective?

The main mystery I have currently set up is "What's going on with Hupa?" There are certainly details to be established in a lot of places that could qualify as mysteries, but a lot of this is still in development until it's needed for a scenario.

Even though I have established that Sasquatch are real, I have not touched on other potential cryptids that might or might not be real in the setting.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 19-Any 'Must See' sites?

Are there any places or things a visitor to the setting just has to check out?

One of the main draws of the area in the present day is its natural beauty. The other is the number of homes with elaborate Victorian architecture. The Carson Mansion (which I have placed as the seat of Ureka government) is one of the most photographed homes in the world.

Even in the post-apocalyptic future, I think most of that would still be intact. Nothing in this area would be a major conventional military target. (Though the Hupa backstory might reveal some twists. We'll see what happens as things develop.)

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 18-Forgot to ask; How do we get around?

 What modes of transportation are available to people in the setting.

There aren't a lot of cars or other vehicles, mostly due to the terrain. There are only a handful of major roads and they have not been maintained properly since the collapse. Off the roads, the area is pretty heavily forested.

Boat travel is pretty significant. My current placement of Squatch-ville is primarily accessible by water. Also, the ferry service enables travel and communication with smaller communities surrounding the bay. water travel is also useful when leaving the region. In order to avoid the psychic overlords of Crescent City, those wishing to travel to Brookings, Oregon and other points north will typically do so by boat.

The most unique thing would have to be the Kinetic Sculptures. In the present day, the Kinetic Sculpture Race is a fun and wacky thing. After the collapse, it's become inspiration. Because of the engineering requirements to participate (the vehicle must be people-powered and capable of travel on water as well as varied terrain), the Kinetic Museum in Ureka and the oddball vehicles on display have been vital examples to building vehicles that can be used in a variety of environments without needing power beyond what the user can provide.

Suddenly I'm imaging a version of Mad Max: Fury Road with Kinetic Sculptures instead of motorized vehicles.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 17-Can you tell us about any famous battles or wars?

Tales of conflicts and combats abound across the multiverse! Any interesting ones in your setting we should know about?

The main war of note is the War That Ended Everything. Details on that war are sparse, both because the War ended everything, and also because I haven't decided on them yet.

A few generations back, a group of humans left Squatch-ville and decided to re-occupy Ureka. This did result in armed conflict as the humans pushed the ratfolk who had lived there at least since they first gained sentience out of the northwest section of the city. 

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 16-Are there any direct threats?

Who or what in your campaign actively means the people in it - including the PCs - harm?

Assuming that the PCs home base is Ureka (which I currently am), the main conflict is with the ratfolk next door. There are also raider camps scattered throughout the area.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 15-What are some things in the setting that are best avoided?

Dangerous terrain, haunted places, angry natives, and even unpleasant beverages; name some elements in your campaign that should be given a wide berth.

Obviously these are beings and things in the setting the tourist should avoid but which Player Characters would likely run towards.

A number of these have already been mentioned, Ratfolk infested Old Eureka. The bizarre ecosystem inside the ruins of Calpoly. There are a few more Ruins that I  haven't delved into, though.

The main one that might be spoken of would be Crescent City. I haven't come up with a cool post-apocalyptic name for it yet, so that's just the present day name. It is dominated by a few, immensely powerful telepaths who control the rest of the population. The control is so complete that the people of the city are functionally zombies. Travelers exploring the region have noted the mindless hordes and fearfully speculate what would cause a person to join them.

There are two other Ruins that might not get talked about much. McKinleyville (again, just the modern name) is a graveyard. In one of my previous posts here, I linked it to the pilgrimage from Squatch-ville to Ureka, but that's the most development it's received thus far.

Hupa is actually very exciting. I believe I've compared it to a Native American Area 51. But one of the reasons it's comparable to Area 51 is that nobody really knows about it. I'm assuming it came to be in a very turbulent time, during the War That Ended Everything, so whatever happened there didn't make it into either local lore or the history books. Maybe rumors, but not strong ones.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 14-What to order to 'Eat like a local'.

