Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our September live event THE FALL OF THE SAN SABA BOARD! This is our second part of our Season 5 finale, led by Heather Halstead and Jonathan Loyd. 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 last minute Rules You Should Know, including how our Last Hurrah will work.
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, Sidney Betzina, Maddeax Cole, and Jason Dumas.
FIrst GAme of the season!
This weekend we get to return once more to our hometown of Bravado. I’m so excited to see your smiling happy faces and survive the wasteland once more, and I’m so ready to let you survive the rage of the Chairman and end the San Saba Board once and for all. This will be your chance to take part in the final story of Arthur Lovelace, and we want to give you an opportunity to deal with this villain in person.
This is going to be a combat-heavy game, and so far we’ve covered a bit about the Chairman and the history of his conspiracy to rule the San Saba, and how the Capture the Flag events will happen during the weekend. Today, we are going to cover a bit of our customary Rules You Should Know, including:
The Ongoing Assault - The Mechanics of the Board attack on Bravado
The War at Home - How to Use War Supplies and Combat Units in the Fight
The San Saba Board Forces - Threat Skills to Watch Out For!
Let’s get started!
The Ongoing Assault
During the September event, you’ll face all sorts of Lineage enemies that make up the forces of the San Saba Board in their all-out assault on Bravado. Throughout the event, you’ll see a few recurring attacks that I’d like to telegraph in advance.
Sniper Fire
The NPC may call “Line of Sight, 10 Damage!” or a Guide may call “Sniper Fire! 10 Damage!”. The NPC will use a green laser point to identify the targets, or have a Guide point at the victim. Use a green laser pointer to ID targets. NPCs will use this no more than once every 30 seconds.
The Chairman has brought aimed all the guns at Bravado, literally. In many of the fights, you’ll have to deal with the snipers and gunmen aiming from a distance, and you’ll need to take cover and break line of sight to evade their attacks. These will be LINE OF SIGHT attacks, which means they don’t need to hit with a packet or dart to count as a hit. However, Avoid still works on Sniper Fire, and can prevent the entire shot. However, the best defense is just getting out of the line of sight of the laser pointer. If the Guide can’t see you, you can’t be shot!
Air Raid Siren
The NPC will hold a fist in the area marking the point of impact and play an air raid sound. If you do not move away from the point, the NPC will call “Area of Effect, 20 Damage!”. If you take obvious means to dive for cover or hide behind an obstruction, this attack will not affect you.
During the assault on Bravado, Mr. Lovelace will deploy a number of cannons and mortars to shell the town throughout the attack. These bombardments will be represented by a Guide or NPC calling an air raid, and inflicting an AOE attack in an area. The only way to avoid this attack is to HIT THE DECK, and dive for cover or hide behind an obstruction. If you properly respond to the attack, you won’t take damage, but remember this is a GUIDE CALL for an attack so even PFA abilities like Call the Phalanx won’t prevent this damage otherwise. So remember when you hear the air raid sound, take cover!
Sapper Tunnels
The San Saba forces have infiltrated the tunnels below Bravado. They may appear and spawn inside buildings from Sapper Tunnels to overwhelm from the inside. These tunnels can be closed with 10 Basic Scrap and time spent sealing the entrance, but characters with Artisan can complete the repair faster.
Throughout the weekend Red Ledger Sappers will join in the attack, “undermining” (get it?) the town from below. When these attacks occur, a large physical prop to represent the hole created by the infiltration will be set up in the area. These Sapper Tunnels will offer a new place for the enemy to respawn, even INSIDE a building behind the shield wall. While these tunnels can be closed, it’ll take a skilled Artisan and some Basic Scrap to do it quickly.
Sapper Bombs
Represented by a bomb prop carried by an NPC. Counts as a timed trap, and takes 10 seconds to set. After the timer expires, the NPC will call “By My Voice, 50 Body!”. This trap can be disarmed if the timer has not expired. This bomb can damage crafting zones and room augments and will lead to expensive repairs if successfully detonated.
Some conflicts over the weekend will involve large explosives deployed by the San Saba Board forces. These powerful shrapnel bombs will obliterate anyone nearby, but can also damage crafting zones and room augments nearby. When these bombs are deployed, you’ll only have a few minutes to disarm the trap before they detonate. If you fail to stop a bomb, you can expect a costly repair to lock down that crafting station or augment until it’s repaired.
