Choice Points
Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to next Dystopia Rising Live event THE POLITICS OF ANARCHY! This game will be led by Jonathan Loyd and Heather Halstead. Each week, I’ll discuss in detail an aspect of the upcoming event, compiling the rules and lore into one easy place to read! This week, we are covering some of the BIG decisions you’ll be making during our finale event.
If you had a great experience at our last event THE GUILTY AMONG US or had some suggestions for how we can improve, we’d love to hear from you! We appreciate your high-fives and suggestions and always want to seek ways to improve our events.
Fill out our Feedback Form!
The Juno Database has been updated! You’ll need to remake your characters before this event, and I’ve included step by step instructions in a blog post on the topic. This is super important to make sure that you can check in for the May event and have a character sheet, so we need your help! Check it out here!
We have a Discord Social planned for Monday, April 28th at 7:00pm! With the update to the database, our old rule system is officially done! Let’s celebrate the full move to DR Live and hangout! This is a great time to get involved with feedback, get help with converting your character sheets, or learning a bit about the future of DR:TX!
Feedback is starting up at the owner level for DR Live! We’ve opened a new channel on our Discord called #DRL-feedback, so you can have a say in what I represent for our chapter. We get to pick our five most pressing changes we would like to see, so if you feel up to it get involved in the conversation!
We will be scheduling a special Camp Bluebonnet Work Day coming up soon! Stay tuned!
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Lily-Jay Jones, Miranda Farmer, Noah Goodman, and Max Pohlmeier.
revisiting THE PREMISE - the POLITICS OF ANARCHY
Since the fall of the San Saba Board last year, anarchy has overtaken the wasteland around Bravado. While attempts at structure have been made; whether it be crews banding together, or criminals seeking to seize power within the vacuum, differing values and ever present threats has made a new structure difficult to birth. Leaderless and doomed to repeat the same mistakes, this fragile society threatens to collapse, and with that collapse, fall into an inevitable war with neighbors, bandit kings, and shadow organizations bent on the town’s downfall.
Something must change.
There is no longer a single “Law of the Land” to fall back on. Each settlement, village, or collection of weather worn tents in the wasteland makes its own rules, its own charter. But the wastes are a harsh and unforgiving place, resources are scarce, and alliances are paramount to survival for all but the most fortified. The filmsy spit-shake peace between Bastion, Drywater, and Bravado has all but disintegrated, and the need for a new, stronger alliance is dangerously evident. A crisis in one settlement can quickly threaten to become a problem for their neighbors, and there is no clear authority for this new wasteland.
Drywater stares down the barrel of a civil war, with a morgue slowly rotting out from under them, an inevitable threat to the greater region. Sinker Swim and Captain Margeaux Latiche seek to make their alliances and bribes to different crews, further complicating attempts at a resolution of their dispute. The plague of the Midnight Covenant has spread beyond the borders of Bastion, and into Bravado and beyond. The Militia has been decimated by raiders, and is seeking justice, and new resources. If Bravado cannot provide, they’re likely to find support elsewhere. The factions of the San Saba are still stretched thin, repairing the damages incurred by the last war.
And this has not gone unnoticed. The Law Dogs talk of extradition treaties, and seek outside council. Militia soldiers are openly attacking their former allies. Terrorists openly attack sporting events. Mustang and her Loyalists seek a formalized government with which to parlay with their closest neighbor. Bravado looks to its crews to come to a collective understanding of what the future may hold for the town.
Voices rise above the chaos and saber rattling demanding the CHARTER SUMMIT. The yearly vote to amend the Bravado Charter. The first test of the fledgling crew council known as the Outfit, and the last chance at peace for the region. The last opportunity to resolve grudges and reconcile recent offenses. The last gamble to provide order to a society on the brink of collapse. The last attempt to break the cycle of death, dissention, and inevitably... war.
Can you put aside the demons of the past and forge a path forward?
choices & Consequences
At the end of each season we attempt to let our players shape a bit of the future and the stories to come by offering some BIG CHOICES during our finale event. In previous years, we’ve declared Rebellion against the Board, brought down the city of Waking, dealt with a major undead menace, or tried to fix a collapsing morgue. Each time, the consequences of those decisions continued into our stories for the seasons to come and the impact of those choices was far beyond those events. During our May event THE POLITICS OF ANARCHY, we will be making some BIG decisions that will resonate into our future stories for Season 7.
