In a rare switcheroo, it’s Aesa here, not Jonathan with a blog post for y’all! I want to talk about something that’s near and dear to me and (most of) the characters I play… CRIME!
Your Storytelling team strongly believes that the best stories involve conflict. To that end, we are building a setting that provides several avenues of narrative conflict. These include but are not limited to:
LCs versus local threats
Society Memberships and Faction interplay
CvC between LCs (often prompted by CvC factions such as the Widows of the Lonestar, the Red Ledger, Murder Inc., the Law Dogs, and more.)
Powerful and morally corrupt antagonists
Bizarre and arcane local traditions (like the Long Night, the Grave Tax, and the Indulgence)
Challenging paradigms that highlight the survival horror and hopepunk themes of Dystopia Rising.
Without challenges to throw themselves against, LCs would not have those crucible moments that define their character, and we frankly would not have a very interesting game! Law & Order falls under the ‘challenging paradigm’ category on that list. For those who enjoy living outside of the law, it gives the lines to color outside of, and for those who wish to define their characters as a force for ‘good’ it’s a soapbox upon which to stand.
Let’s be real, most LCs in Bravado put their grey hats on each morning with gusto…
The Laws of the San Saba give us all the things you expect and a few things that are particularly unique to Bravado. After all, performing CvC actions should come with interesting and convincing deterrents to not do it badly. So what happens when a character inevitably breaks the law?
About a year and a half ago we ran a virtual event called Justicalia where Warden Tabitha St. Mercy of Prudence Penitentiary released 90% of the prison population, retaining only the XXX-wing Lifers. While our prison plot led to compelling backstories, no one wants to spend time at LARP sitting in a jail cell. “Justice”, such as it is, must be mobile and dynamic.
“In matters of Law and Order, the Law Dogs, Hell Hounds and Justices of Sin enact the will of the Board as their Voice and their Vigor, empowered to wield Death and Duty in their name.”
Law Dogs, and their lethal counterparts Hellhounds, under the ruddy Boss Wyatt, are charged with hunting down Breachers who violate contracts or break the laws of the San Saba.
Justices of Sin are the other half of the equation, as it is the Justices who are judge, jury, and ofttimes executioner for LCs captured by Law Dogs. Justices of Sin are played by Storytellers and staff only.
What happens when an LC breaks the law?
The first thing that should happen is someone should tell your Storytellers.
Yes, that’s right, rat out your friends faster than a Vegasian can sell you a timeshare in the desert!
If you want storyteller generated consequences for your character, please clue us in! Now if you’re trying to grift, thieve, or steal Railroad Conglomerate secrets without getting caught, then carry on with your bad self. But if you want a Law Dog to hunt you down as a Breacher, please tell us so we can work with you to tell that story with the might of our NPCs behind it. Plot can’t execute what plot only reads about in your online fanfiction… or something.
Currently the primary liaison on staff for Crime Scenes is Aesa (that’s me!). The Justices of Sin are part of the Prudence Penitentiary faction under Warden Tabitha St. Mercy (not coincidentally also played by me!). However we have a whole Senate of storytellers who can play Justices of Sin, so your scene isn’t necessarily with Our Lady of Jurisprudence by default.
Once you have the attention of the Storytelling Senate…
You get to negotiate your CRIME SCENE!
The Crime Scene - The scene between the Justice of Sin and the LC who committed a crime is a personalized scene that melds the player’s goals and comfort level with the story and consequences brought about through their play. This may involve ‘closed door’ black box narration scenes, or public displays of punishment or atonement also known as The Gauntlet. Completion of a Crime Scene is seen by the San Saba Board as absolving that character’s criminal strikes and all Law Dog Contracts will be nullified for those crimes.
Some players want to have their character publicly hung at the crossroads. Others prefer to have their character’s contract seized by a horrible antagonist faction. Some want to use this plot point to force a change of faith, or another narrative shift for their character. Some folks just don’t do well with crowds and would therefore like to avoid a public scene like the Gauntlet.
We want to work with you, the player, to make this a story we tell together.
There will be consequences for breaking the Law, but they can (and should) be fun, and work to forward your narrative goals for your character.
This is not to say that the Justices of Sin are bastions of morality or that the San Saba Board is always going to be judicious in the laws they pass, but we wanted to let you know that no matter which side of the law your LC ends up on, we’re on your side to make sure that experience is still fun.
To sum it up:
Law and Order in the play space is meant to deter LC’s from doing things our post-apocalyptic society considers ‘undesirable’ behavior.
The world we’re telling our stories within is corrupt and dangerous, so it leads to interesting concepts of what is morally commendable or reprehensible.
There should be consequences for LC’s that do terrible things, but…
Our goal out of character is to negotiate what those consequences look like in a way that everyone involved will enjoy.
So go on with your bad selves, and we’ll see you at the Crossroads.