Who is your favorite invader?

[JustKneller]

I've mentioned this before, but I homebrew tabletop (board/rpg/tactical) games as a hobby. I came up with an idea for a game, or at least the mechanics, and I'm not feeling too strongly in any particular direction with how to skin/theme it. The big picture is that the players are civilians in an occupied area who decide to fight back. They split their time between gathering intelligence and resources, planning operations, and then executing their operations. I have a few rather different touchstones I've been kicking around, but nothing is grabbing me. For example:

Basically Red Dawn. A relatively modern, but pre-internet setting. Russian invades part of the Pac-Northwest USA and . Americans are corralled into ghettos. Most of the U.S. military are on the other side of the front line. A plucky group decides to form a rebel force where they blend in with the ghetto by day and run ops against the enemy at night. Pros: Red Dawn is legendary. Cons: Considering current events, it might be a little too close to home.

Nazi occupied France (WWII). Our enemies here are the Nazis. Our heroes are the French citizens. All the real soldiers are either dead or driven out of the area. Our heroes are the people that are left. Those that are too young or old to fight. perhaps disabled persons. Essentially, anyone who wasn't considered fit for military duty. Pros: Who doesn't like beating up Nazis? Cons: I'm a compulsive nerd and would likely find myself going down many a rabbit hole for the sake of historical accuracy.

Alien invasion. Think Half-Life 2. The Combine has taken over. Humans are under totalitarian rule in City 17. But, a resistance has formed and so on. Pros: Not based in reality, so a lot more freedom. Cons: Long story short, sci-fi can actually be a little tough to design if going for gritty realism (and I am).

Those are my main touchstones right now, but like I said, I'm not being pulled any particular way.

Do you have a favorite invasion scenario? Can you think of any other sources of inspiration I should check out? Thanks!

 

[m7600]

I've toyed with the idea of an invasion from the deep sea, in a typical fantasy setting. Basically there would be two main civilizations of merfolk, one of them are your typical Atlantis dwellers and the other one are merfolk from the deep sea (for lack of a better term, they live in "Deeplantis"). The latter would have a combination magic and alien-ish technology (it should feel vaguely reminiscent of the movie The Abyss). Their diplomatic relationship with the Atlantis merfolk is complicated, sometimes they're allies (i.e., we both live in the same ocean, let's fight our common foes that pollute it), sometimes they're enemies (i.e., you Atlantis dwellers are too soft and tolerant towards the land-folk that pollute our seas, we shall rise to the surface and destroy them, and if you help them or stand in our way we'll destroy you as well).

Humans and other land dwellers would then have to fight back against an army from the deep sea.

 

[Antimatter]

I like history and can probably point out Vikings and Mongolian invasions.

As for sci-fi, my biggest dream is someone creates a book, a movie, or a game about invasion from a parallel universe using some good science theories, e.g. quantum entanglement or black holes. NOT some done-to-death multiverse stuff. Before Death Stranding was released, I followed a theory that BTs from that game are actually parallel universe "people" and "explosions" in that game create rifts between two universes.

 

[mlnevese]

I'll pretend you didn't ask me that

 

[JustKneller]

I'll pretend you didn't ask me that

If it makes you feel better, the more this stews, the more I'm leaning towards the players playing a cell of the Maquis (French Resistance) in Nazi-occupied France. The aliens are safe...for now.

 

[Black Elk]

Oh intriguing! I kinda like all three premises hehe

I think Alien fantasy might work better than Alien science fiction, but I like the WW2 era angle on it, obviously. I mean that just always works. Doing Wolverines in modern times seems like it might be fraught, but if you do Red Dawn 1945 I think there's a lot to work with there. Particularly if taking the X files angle on it, like to fix the invasion in a moment in time. Roswell village of the damned stuff, or paperclipped zombie experiments to compliment things there.

I like the premise that splitting the atom is what actually brings the Aliens initially, or brings them back (if going for the ancient aliens vibe), similar to Stargate I guess. Just where it's happening during WW2 instead. I think another interesting riff might be like the Wolverines get sent back in time. In that case maybe 1980s tech vs 1940s tech. So like basically where the Wolverines have to gooney it using only the common materials/weapons/knowledge from the 1980s. Like instead of futuristic ray guns and nanobots or whatever, just keeping it squarely in that milieu for the 80s radioshack hardware? Could be fun

So for example, say the Chevy K5 Blazer with the removable top, full of 1980s supplies. Like where the Wolverines and whatever they have in the truck get the time warp sling shot back in time 35 years. Philadelphia Experiment style. Then you get to indulge that fantasy of travelling back in time armed with the knowledge, but like only at a GED Highschool level. Like not necessarily special ops bond villain tech, but just the regular nuts and bolts on it. You know like Walkie Talkies instead of tricorders, captured night vision goggles and soviet rpgs, instead of laser rifles.

In the film they map out a rough chronology and set the scene for 84. Here's a reddit dawn I just saw that attempts to break it down...

I think the K10 Blue truck probably gets blowed up by then, but the Green K5 full of captured Soviet tech. Maybe both Trucks though, just for good measure.

I think maybe during one of the nuclear attacks it could have set off a DARK style anomaly and that's how the Blazer is thrown back in time 35 years.

Or maybe, to somehow get a French Resistance thing going on too, one of the Wolverines had like an ancestor who was at Normandie and so that Wolverine ends up there, while the rest of the Wolverines have to make it to New Mexico before Trinity cracks off. Somehow they have to get a message around the world in time with the clock ticking on that.

I don't know why but this just reminded me of how the Vader in "invader" just means 'going.' Darth Going. I just always thought that was kinda amusing. Like instead of Enigma they could just use Star Wars code on the open airwaves, and only other Wolverines would be able to decrypt the cypher! That could work hehe.

 

[Skatan]

Maybe make something that has an element of "creative freedom" yet based on real history? North, Latin or South American natives fighting the European invaders where you add some "mythical" elements in how the invaders are perceived (their weapons can be almost magical to the natives shooting fire and lightning from a stick, horses are mythical beasts they've never seen before etc). So one part of the gathering intel part is learning about the invaders, what they are, where they are from, how their arms and armor works. You start with simpler weapons yourself, but slowly gain access to firearms and cuirasses (if fighting spanish), maybe do a night raid on one of their ships, steal their horses and learn to ride, learn to shoot.