Are there any foods unique to the campaign setting? If so, what are they like?

While the slamon is large enough to be a hazard throughout the area's waterways, there's a lot of good eating to be had should you be able to catch one.

Like just about anywhere else, there are a number of microbreweries operating in the area. I like to think that Lost Coast Brewery is still in operation in some form, with Duane Flatmo's cubist label art.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 13-Where can we get a drink and a bite to eat?

Give us a few of your most notable restaurants and bars in the campaign setting. Tell us something about these places and what makes them distinctive.

The most unique restaurant in the area in the present day is the Samoa Cookhouse, effectively the last remaining lumberjack cookhouse. I'd like to see it continue into my setting, if possible. It is, as the name implies, in Samoa, across the bay from Ureka.

Meals are still served "cookhouse style:" a fixed menu with food brought out on serving platters so that each diner may serve themselves.

There's also a local dive bar called The Shanty that I think would be fun to keep around. Especially since it is a dive bar, but the collapse of civilization can cause a lot of recontextualization and idealization of a past that never was.

A friend of mine reminded me of a food truck called Speedy Taco that both of us enjoyed. The location that truck usually parked at is ratfolk territory according to my map. So I could go a number of directions. Maybe the humans took it when they tried to claim more territory, but couldn't hold the Broadway Cinema (where the truck was typically parked). Or it expanded to multiple Speedy Taco trucks and that becomes a recognizable brand throughout the area. Or maybe the ratfolk still have it and operate it, making tacos and burritos tuned to their diets. 

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 12-What do people do for entertainment around here?

Music? Theatre? Sports? Gambling? What do the adventurers in your campaign do on their 'day off'? What is there for tourists to spend money on?

In the Enclave of Ureka, there is a performing arts center, a movie theater, a fairground with race track and a high school with a football stadium and basketball courts. The movie theater is used to show classic films. The performing arts center hosts various performances, such as plays and ballets, as well as podcasts (typically panel discussions regarding current events or other topics, though the discussions are not typically recorded and there's no real method of distribution, unlike present day podcasts). The high school football field is used for gladiatorial games and arena sports like jugger. Its proximity to ratfolk territory does mean that some of these games involve ratfolk gladiators, some of which are prisoners and some are volunteers. (Where is Ratacus?)

In Cow Town, there is a small theater, as well as rodeo grounds. The rodeo grounds haven't been used in some time, as none of the animals that survive can be spared to perform or serve as show animals. The local podcasters are storytellers and gossips primarily, appearing on the theater stage when  a play or other production isn't happening.

In Squatch-ville, most of the entertainment is morality tales and stories from the ancient Sasquatch culture. Like many other aspects of life in Squatch-ville, the arts and entertainment follow Sasquatch models more than human ones.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 11-Where would we go to find 'adventure'?

 We've left the relative safety of the starting area and now we're looking for action!

The most immediate location for adventure is "Old Ureka," the inland portions of the city that have been occupied by the ratfolk.

Beyond the city of Ureka, there are populations of raiders throughout the redwood forests. In the present day, the area is full of small communities of hippies, pot growers, back-to-the-landers, and other misfits. In a post-apocalyptic context, it's easy to imagine these as raider communities.

The ruins of Calpoly are one of the most dangerous areas to explore. The remains of Cal Poly Humboldt and the city of Arcata have been overrun by plants and animals created in the genetics lab. The university's specialties in the modern day include marine biology, green tech, and marijuana. In a politically unstable and technologically aggressive future, I can imagine all of those things being weaponized. After the collapse, the results of these projects are unrestrained.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 10-What's the first thing we should do?

When heading out on a trip through the campaign setting (even just the 'starting area'), where should you go first?

There are other places to go and things to do that are a bit more adventurous, so they're getting saved for later entries, but one definite thing to do would be to take a boat tour of Humboldt Bay.