Line of Battle - Lake Path
The line of battle has been marked on the Lake Road. If you pass this point without a Guide, your character is dead from sniper fire and indiscriminate bombardment.
In the initial attack on Bravado, the Chairman will land his invasion force at Punkerport, near Lake Bravo. With the bulk of the Bravado Militia engaged in the fight, you’ll need to help them defend against the assault until reinforcements arrive. Until you’ve successfully fought back and held ground in the attack over the weekend, this area will be the heart of the fighting in town. While most of this fight will happen “off screen”, we will have several barricades erected on the Lake Road, and there will be a clear sign that marks the LINE OF BATTLE. If you cross this line willingly, it will be assumed that your character was slain by the chaotic fighting between the Bravado Militia and the San Saba Board. Only when the final assault on Punkerport commences will you be able to advance the line to the Lake for a final confrontation with the Chairman. Be prepared!
The War at Home
Last season, the War of Antlers gave our players a lot of ways to support the fighting across the San Saba by investing in War Supplies and Combat Units. Our player spent a LOT of time and resources investing in the Militia and we want that investment to still be useful for the final fight of the rebellion. For that reason, there will still be some ways to use any War Supplies and Combat Units you made last season.
Note: There won’t be new ways to generate War Supplies during this event, nor will there be any dice rolling mechanics like there were last season. everything will be focused on in-game conflicts instead!
Let’s talk about the final ways you’ll be able to use items you built last season during the FALL OF THE SAN SABA BOARD.
While there will be some other ways to spend your remaining War Supplies, that’s not necessarily something everyone is interested in. Some of those that built War Supplies last season may not care much about helping out the war effort, so we’ve provided a way to recoup some of your investment. This won’t refund all of the resources you might have spent, but it will provide some additional ways to generate Scrap and other items that could be useful in the future.
War Profiteering:
You can recoup some of your investment by divesting your War Supplies at the Post Office instead of aiding the war effort. You may exchange one (1) War Supplies for one choice from the following resources:
5 Basic Scrap, 2 Uncommon Scrap, or 1 Rare Scrap
3 Basic, Uncommon, or Rare Herb
1 Named Herb or Produce
For those that want a way to ride off in the sunset with their favorite Combat Unit, some of the brave soldiers of the Bravado Militia will have the opportunity to go down fighting against the San Saba Board. There will be an opportunity to send your soldiers to obtain crucial intelligence about Arthur Lovelace’s plans for the attack. When these soldiers are sent into the fray, they will have a chance to acquire a SCOUTING REPORT, and earn you an advanced look at one of the conflicts of the weekend.
Heroic Sacrifice:
You may permanently expend one (1) Combat Unit in a risky maneuver to delay the Board Forces from advancing on Bravado and obtain a Scouting Report for an upcoming attack by the San Saba Board. Record the name of the sacrificed unit on the back of this sheet, but each location can only be scouted once. This is the ONLY way to obtain a Scouting Report.
A Scouting Report will provide an advantage during the next attack by the Chairman’s forces, and make the victory conditions easier.
There will be six opportunities to earn Scouting Reports with this mechanic:
Protect the Solar Panels
Defending The Devil’s Gorge Bridge
Defending the Morgue
Turning the Red Ledger
Defend the Water Supply
The Final Stand
These soldiers will need to give their all, but it’ll be up to you to decide which Combat Units (if any) are willing to make a name for themselves in the final battle. Completing this mission will reduce the difficulty of the upcoming fight, make the victory conditions a bit more manageable, or even reduce certain threat skills or enemies from being used in the fight.
For those that are a bit more attached to the Combat Unit they mustered during the War of Antlers, there will still be a way for them to offer concrete assistance without needing to make a last stand:
The Battle of Bravado:
Spend ten (10) War Supplies or send one (1) Combat Unit to defend Bravado from the Chairman’s assault at the lake. This Unit cannot be used for other actions, but will survive the Fall of the San Saba Board. You can call “Sound of my Voice!” and grant the following buff once during the next 12s:
You’ll be able to choose one of the following buffs you can gain during the event:
Upsurge, Allies gain 20 Armor
Upsurge, Allies can Avoid or Balance for -1 Mind
Upsurge, all Allies gain Ranged Reduction (Minor)
Upsurge, Allies gain 10 Body and 10 Mind
Upsurge, Next 4 melee strikes deal 10 damage
Upsurge, Next Bleed Out, Heal 10 Body
Each of these abilities is an UPSURGE effect. You can find the full rules for Upsurges in the DR Corebook, on page 109. Some enemies may even apply a DOWNSURGE effect, which is just a negative buff instead of one that grants an advantage.