Last week, we covered the teaser for our last event of the season, and I’ve included it once more in this post above. We also talked about some Content Warnings last week, so make sure you check that out as we start this conversation. There’s a few key phrases and situations hinted at in the teaser, and in the spirit of Radical Transparency I want to outline specifically what some of that means.
There’s FOUR big events of note that will happen during this upcoming event that we need to cover: The Charter Summit, The Tri-City Alliance, the Fate of the Militia, and the Junkerpunk Civil War.
The Charter Summit
This document was presented during the Crew Council meeting in April
The first event that really allows most of the big choices to even take place is the upcoming CHARTER SUMMIT.
Back at the start of the season when we established the Bravado Charter, we included in a way to update and change the laws of the town once a year. This vote to add or remove laws is known as the Charter Summit. Much like the Stakeholder’s Meeting of the San Saba Board era, this is designed as a way to change how justice works in our town on a semi-regular basis.
“The Law of Bravado will be written, revised, and unwritten by the Justices of Sin, utilizing proposed laws or amendments bearing signatures of at least 50% of the Citizenship.
Suggestions from the Citizens of Bravado for new Laws or amendments to the Charter will be presented to the Justices of Sin each year during the annual Charter Summit, for a period of consideration no shorter than 3 days.”
With this chance to make some changes, this is a great time to add a few laws to the town to enforce alliances and treaties with your neighbors, update illegal substances to account for the blueprint changes in DR Live, or even include more opportunities to update the rules outside of once a year in May. This will also be the first opportunity to consider some of the new options for player leadership for the town.
I’ll be covering some of the specific logistics of this important vote next week, so stay tuned.
The Tri-City Alliance
This was also presented to players during the Crew Council at the April event.
The next important decision the faces the town is how to cement the relationship with their nearest neighbors. While our area of the San Saba covers the whole 10-mile radius around Bravado, our most pressing stories will be dealing with the folks that can most reasonably impact our town - Drywater and Bastion. As we continue our stories into Season 7, you can expect these two nearby towns to be the subject of most of our upcoming stories in the region. Both towns are mostly in walking distance of Bravado, and things that impact these locations will likely be an issue for Bravado too.
Simply put, it will be easier to have allies than enemies in your neighbors, so it makes sense to consider how you can make this a reality.
Last game, the infamous General Mustang presented a request to sign a treaty with Bravado and presented her demands to the fledgling crew council. She has a few expectations that need to be met, but her intention is to return once more for a good faith attempt at peace between the settlements.
Over the last year, the tensions have risen between Bravado and Bastion, including citizens of Bravado killing Loyalist soldiers, sneaking into the city to damage infrastructure, and even a misunderstanding in the Exclusion Zone that could have easily blown up into open conflict. Likewise, there’s been a few grievances that can be directed at Mustang and Bastion, including the dangerous cult known as the Midnight Covenant. The current law for citizenship in Bravado has been frequently weaponized against travelers, and the nearby towns are sure to bring up some common-sense changes to protect their people.
On the side of Drywater, there’s been attacks on the merchant ships of the town by the Militia, while the grave heads of Bravado warn against an impending morgue collapse that is sure to complicate issues for our hometown. Each town near Bravado has plenty of reasonable concern and grievances, and it’s going to need to be a consideration in any treaty. But with no clear leader of the Junkerpunks, settling on a treaty for them may be more challenging than dealing with a single leader like Mustang.
The last consideration for a treaty is the changing politics of the San Saba. During the last War, Bravado was a serious contender as a military power in the region thanks to the mustered armies of the Rebellion, but the tides have turned against the town. As the Militia has been decimated by raider and zombie attacks, they can no longer match the military force represented by the Mustang Loyalists. If Bravado doesn’t find a way to satisfy Mustang, they could end up on the losing side of a military invasion and occupation by a far superior combat force. Hopefully no one will try to complicate this issue by provoking an attack on Mustang!
There are a few suggestions from the Justice of Sin for modifications to the charter, but these will need to be decided by popular vote on the Charter.
These decisions will largely be decided during the CHARTER SUMMIT, scheduled to happen at 4:00 PM on Saturday, at the Depot.
A Treaty with Drywater and Bastion to form a new alliance. If signed, this could establish strong borders and strong trade with the neighboring towns, leading to more merchants and more economic opportunity.
An Extradition Agreement for criminals that flee to the nearby settlements, following a proposal already submitted by the Bravado Law Dogs, will help empower the Justices of Sin to serve all three cities and help deal with terrorists like the Midnight Covenant.
