SPRAWL ZONE: FORTRESS ESTATES

Presenting the "Fortress Estates", the latest entry in my ongoing "sprawl zone generator" series for Chromatic Shadows. These tables offer rich descriptions of major and minor sites within a near future suburban enclave. With a few rolls, quickly kick-start story seeds and dramatic scenes for your next adventure! Intended for use with Chromatic Shadows, but highly compatible with many other cyberpunk and urban adventure games.

 

 

Description

• The Fortress Estates are discrete, fortified suburban enclaves, existing outside the immediate economic and geographic sphere of the metroplex.
• The Estates began as megacorp controlled extraterritorial zones, built to house staff and support interstitial exurban infrastructure. After the Collapse the fallen corporate territories were absorbed back into the state. The management of the “fiefs” are now heavily privatized, largely outsourced to security agencies, and operate ostensibly as separate self-governing entities.
• Main areas include planned residential “developments” of the privileged class, “natural” areas where the super rich hold isolated manors and generational properties, and commercial zones of high density commerce.
• Each “fief” is characteristically cordoned behind defensive walls, usually 5-10 meter tall concrete palisades, topped with monowire, punctuated by lookout towers, heavily surveilled by cameras and scanner drones. Security personnel, armored vehicles and defensive drones are commonplace.
• Traffic, drone and pedestrian access is strictly controlled via security gates, checkpoints, and radio surveillance. Personal valid UIDs (Unique Identifying Data) are often required, and vehicles are routinely scanned for appropriate codes and licenses. Foreign drones must have valid commercial signatures and clear permission registries, or are subject to “interception”.

 