I don't know if the Samoa Bridge (both of them) would survive, but I think it would be more fun if it didn't because it would bring back boat travel to the bay. The last ferry boat in Humboldt Bay, the Madaket, is currently run as a tour boat. Madaket Ferry Lines has emerged from the ashes, providing transportation to those who live around the bay.

Even if the communities of Manila and Samoa on the North Spit have fallen to just a few families, building a simple dock means that they can be connected to Ureka by the ferry.

Though like many waterways in the area, there are the slamon to contend with. Overgrown variations of the pre-collapse salmon species, the slamon gets its name from its tendency to attack boats by ramming them and tipping them over. Also, the slamon are not above eating any people that fall out of the boats they tip over, either.

This is making me wonder about Tuluwat, the largest island in Humboldt Bay. As much as is feasible, the island is the property/territory of the Wiyot tribe in the present day. It's also presently linked to Eureka and Samoa via the Samoa Bridge, but if that fails in our post-apocalyptic future, the only access will be by water. As part of the backstory for what's going on in the Ruin of Hupa, I posit that indigenous Americans industrialized and militarized independently from (and in response to) the US as a whole. Was Tuluwat involved in any of this? Is there a military installation there? Is or was there a navy of some sort patrolling the bay? What people still live there and what are their opinions on the people of the mainland?

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 9-Who's in charge here?

Who are the major movers and shakers in the campaign?

Eureka is run by Mayor William Henry Carson, who occupies the formerly glorious Carson Mansion. While I like the name, I don't think he's strongly related to William McKendrie Carson, who was its original owner and inhabitant. I'm tempted to suggest that he took the last name Carson to legitimize his power.

Order is kept in Eureka by the Ratcatchers. As the name suggests, they are primarily focused on keeping ratfolk out of the human-occupied portions of the city, but they do also protect Ureka from human troublemakers as well. The Ratcatchers are led by Sheriff Allen Ross.

The Sasquatch run things in Squatch-ville, though I haven't taken the time to set any of them up as individuals. They never sought power, but the humans in their care placed it into their hands. This is likely some of the core friction in Sasquatch politics. How much are they guiding and how much are they controlling? How much control do they need to have over the humans and at what point are they ultimately causing them harm? How much are the humans their "children," in need to care and support, and how much are they "adults," capable of making mature decisions?

Cow Town's influence has waned as its population has withered. They were previously able to export food crops to Ureka and other small communities, but now can barely feed themselves. What trouble breaks through the apathy of the citizenry is addressed by a small Town Watch under Mayor Bruce Garbutt.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 8-Tell us about the local peoples and their cultures

Describe the people and their Species, Nationalities, and other identifying features.

There are 3 known sentient species in the area. Humans (including mutant humans), Ratfolk, and Sasquatch.

Since the chaos of the collapse, due to various contagions, including radiation, humans have been prone to developing various mutations. Some are beneficial, some are detrimental, and others are just weird.

Humans predominate the existing Enclaves, and rule 2 out of 3. The humans of Squatch-ville live under the guidance and care of the Sasquatch.

The ratfolk have evolved from rats to full sentience. Whether this was a result of environmental contagion or deliberate intervention from the labs of Calpoly, no one knows. They are ruled by a Rat King, a collective of ratfolk who have joined their tails and their minds into a communal whole of formidible intelligence and (according to rumor) psychic powers. They used to roam Ureka freely, but have been pushed back from Old Town, along the coast, to the inland neighborhoods.

The cryptid known as Sasquatch has since become a proven fact. The humans fleeing the tsunami that destroyed Crescent City fled inland into the redwoods. The local Sasquatch community took pity on them, revealing themselves so that the people could survive. They have since become the leaders of the very successful community known as Sqatch-ville.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 7-What's the weather like today?

Is there a particular climate or weather that's prominent in the region of the campaign? Does it vary? What is it like and how bad does it get?

The default weather I remember for much of my time living there is cold and overcast. If it got above 70 degrees, it was a heat wave. Winters are dominated by rain. As I've told people since I moved away, "It's never not jacket weather."