Remember, Upsurges last for a maximum of one hour once called, and you can only have one Upsurge and one Downsurge at a time.
Several skills, items, benedictions, and PFAs can apply Upsurges to other characters.
An Upsurge can take you ABOVE your normal stats for Mind, Body, Infection, Armor or Resolve. If you would use these stats, you instead use the ones granted by the Upsurge first. However, if you haven’t used those resources by the end of the effect, you don’t get to keep the bonus.
If you would be affected by a new Upsurge, you’ll can use the skill Basic Mental Endurance to resist the new call and keep your existing Upsurge. Otherwise, the new Upsurge ability “overwrites” the previous one.
Upsurge effects are tied to the character, and can’t be shared to someone else. If you have a buff to do additional damage on a melee swing, you can’t just hand off your boffer to someone else to let them use your remaining swings. It only applies to you!
There are a few rare items that can steal an Upsurge effect, but it’s only something an Overlord can perform.
The San Saba Board Forces
The Chairman of the Board, Arthur Lovelace, has poured his last resources (and some stolen from the RRC) into funding his war against Bravado. After his loss at the Battle of Essex, the Chairman retreated with his remaining forces and bided his time until after Burning Season to enact his revenge. During the September event, you’ll face a number of dangerous Lineage threats along with the normal dangers like zombies and raiders.
The two main parts of the Chairman’s forces consist of the mercenary legions of the Red Ledger, led by the new boss, Simon Blackheart, and the Chair’s personal elite army called The Praetorian Guard, led by Lawrence Graves. These forces will be intelligent enemies, capable of tactics, conversation, opening doors, and laying traps. They will be capable of basically anything you could do as a player and will use powerful crafted equipment against you in battle.
There’s a few threats to be aware of:
Red Ledger Strikers - The main force of Arthur’s attack are the thugs and strikers of the Red Ledger. Trained killers and soldiers for hire, they’ve taken a contract with the Chairman during the war and were once staunch allies of the Militia until the rebellion began. These horde threats will be the bread and butter you’ll face over the weekend and each is a dangerous combatant capable of using most weapons and combat skills in equal measure.
Red Ledger Sappers - The siege specialists of the Red Ledger have infiltrated the Facility below Bravado and have dug a number of tunnels into the town. Once used to siege Oxkiller fortifications, they’ve now turned their destructive tendencies towards our town. Capable of forward deployment with Sapper Tunnels and armed with powerful explosive devices, the Sappers will strike behind enemy lines to disrupt the town as much as they can.
Waking Intelligence Assassins - Lawrence Grave’s elite spooks will be present for the fight in Bravado, bringing their murderous skills to bear against our town. Stealthy and sneaky, the WIS Assassins will be responsible for sabotage, infiltration, and other more subtle strikes on the town. You can expect them to have powerful abilities in combat and the ability to fade into shadows or quickly get out of an ambush.
Praetorian Zealots - The Chairman’s personal guard are made up of some of the most talented killers and soldiers recruited from his years during the Hiway War. The Zealots are the healers and force multipliers of the attack on Bravado, capable of protecting their allies and returning dangerous threats back into the fray. You’ll need to quickly deal with them before they undo all the damage you’ve inflicted on the other Board forces.
Praetorian Commanders - The leaders of the Praetorian Guard are powerful generals, buffing their fellow soldiers in a fight and providing powerful Upsurge effects to their troops. They are also practiced killers, capable of breaking a line or holding their own in a fight. The Commanders will be some of the most deadly enemies of the weekend, outside of Lawrence and the other face NPCs, and will be a dangerous foe on the battlefield.
wrap up
That’s it for today Vados! We have a lot of cool fights planned for the weekend, and I can’t wait to challenge you on the battlefield as we bring the war home to Bravado. You’ll have a chance to deal with the Chairman and his allies, and change the future of the San Saba with one last stand. Will you carry the banner of Bravado into the fray? Will you survive the rage of the Chairman? Will you find a way to stop a wily foe with resources and back up plans to spare?
Remember, you can still get tickets at the door, so don’t miss your chance to take part in the final battles of the War of Antlers!
See you this weekend Vados!