Major Sites

1. The walls: significant fortress estate “fiefs” are surrounded by high concrete barrier walls, punctuated by towers, turrets, and high security access gates. Armed guards, surveillance cameras, and heavy security drone presence are concentrated at entrance checkpoints. Travelers passing into a fief through a gate are subject to a UID scan and vehicle clearance. Suspicious persons, and non-residents are often pulled aside by security officers, questioned, turned back and occasionally detained.
2. The Canals: steep concrete lined waterways flow at the margins of residential zones, and are crossed in key locations by roadways and footbridges. Drainage infrastructure pumps high water through an elaborate underground tunnel system. Monstrous alligators, aggressive fish, and stranger creatures can be found in remote areas, occasionally swimming near populated centers.
3. Burbclave developments: rolling subdivisions of suburban efficiency-homes. Identical two story white pop-up structures with attached garage, bio manicured grass plot, and picket fence. Clave access is restricted by electronic security gates, and 4 meter high concrete walls all around. Security patrols are light, but officers will arrive quickly if called.
4. Country club golf course: isolated within it’s own walled territory, sprawling complex of multistory structures. Includes ballrooms, luxury dining halls, conference rooms, art galleries, indoor, libraries and lounges. Rolling golf course and tennis courts surround property. Security guards, aerial and ground drones surveille heavily
5. Retail park: mega highways lead into a miles long grid of hyper-commerce. Gigantic box stores, fast food, and megamarts crowd next to each other along endless strip malls and parking lots. Corporate AR icons, and massive holoboards tower overhead. The whole zone is a gridlock of consumer traffic, gyrocabs, and drone delivery units.
6. Megachurch: arena sized concrete block structure with huge white dome surrounded by decorative plate-glass windows, heavy square columns and tram connected parking lot. Inside church, travolators lead past gift kiosks, and smoothie pods into a cavernous pit-like arena filled with curving wings and endless rows of chairs. Drone lighting rigs and gigantic holo projection screens hang over a gold and marble sanctuary “stage” sculpted in the shape of a glowing LED cross.
7. School campus: numerous institutional concrete block and dome complexes connected with tube travelators and tram cars. Large outdoor athletic field with high bleachers, holoboards, and massive outdoor lights. Grounds maintained by landscaping drones. Armed and armored security force has an on campus building and officers and dog drones patrol heavily.
8. Neomansions: high-security, gated neighborhood. Pristine access roads wind past spacious ultramodern multi storey luxury homes perched on large grassy knolls. Plots divided by white fences, contain designer flower gardens, trees and hedges. Massive stand alone garages house pristine pickup trucks, and mammoth SUVs. Private security officers patrol frequently in black SUVs and electric 4-wheelers.
9. Manor fiefs: checkpoint access, private roads lead through isolated zones (often within a forested area, or along a beach or cliffline). Numerous large isolated properties are accessible by long private access roads. High hedges surround, and screen manor from outside view. Security fences, camera surveillance, security drones and human officers are always present. Huge neoclassical complexes, several stories tall, with numerous utility outbuildings.Tunnels often run beneath these properties, but are typically guarded by drones and other security measures.
10. Agro factory: acres of bio manicured mixed crop agriculture. Orchards, vineyards, soybeans, berries and bespoke vegetables. Worked by robot harvesters and migrant laborers. Armed guards and drones patrol the farm’s mono-web perimeter. Migrant labor camp situated behind a security fence. Nearby processing plant includes barns, silos, and large hanger-bay factories.
11. Blue collar village: narrow residential blocks lined with small single family efficiency homes set up on a concrete garage sublevel. Alleys and narrow streets thread between the grid. Canals surround and cross across the zone at intervals. High whitewashed concrete wall encloses the zone.
12. Small modular reactor plant: high security fence surrounds complex the size of a city block. Solid concrete bunker looms at the center. Checkpoint gates access to underground tunnels and elevators below. Within the structure, several 20 foot tall containment vessels interconnect with cooling pipes and catwalks. Heavy security and surveillance. Armed guards and attack drones posted at all times.
13. Artificial reservoir: critical water supply. Vast double basin reservoir divided by an arched romanesque bridge with stone observation towers on both ends. A titanic dam plunges down just beyond into the north basin. Water surrounded by paved walkways that run atop steep earth ramps. The area is heavily surveilled, and tightly controlled. Armed guards on heavy electric four wheelers patrol frequently.
14. Utility station: complex of commercial structures surrounded by chain link fences and cut through with access roads. Warehouses, concrete outbuildings, industrial garages, aluminum barns, and geodesic domes throughout. Heavy ductwork and overhead tube walkways connect structures.
15. Security barracks: multistory black concrete and glass bunker. Bay doors lead to underground garages. Roof is bristling with satellite dishes and antennae. Compound is surrounded by a high concrete wall. On the roof, flight towers overlook a self-illumined helipad, enhanced with AR icons.
16. Entertainment megaplex: huge color morphing LED domes interconnected with clear tube travelators. Pulsing neon holosigns and AR icons hang and spin overhead. Each dome is a separate center --holomovies, light-blade rink, neuro-arcade, antigrav sports, laser tag. Set upon a multilstory parking block sublevel.
17. Sports arena: stadium shaped like a titanic fluted ring, topped with an retractable LED bubble dome. Acres of parking lots fan out in all directions. Media drones buzz overhead, and lasers stream into the sky. Inside, luxury VIP booths overlook tiers of steep extruded bucket seats. Floodlight towers shine down on the neo turf fields gleaming with AR icons and hologram..
18. Public park: acres of rolling neo turf criss-crossed with walkways, artificial canals, modular foot bridges, geodesic pavilions, extruded playgrounds, and ball fields and tennis-courts. Dogs walking drones, and nannie bots roam throughout. Armed security officers patrol on heavy four wheelers.
19. Sporting complex: massive block structure braced with angular buttresses wrapped with a grid of windows, and multiple glass domes on roof. Inside there are swimming pools, saunas, droneball courts, and fitness rooms.
20. Megamall gigaplex: curved concrete towers and glass pyramids interconnected by multi-tiered tube walkways. Molded parking structure conforms to the exterior face and runs beneath the primary structure. Inside, spiral tiers of luxury store-cubes rise up from an atrium filled with sculptural fountains and draping vertical gardens. 

 