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 6-Where shall we start?

 Where did the campaign begin and/or where should a traveler to the region start their journey through it?

My intended starting/focal point for the campaign is the Enclave of Ureka. Mostly because this is the place I was born, grew up and spent most of my life.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 5-Can you tell us about the campaign's history?

 In the real world and within the universe.

This is a place that really exists. At least up to the present day, it has the exact same history as the real place. Inhabited by indigenous Americans, then Europeans as they traveled north up the coast in the early 1800's. The major industry was redwood logging for a long period of time.

Bigfoot has been part of the mythology of the area for some time. One of the most famous pieces of Bigfoot evidence was a film shot in this area back in the 1960's. When the redwoods stood in for the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi, they had to be careful that Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew was not mistaken for a Bigfoot by passersby.

At some point during the collapse, as the country fractured, indigenous peoples began fortifying their reservations and territories against usurpation by outside forces.

After the collapse, the Sasquatch have come out of the woodwork, taking in refugees from ruined cities into their forest home. They guided humans and established a prosperous community that I have currently named Squatch-ville.

Some people bristled at the idea of being ruled over by Sasquatch and headed out on their own. After some false starts (the less said about McKinleyville the better), they arrived in Ureka. The city had been given over to mutated rats since the the collapse, but this splinter group carved out a territory along the coast, pushing the ratfolk to the outer reaches of the old city.

For much of this time, the people of Cow Town kept to themselves, continuing the farming traditions of the community. Before the collapse, they were dairy farmers. After the collapse, the tanker trucks stopped coming to be filled with milk, so the people diversified. They tilled fertile soil to grow a variety of crops that allowed them to survive and even thrive on their own. But within the last generation or so, the health of the soil collapsed. Also, the people began falling ill. The current theory is that they acquired materials from the abandoned nuclear power plant from a scavenger, and the radioactive and irradiated materials found their way into nearly everything. (I really like this, but I'm in the process of considering other options.)

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 4-Is there a Map?

Give us a visual! Show us a map of your setting! Don't have one? WHY NOT?!?

At the moment, I am relying on a real map of the area that I derived from https://maps.army that they were even kind enough to overlay 5 kilometer hexes on. The next step is to fictionalize it just a bit, with markers for locations in the campaign and to mess with place names to make them sound a bit more post-apocalyptic.

 

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 3-Where the heck are we?

 What is the campaign's location and where is that location in related to other important places.

The location is Humboldt and Del Nort (deliberate misspelling, because that's how locals pronounce it) counties once the United States (and presumably the entire world) has collapsed. It's about a 6-hour drive north from San Francisco up the California coast in the modern day, but after the collapse, I expect the journey to take much longer should anyone care to attempt it.

Whenever anyone asks me where I'm from, I tell them "Whatever you think Northern California is, it's north of that."

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 2-About your Tour Guide

 Introduce us to a character who can serve as our guide through your campaign and its setting.

 This is a very cool idea, but one I have not prepared for and would also require significant time to work up. I might revisit this concept later, especially since this project is pushing me to devise things for my setting that I haven't previously considered.

RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026 Day 1-Campaign Introduction and Overview

 What is your campaign called, what system does it use, and what is it all about?

I haven't given the campaign itself a name. It's an exercise in using the setting building tools from Ashes Without Number to waste out my hometown and the surrounding environs. While not explicitly set in the Fallout universe, it does borrow the vibe. There was a colossal war that nobody won and everyone lost.

The story so far is the story of this small corner of the world and how the people there have survived and how they get along.

Since this is intended to be something of a sandbox, a trait of all of the Without Number games, the story of the campaign is going to be how a party of survivors engages with this setting.

I haven't started actively running this campaign yet, so I don't know if I'm going to go with what the book describes as a "crisis" campaign model (closer to some seasons of The Walking Dead, where survivors struggle to build a community) or "exploration" (closer to the Fallout games, with survivors wandering the wastes and engaging with what they find). But this is going to be a reflection of the setting, whichever model I use.