A law to protect the citizens of the neighboring settlements from one another, and to ensure justice is served if something happens to violate that law. Mustang is tired of her soldiers being killed, and this will need to be part of any treaty.
How to settle past and present grievances, and bury the hatchet on the sins of the past. While each town has choices they’ve made during the war that they could answer for, how to deal with supposed war crimes and old grudges from the last conflict needs to be settled.
How to handle Meaty Bits and their new role in criminal enterprises, as Crystal Candy has evolved for a new era. This could anger the criminal underworld, but create a lucrative trade in illicit substances for those outside the law.
Adding additional chances to amend the law other than once a year in May, notably adding a smaller chance for changes in December. With the constant changes in the wasteland and a new fledgling government for Bravado, it could be wise to put a few more checks and balances on leadership.
The Junkerpunk Civil War
Related to the pending Tri-City Alliance is the politics of the nearby town of Drywater. The Junkerpunk settlement of Drywater, just across Lake Bravo to the west of New Bravado’s extended territory, has become a companion port to our home town. Admiral Sinkerswim and the battered fleets of the Junkerpunks fled the siege of the Clutch far to the south, and have made their new home next door. As the San Saba collapsed into anarchy, the rebellious faction has refused to allow the Justices of Sin or Grave Council to have a say in their settlement, forging a new path ahead of freedom and lawlessness in their new pirate capital.
In the midst of this lawlessness has emerged two primary factions - The Muddy Water Accord, pirates and merchants represented by Sinker Swim and the Junkerpunks that aided Bravado during the war, and the Drowned Suns, a new more ruthless rival led by the nefarious Captain Margeaux Latiche. While the Drowned Suns have certainly been involved in dangerous Mortis conditions in Drywater, they have also become a legitimate political rival to Sinker, grown as a reactionary response to Sinker’s choices for the faction. Margeaux is charismatic, and her political support now outshines that of Sinker Swim.
There is no real future for Drywater that doesn’t address the elephant in the room — who should lead the Junkerpunks into the future of Season 7? Neither Sinker Swim nor Margeaux will allow the other to make a decision for their faction, and until this conflict is resolved the Junkerpunks will be an unlikely ally. This is a dangerous decision, and it’s likely one that will result in bloodshed regardless of who emerges as the victor.
There are two major choices for this topic:
The Muddy Water Accord represents a strong ally for Bravado, backing a known leader in Sinker Swim. However, doing so will certainly provoke a majority of the faction into open hostilities with Bravado. Drywater will require monetary and necrological support to survive the conflict and will need resources from Bravado as an ally.
The Drowned Suns are a new majority within the Junkerpunks, with a strong, if strict, leader. Though Margeaux has promised lucrative and profitable trade with Bravado if they back her claim to power, there remains a worry about her control over her lieutenants, particularly the dangerous graverobber known as Capricorn.
The Fate of the Bravado Militia
General Hargrave Moss-Iverspiit
During our March event, OFF THE RAILS, we had some major events that impacted the beloved Bravado Militia. At the end of the event, the town faced a choice to face off against a deadly apocalyptic threat of Pit Stop Raiders or risking losing access to the Oxline for good by letting the Sweetwaters escape the town. The town stood firm against the raider hordes, but the main force of the raiders were drawn away by the heroic Militia. The Militia eventually persevered, but only after a deadly cost to their soldiers and equipment.
The Militia had some opinions after this costly battle, and rightfully so. Some of the Militia soldiers took justice into their own hands and ran down some of the surviving Sweetwaters to enact their own revenge on the nomadic tribe that risked their brothers and sisters. General Hargrave Moss-Iverspiit defended the actions of his soldiers and prevented them from being taken by Law Dogs, despite it being a clear violation of the Bravado Charter. In their zeal to defend their own, they even sunk a pair of merchant vessels headed to Drywater, inadvertently angering the Junkerpunks at the same time.
While the Militia still has enough soldiers to defend their new headquarters of Pride’s Hold, formerly known as Killhouse, they are a fraction of the force they were during the War of Antlers. Attrition, retirement, and the challenges of anarchy in the wasteland have stretched them thin, and something will need to be done to ensure their safety over the Burning Season.