Minor Sites

1. Car dealership: vast concrete lot filled with the latest unsold vehicles. Tight grid of supersized SUVs, stainless steel neotrucks, and cheap electric commuter pods. Massive glass pyramid showroom at center, gleaming luxury sports cars parked on display ramps.
2. Car wash: complex of fully automated belt fed oversized service modules. Anthrodrones, robot scrubbers, and suction bots provide complete detailing service.
3. Storage dome complex: fenced in site containing numerous huge black cone-shaped storage structures. Large retractable bay door provides utility truck access. Domes contain piles of salt, gravel, machinery, vehicles, and barrels of chemicals.
4. Burger robojoint: fully automated fast food hub expressed as a t*ower of neon lit glass and molded plastic. Outside building, “burger” icons spin in projected AR, and strobe on vast holo screens. Gated tunnels lead to underground drive-thru system, and food delivery chutes. Within the tower, multiple floors of extruded dining kiosks, order modules, customer service drones and complete robot-integrated kitchen.
5. Neo megamart: vast molded white and grey edifice with glass holoprojection facade. Inside, travolator tracks with integrated robot carriages lead through endless aisles of mechanized self-reloading shelves, and product delivery chutes. Service rotor drone scan products with laser fans to maintain inventory. Product checkpoints itemize shopping carts and directly bill customer accounts.
6. Rave warehouse: old rust streaked warehouse at the edge of a zone, windows caged up and painted over. Interior is gutted and filled with the remnants of years of secret techno drug parties. Psychedelic and occult graffiti covers the walls, large makeshift stage against the far wall. Empty bottles, pill packs, vape cartridges and used hypos are scattered on the floor. Numerous secret hallways and side rooms filled with junk sculptures, art installations and furniture stuffed flop rooms.
7. Drone deployment hub: high chainlink fence topped with razor wire and security cameras surrounds concrete warehouse-bunker. Multiple bay doors lead to cavernous robot and drone storage and repair garage. Grounds heavily guarded by security bots.
8. Transfer station: service road loops through a huge aluminum roofed structure built atop concrete loading dock. Massive cargo trailers parked in loading bays, each overflowing with trash and recyclables. Utility crab drones crawl throughout piles sorting and compacting debris.
9. Waste incinerator: Open warehouse bay leads to deep garbage pit cut into ground. Overhead track with retractable robot claw piles waste onto travelator ramps, which in turn feeds a huge steel hopper. An industrial blast furnace incinerates trash, and drives a series of turbines feeding back into the electrical grid. Towering smokestacks belch black clouds. Trucks haul away the ash.
10. Water tower: massive white bulb bristling with radio antennae sits atop a 200’ tall cylindrical shaft. Service ladder runs up its height. Nearby service building monitors tower, water supply, and controls underground pumps, and pipeworks.
11. Drainage tunnels: series of cavernous portals open beneath an elevated roadway. Massive concrete reinforced channels run below ground, shunting rainwater between canal systems. Interior surfaces covered with occult graffiti.
12. Retail megacube: huge grey concrete box with grid of holographic signage mounted to its facade. Glass entrance tube travelator feeds into a cavernous white interior. Floor to ceiling product shelves, AR interface panels, and mechanized delivery chutes. Holoscreens mounted to interior walls. Labor drones and anthrobots manage product inventory and customer relations.
13. Palisades: private roadways wind along crest of sheer cliffs overlooking sparkling bays. Behind fortified gates, manor houses are perched upon plunging overlooks, and rocky vistas
14. Telecom spire: 2000 foot tall tower stabs into the sky like a silver needle. Vertical mast is reinforced by a web of steel lattice. Diagonally tensioned guy lines stabilize the vertical structure, and are attached to a massive concrete pedestal upon which the whole spire is moored. Blinking red lights and satellite dishes are mounted all up its height.
15. Simulation theme park: high speed tube roller coasters, and anti-grav rides, high speed water slides under a vast LED projection dome. Integrated AR, realistic anthrobots, and holoprojections reproduce fully immersive fantasy environments.
16. Artificial beach: vast warehouse interior reproduces the tropical beach experience. Drone manicured sand bar leads to a salinated zero-depth entry pool, that slopes gradually down to a significant depth. Churning ”wave machines” recreate the rhythm of natural tides. LED projection dome and a high intensity UV orb simulates a tropical sky overhead. Private on-site club serves the needs of the most elite patrons.
17. Construct hotel: luxury pods attached to on-site server farm warehouse. Guests' physical needs are met by a team of service drones and staff while their sensoriums are fully absorbed in a neuro-immersive artificial reality. The hotel offers a menu of hyper realistic “worlds” that can be jacked into. For extended visits, guests can opt into medically supervised body management packages that include bedside care, IV and feeding tube management.
18. Artemis fulfillment center: titanic concrete warehouse where a full catalog of consumer products are stored and maintained in a vast automated grid of robot accessible cubes. Consumer orders are recalled to mechanized loading docks where items are loaded onto fleets of delivery drones bound for a remote Artemis drone kiosk, or private residence.
19. Artificial island: custom floating habitats for the hyper rich combines elements of a luxury hotel, megayacht and exotic island. Glass suites perched on 200 foot towers, accessible by tube elevators. Multi tiered decks boast synthetic jungles, infinity pools, conference rooms, gyms, pleasure salons, bars and outdoor dining. Attached helipad accommodates small and medium sized gyrocopters. Anchored in remote parts of the bay, but can be moved as needed.
20. Mega-casino: interconnected complex of vast lozenge shaped concrete and glass structures rest atop a massive girdle of support columns. High density parking garages and monotube depots run below ground. Elevators and travelators access multiple stories of high-tech casino floors. The highest levels are luxury hotels, and conference rooms with private spires reserved for the most elite guests.