Dream City Knights: a garage-punk tabletop RPG
by Alexandros Papadakis
In the tranquil town of Sunrise Falls life used to be simple and slow. However, in recent times, the formidable forces of unstoppable financial progress, and the rise of large corporations have altered the civic landscape. With a population of approximately 50,000 people, steadily increasing at the turn of the 21st century, the once serene downtown parks and playgrounds have given way to towering skyscrapers adorned with glass windows. The town center has become congested with suburbanite cars, and new parking lots seem to be appearing every month.
For the students of Sunrise Falls High, of course, concepts like ‘economic expansion’ and ‘venture capitalism’ hold little significance. These kids struggle with the challenges of their everyday teenage lives, and are striving to find their place in a rapidly changing world as their bodies and emotions themselves remain in constant flux.
Adding to the confusing complexity, peculiar sightings have emerged throughout the city. People are behaving oddly far too often or even mysteriously disappearing. Unusual movements can almost be sensed in every dark corner. Mysterious sounds and whispers ride the night wind when the clock strikes midnight.
To the average person such things rarely hold any significance. They are fleeting, easily forgotten dream-like moments. However, for a select few, for the teenagers known as the Dreamers, those endowed with the ability to traverse and understand the realm of dreams, these occurrences are crystal clear. The Dreamers perceive the powers and influence of dream creatures seeping into the waking world through the cracks in the veil that separates the two realms. But, if Sunrise Falls is on our side of the veil, what lies on the other side?
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The world of dreams: a mystical place filled with imagination and mystique, where anything is possible. Every child visits the Dreaming every night, embarking on amazing adventures in fantastical landscapes. As kids grow into their teens, though, such visits are confined to the Dream City—a vast structure of oneiric brick, cement, and metal, with writhing skyscrapers, singing trees and expanses of walls that seem to stretch infinitely. At the city’s mysterious core lies a towering structure piercing through both earth and sky; its unseen eye can be felt in every part of the city, and more than a few Dreamers would swear this Tower was staring back at them.
As individuals leave childhood behind, their dreams and imagination fade. Beyond the age of 18, dreams completely vanish, and the absolute separation from one’s dream-self becomes inevitable. Imagination falters, leaving behind a dream-self without the will to resist the influence of the Tower, becoming an integral part of the Dream City. As Dreamers navigate the city, they face a choice: traverse the Dreaming until they reach adulthood, or rebel against the influence of the Tower and the City, freeing dreams from their constraints.
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No one could ever hope to undertake a perilous journey like this alone. The Dreamers must collaborate, and form strong bonds to protect the waking world and liberate the Dreaming, as they navigate the delicate line between the two realms. They must endure the challenges of teenage life while confronting the ever-expanding influence of the Tower.
