That sounds like an exciting premise for a sci-fi roleplay! For your setting in "Vanguard," you could choose the year 2043. This keeps the timeline close enough to the present to feel plausible, while allowing for technological advancements and environmental changes that could lead to a barren, mutated landscape.
Setting Basics:
-
World State: By 2043, Earth could be experiencing extreme climate change effects, leading to a massive desertification of once-thriving areas. The environment is harsh, with limited resources and extreme weather patterns.
-
Mutations: With the degradation of the environment, certain species of flora and fauna may have mutated due to exposure to radiation, toxins, or genetic experiments gone wrong. These mutated creatures could range from aggressive predators to bizarre plant life that poses a threat to human survival.
-
Conflict: Human factions, such as military divisions, scavengers, and remaining settlements, could be in constant conflict over territory and resources. Your soldiers' primary goal is to eradicate these mutated creatures, but as they do, they uncover deeper conspiracies involving the origins of the mutations.
-
Technology: The soldiers might be equipped with futuristic technology such as advanced weaponry, drones, and exosuits that enhance their abilities. There could also be remnants of old-world technology that they must scavenge or repair.
Would you like to explore any specific aspects of the setting further, such as factions, character classes, or plot hooks?