The Abandoned Pyramid of North Dakota

This place needs to be used in an AtB adventure.  It's an old radar station from the cold war.

Read More at io9.com: http://io9.com/the-abandoned-pyramid-of-north-dakota-1564920089

It looks like the remains of some futuristic cult. This slowly-eroding cement pyramid in Nekoma, North Dakota is all that's left of a $6 billion nuclear launch facility created as part of the Safeguard Program.

Life In Space

Back in 1988, the Mutants In Orbit supplement opened up the "Final Frontier" to the After the Bomb setting, and while the thought of living on a space station can, and has been romanticized with visions of Dyson Spheres, Ringworlds, Stanford Torus Rings, and other shaped habitats where we recreate Terran eco-systems to give the illusion that we are still living on Earth.

The problem with this is where do you get all that dirt and rock for the infrastructure, not to mentions all the materials and alloys needed to build the superstructure? You can't take it from Earth, since it's most likely still needed there. Water can be harvested from comets and other areas in the solar system, but fertile arable soil is not a common resource in our solar system.

Still, by the time we need to seriously consider constructing these types of space habitats, we might have the ability to create large quantities of arable soil.

Carousel Space Habitat


Ringworld


Stanford Torus Ring


Stanford Torus Ring (Space Habitat by Uzi Berko)


Eric Bruneton Space Station


Island One Space Station

City In The Sky

Here's a bit of filler in the vein of the sci-fi megastructures.

Proving that for some, sky is not the limit, the Megatropolis project gathered quite a few interesting ideas, emphasizing on urban life in the future. One of the concepts belongs to architect Tsvetan Toshkov and reveals a futuristic, lotus- inspired city, far above the sky-scrapers man kind is so familiar with: “City in the sky is a concept about a tranquil oasis above the mega developed and polluted city where one can escape from the everyday buzz, smog and dirt. The concept is inspired by the Lotus flower which is known for its ability to emerge above the murky waters pure and clean“. Even though the project did not make it to the final stage, the idea was taken further and presented in a short movie, that we are certain you will find original and intriguing. Have a look and don’t hold back from sharing your reactions regarding this future-city concept.
[Freshome.com]

Floating City's and Crystal Spires have long been sci-fi and fantasy tropes since... well, since forever.

Here we see them brought together in the form of a crystal lotus tower that would most likely spell certain death to those below if the windows blew out or some other form of structural failure caused part of the building to fall on the city below.

Still this would make for a spectacular set piece for an adventure in AtB or just about any other sci-fi game setting.

Weird Locations

Wouldn't it be great to find places like these around the world of AtB?

http://www.wackyarchives.com/featured/15-creative-architectural-designs-for-the-future.html

Rifter #41: The City of Philly

After the Bomb received some attention in The Rifter #41 thanks to Erin (OmegaGirl) Lindsey.

This 24 page article brings the city of Philly to life with descriptions of the city, it's wards, history, and the Rodent Cartel and it's Families. Also included are NPC's, new mutant animals, apprenticeships, and beasts. Including the fearsome Jersey Devil!!!

And if that weren't enough, the article contains great illustrations and a full page map of the area!

If you love AtB, you've got to get this issue!

Megastructures in AtB

Remember the movie "Logan's Run" (the movie, not the novel) where the survivors of a holocaust live in a gigantic domed city?

How about the Tartarus and Daedalus arcologies from Masamune Shirow's "Appleseed" (manga and movies).

Well, imagine if structures like these existed in the ruined world that is AtB. While online recently, I came across information on a mega-engineering project that Tokyo has interest in called "Sky City" (see picture). It would stand 1000m tall and contain residential, business, and commercial space. There's even green space (parks and rec) on each on the platformed levels.

Very cool, though I don't know if I'd want to live in one personally. Kinda makes me think back to the 1987 Dr. Who story, "Paradise Towers":
The Doctor and Mel visits Paradise Towers, a apartment complex in the 21st century. Only to find the apartment building has become rat-infested and ruined and Paradise Towers is inhabited by The Rezzies, elderly women who are cannibals, The Kangs, gangs of teenage girls, Pex, a cowardly warrior who claims he is the local hero, and The Caretakers led by the Chief Caretaker whose job is to keep the apartment complex in order. But the Doctor and Mel find everyone in Paradise Towers are being killed off one-by-one by the robotic cleaners, only to discover the culprit is Kroagnon, the building's award-winning architect who plots to rid Paradise Towers of all those who live within it.

The possibility of a Sky City (or some other mega-structure), maybe a floating man-made island resort megaship, a space elevator, or a trans-Atlantic transit tube, still existing somewhere in the world of AtB really makes my imagination run wild. Especially if they are still in use...