What the Militia really needs is money and scrap to rebuild. But the question arises in who will pay for such an extreme cost? There is no San Saba Board to foot the bill, nor a ready cache of war supplies to reinforce their armaments. Early estimates from the town’s allies suggests that Militia needs hundreds of Brass of resources to return to a fighting strength. They will need scrap for armor, weapons, ammo, and building new watch posts across the San Saba peninsula to protect Bravado. If they are outfitted properly, there would once again be a military capable of matching the Mustang Loyalists in the region, helping to prevent a future conflict.
There are functionally three different outcomes that can be considered for the Militia:
Establish some form of tax on all three settlements, for a collective defense. This could mean a recurring cost for Bravado of over 200 Brass per trade starting next season. That money and scrap would need to be gathered from somewhere and some plan of how to deal with that cost decided by the crew council. However, this would keep the Militia as a peacekeeping force in the area, helping prevent worse raider and undead attacks from hurting innocents in the San Saba.
Find someone else to pay. There are forces in the area that could sponsor the Militia, keeping a huge cost from being levied against the citizens of Bravado. If the Grave Council gets involved, they could recruit a new Reckoner Legion from the Militia forces, but their purpose would be focused more on Pride’s Hold than Bravado, protecting the new Vaults of Reckoning. If they are unwilling, Bastion has offered to add the Militia to their own chain of command, providing a stable supply of scrap to the Militia in exchange for their loyalty.
Let the Militia handle their own problems and handle your own defense. The Moss-Iverspiits are talented mercenaries, and there are a number of organizations in the wasteland that could benefit from their help, if they don’t have to worry about protecting Bravado. The Blacktide Hunters would find strong recruits in the Militia, and could bring new mercenary contracts to the San Saba.
These are definitely some BIG DECISIONS. Let’s talk about how they will be settled.
Choice Points
During our next event, we will attempt to clearly telegraph when an important decision is about to be made. However, not every decision will be communicated in advance, and sometimes will need some spur of the moment decisions by the folks that are present. There’s a chance that you won’t be in the right place at the right time, and you’ll have to deal with choices made by others, or wield your particular blend of wasteland charisma to gain the allegiances and promises. Players won’t necessarily agree on the best way forward, but a decision must be made.
During a CHOICE POINT, we will have a yellow sign held by a Guide or NPC that clearly marks that a major decision is about to be made.
These Choice Points will have clearly defined outcomes, along with potential consequences for these decisions. While some of these consequences will be determined next season, some of these choices will have some predictable outcomes depending on your decisions. This could change the course of the entire event, even changing up the dangerous threats you could encounter on Saturday night. We’ve planned for a few different outcomes, even allotting for Bravado’s habit of finding the secret third option, but your decisions will have an impact.
You should expect some aggressive role play and personal conflict. In these types of political choices and town wide decisions, tensions will likely get heated, voices will be raised, and there will probably be a bit of conflict. If this kind of role play isn’t something you find interesting, these will largely occur in the DEPOT at set times, so you’ll know where to avoid if you want to opt out of these big emotions in character. Remember, you can always use the Okay Check-In system to leave a powerful scene, but that may mean you miss out on some of those big decisions.
Sometimes the best way to end an argument in the wasteland is with the truest form of diplomacy - VIOLENCE. There’s a solid chance that you may also be facing off against your fellow players in order to pursue your agendas during the Summit. Remember, the whole town is WASTELAND, so you could find yourself in CVC conflict before you realize it. Remember, the most dangerous foe in the wasteland isn’t zed, raiders, or critters, it’s the fellow survivor you share a home with in Bravado
Heather and I will be working diligently to respond to your ideas, suggestions, and decisions during the event, but our goal is to empower you to make some BIG CHANGES to our setting for Season 7 and beyond. We want you to tell us which of these groups you want to survive the crucible of the Charter Summit, and we are so excited to make big decisions together. Our past story of the San Saba in 3.0 has finally come to an end, and it’s time to plant the seeds of new story arcs, new villains, new allies, and new important elements of our setting.
Wrap Up
Whew! That was a long one, but that’s it for today, Vados.
We hope that you will come join us for our next event, THE POLITICS OF ANARCHY. We’ve told a year-long story of the collapse of the San Saba, and it’s time for some BIG choices. Will you help resolve the civil war between the two Junkerpunk factions? Will you find a way to restore the balance to the San Saba and help the wounded Militia recover and reshape into a new fighting force? Will you settle your differences with Bastion and choose against a new war in the San Saba? Will you be able to bury the hatchet on old grudges and embrace the bright new future that awaits Bravado in Season 7? Let’s find out together!
Next week we will cover how to place your vote during the Charter Summit! See you soon, Vados!
