Signal to Noise
A Post-Apocalyptic/Science Fiction Role-Playing Game

In the borderlands, sixty miles east of both the Republic and the Federation, is an independent city-state of Dempsey City. The city stands against the Rocky Mountain range, which separates it from the Wastelands. It is a den of action, from the corporate offices that command the skyline to the seedy underbelly of organized crime and crooked officials.

Dempsey City has a long history of being caught in the exploits of the world. It was built before the Volk Empire war, and just when it was starting to become a notable borderland establishment, the Empire seized it and claimed it as a Volk territory. Not long after it was liberated by the Republic, the independent state was cast into the fires of combat yet again. The enemy came in the form of the Remnant forces, the left over United States government that was hell-bent on retaking the country. The Volk armies served as protectors the second time around, garrisoning Federation troops and flowing supplies to the overwhelmed militia. When the war was over, Dempsey was left to its own devices.

Today, the city stands as a hub between the wastelands and the civilized world. It houses a large train station that ships raw goods to and from both sides of the Rockies. The corporate offices specialize in anything from advertising to stock markets. The Legion keeps a command post operating in Dempsey City, the Verilicht Order operates a small enclave, and Red Stone even has a branch in the city. But beneath the facades of legitimate business, under the law and order that the local government and external forces provide, is a ruthless underground into which few have ventured.

There are crime Syndicates and mafia families who all want a piece of the proverbial pie. There are corrupt judges and officials who will look the other way if it lines their pockets with enough cash. There are heroes who come to the city only to right the wrong, and there are mercenaries who just want to make a living, housing their families in the outskirts of town, in the quiet cookie-cutter suburbs.

The city is at the linchpin of the world – capitol of all kind flows through its borders, and without loyalty to one country or another, the citizens are free to buy and sell whatever makes their lives easier. But with this independence, with this central placement in world events, comes a price. There is always a man with a gun waiting in the alley, to be hired for work or to take your wallet. There is always the businessman who wants something done without drawing the attention of the city's ethics committees. There is always the person who seeks adventure, who wants to make a living, who has vengeance that must be obtained, who wants nothing more than to watch the world reduced to ash.

And they find it in Dempsey City.

So if you have your papers, if you have a legit identification card and are looking for something, Dempsey is the city to find it in. And if you're here looking to start over, or trying to settle unfinished business, the city can be your friend as much as your greatest enemy, starting with when you get your fake ID. If you are unprepared to tackle this merciless double edged sword, you may find yourself dead. Or worse. But if you have the steel to go forward, to forge your own outcome, then you may just find yourself a little richer. A little better known. A little closer to what you're looking for.

If you can find the signals in all the noise, you can conquer whatever the world throws at you. But that's a whole lot of 'if'. Welcome to Dempsey City. Don't say we didn't warn you.