More info on Sky City:

• Discovery Channel Interactive
• Takenaka Corp. Info Page

Welcome to Concordia

Greetings and welcome, to the sovereign town of Concordia. Located north of the ruins of Concord, N.H. on the banks of the Merrimack River; Concordia is located in the northern reach of the territory claimed by the Wolf Barbarians. Luckily, the town has been able to keep it's autonomy from the barbarians with the help of a few parties: Sheriff Madox and his deputies, and the Winterbourne School for Mechanics.

Some Fast Facts on Concordia:
Area Population: ~1200
Urban Population: ~700
Common Species: Deer, Bear, Squirrel, Otter, Mink, Raccoon, Cat, Muskrat, Mice, Canine, Human
Economy: Local coin or barter
Industry: Lumber, Farming, Glass
Backgrounds: Feral, Freed Slave, Villagers & Townies, Raised on the Frontier, Raised by Bandits, Guerilla Warrior

Concordia Personalities:
Brian Madox (Mutant Ox): Sheriff/Judge/Mayor

Mickey Smith (Mutant Owl: Horned): Owns Mickey's Saloon
Ann McNally (Mutant Otter): Waitress @ Mickey's Saloon
*By day Mickey's is a decent cafe, opens at noon. The cafe stops serving by 9pm, but the bar stills serves until 3am. There are 5 rooms that Mickey can rent above the bar (3 Bucks per night). Sheriff Madox always has one or two of his deputies keeping an eye in the bar crowd to keep the peace.*

Ely Finch (Mutant Bird: Crow): Ely's Supply Depot
*Ely stocks many general items for the people of Concordia: food, small appliances, tools, ammunition, and some small arms. Larger and more difficult items need to be ordered and brought in from Boarstown.*

Phillip Conroy (Human): Town Doctor
*Doc Conroy is a recovering alcoholic*
Tammy Conroy (Mutant Bunny: Full Human): Nurse & Doc. Conroy's wife

Bill Elko (Mutant Deer: Whitetail): Town Drunk
*Dumb-as-a-stump, but mostly harmless*

Treven Winterbourne (Mutant Cat): Founder and Master Mechanic of the Winterbourne School for Mechanics [link]
*The school is build on the grounds of an old pre-crash salvage yard, located a-quarter-mile from Concordia. The compound is surrounded by 8 foot tall walls of corrugated sheet metal topped with barbed wire. All apprentices live in a small barracks (12 beds) for the duration of their stay.*

Winterbourne School for Mechanics

Welcome to the Winterbourne School for Mechanics (est. 57 AtB)

Winterbourne School Campus Map

Key:

1. Winterbourne Welcome Center, Offices, Classrooms, Cafeteria

2. Mechanical Shop/Classroom D (Heavy Machinery)

3. Garage/Stable

4. Classroom A (Small Machinery)

5. Classroom B (Vehicles & Motors)

6. Classroom C (Carpentry)

7. Student Dorm

8. Treven Winterbourne's House

9. Docks and Lagoon, Tool Shed/Storage

10. Salvage Yard (not to scale)

Notes:

• to Concordia: 1.5 mi NE (gravel road)

• Student capacity: 12

• Teachers/Instructors: 4

• Facilities not shown: Baseball Diamond, Dirt Race Track, Hydroelectric Dam

School Apprenticeships & Basic Education Courses

Apprenticeships:

• Mechanic Apprenticeship (5 Years)

• (NEW!) Salvage Apprenticeship (6 Years) [link]
  

Basic Education Courses: (These courses are available to the general population. Students of these classes must find their own quarters, meals and transportation during their stay and are not counted towards the schools student capacity.)

• Literacy: English [6 months (3 classes/week), 150 Bucks, 30%]

• Basic Math [6 months (3 classes/week), 150 Bucks, 45%]

• Wilderness Survival [Four 1 week seasonal expeditions (Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall) 200 Bucks per expedition, 10% per seasonal expedition, +5% if all four seasonal courses are completed]

• First Aid [1 week, 75 Bucks, 30%]

• Land Navigation [1 month (2 days/week), 100 Bucks, 40%]

• Pilot: Automobile [1 month (3 days/week), 175 Bucks (100 Bucks if you provide/buy your own vehicle), 45%]

• Radio: Basic Communications [1 month (2 classes/week), 150 Bucks, 45%]

• W.P. Archery [3 weeks (2 days/week), 75 Bucks]

• W.P. Bolt-Action Rifle [3 weeks (2 days/week), 75 Bucks]