Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our September live event BENEATH THE CORPSE OF WAKING! 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 in-game changes to the setting, faction changes, and a few important RULES updates your characters should know!
Our Admin team and some other DR:TX volunteers had a great time at ColossalCon in Round Rock this past weekend! It was a blast to spend time talking about our game with new players, so expect to see more of these con appearances in our future! Can’t wait to see some new faces at our first event!
Let’s get started!
The San Saba Territories, circa PHW ‘07, by Aesa Garcia. What’s that red spot in the north?
important Story events from last season
We covered a few out-of-game changes in last week’s blog post, but let’s cover a few changes that have happened in the San Saba since last season. This is information a returning character might know, and you can always choose to follow along or instead learn this info in game if you prefer.
Last season, we had a LOT of big events:
During VALLEY OF FEAR, Bravado shut down a dangerous crystal candy operation near the town. They dealt with dangerous diseased mutants and stopped Juliet Butcher from helping Killhouse spread poison into the town. Deadly variant Crystal Candy blends were stopped from being spread through the San Saba, though Juliet Butcher escaped.
During our National Event PYROCLASM, the San Saba successfully defeated a deadly disease known as the Necrophage. In doing so, most of the Lifer population of Prudence Penitentiary was killed, as was the titular villain behind the plot, Grandfather Nichols. The only real survivor within Killhouse was Tabitha St. Mercy and a few of her most trusted allies.
During IMPRINT BY DESIGN, the town experienced a means to change a person’s Strain to something else entirely. While the technology was ultimately lost with the death of its creator, Dr. Esgrove, several characters in town experienced some dramatic shifts in Strain, including revealing that CEO of the Railroad Conglomerate, Felicity Redfield, had been a Remnant all along.
During THE EMERALD GALA, Bravado survived an incursion from the mysterious entities known as Archons. The town developed new technology known as the Emerald Arsenal to combat the threat of outsiders, helping Bravado successfully repel the Archon threat for a final time. However, that destructive technology is now loose in the world for other uses, for better or for worse.
During CRISIS OF FAITH, the Red Ledger helped Bravado defeat a doomsday cult known as the Cult of the Tiny God. The Cult attempted a conversion by the sword of any that opposed them but were stopped by the combined faith of the town. Without the demogogue leader of the Cult, the cultists were scattered by the might of the Red Ledger and Bravado.
During THE RAGE THAT FILLS HER SAILS, the town defeated the undead fleets of Joanna Waves, the Strainscourge of the Seas. They survived the deadly Black Spot and broke the Amaranthine Armada with a desperate attack on Joanna’s flagship. The Junkerpunks and Bravado defended the town and recovered a massive cannon from the Juggernaut after it sunk.
During HELLS OF THE SAN SABA, the town dealt with deadly Resonance Raiders, the lethal heat of the San Saba, and a water crisis. Building a new water filter system for the town helped protect the town from the worst of disease and shortages, but the town uncovered that someone had been attempting to recreate the nightmarish Resonant first found in Barogue. With the strange laboratory shut down, the Resonant ceased their attacks on the town.
During VOX POPULI, the flying city of Waking was crashed near the town of Bravado. During the Waking crisis, the terrorist known as the Rook fired a shot from a massive cannon at the floating city. The town narrowly decided to land the massive city on their own heads, sparing Widow’s Peak at the last moment. While the emergency landing kept most of Waking intact and avoided the worst outcome, the devastation has forever changed the town of Bravado, bringing deadly radiation and new undead threats from within the wreckage of the city. The decisions made during the fall of Waking will have a BIG impact on the future of the San Saba.
During THE UNDYING PRINCE, mysterious Obelisks awoke across the San Saba, leading survivors to the Lost City. During our summer online event, players took shelter within Barogue during an Oxkiller attack, and awoke the Prince Undying, the last ruler of the Lost City of Barogue. With his help, they used the Shards of the Red Crown to silence the obelisk within Barogue and escape from a horde of Resonant Raiders, but were nearly trapped in a nightmarish realm beyond death. At the end, it was as if everything they had experienced was just a dream, and the Prince Undying was nowhere to be found.
Text: Declaration of War! A State of War exists between the San Saba Territories and the people and government of the Oxkiller Alliance. The San Saba Board is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire military force of the San Saba and the resources of the Territories to carry on war against the Oxkiller Alliance and bring the conflict to a successful termination. Levying war against the San Saba, adhering to the enemies of the San Saba Territories, or giving them aid and comfort is an act of treason. The Charter nor Law of the San Saba shall levy punishment against those that spill the blood or bone, steal the Infection of the body or work of the hands of those that have committed treason.
Big story changes for Season 5
We told a year of exciting stories last season, but there’s some important consequences from last season that will matter for this upcoming event and Season 5.
The War of Antlers has begun. The San Saba Territories are now at WAR. The enemy forces of the Oxkiller Alliance, the remnants of the Okiller and Antler Tribes that left after the death of Queen Jasper, have claimed the territory of Star City and Fort Worthless as part of a new OXKILLER TERRITORY. This new faction is at war with the San Saba, and plans on using their superior military might to undermine the San Saba Board. Thankfully, the town elected to fund a new militia to match this threat, and the Board has named anyone that helps the Oxkiller Alliance a traitor in an emergency wartime change to the San Saba Charter.
During this season, you can freely kill Oxkiller Alliance enemies without worrying about being sentenced to a Gauntlet for murder or theft.
The Lovelace Family has withdrawn to Widow’s Peak. After nearly losing their family to a Bravado-based threat three times over two years, the Lovelace are through with risking their kin in Bravado. While they were spared from a death beneath the crushing weight of the skyship city of Waking, it was only in the last moments that the town redirected their efforts to avoid the Quiet Folk settlement. The Widows of the Lone Star have been granted ultimate influence over legal decisions, leaving the orphanage and charitable organization to manage their interests in town during their absence.
The Lovelace Family will no longer be an eligible Society Membership, and any characters with this membership will gain Widows of the Lone Star membership instead. However, all of the items on the Lovelace Family Faction Buy Lists remain available for players with Widows membership.
General Rampart and the Grave Council placed Bravado under a Quarantine and Audit. After risking the balance of the morgues to an entity known as the Voice Below and the reckless behavior involving Grave Mind Shards and more, the Grave Council has “quarantined” our community from the danger they represent. They will not offer official services in town as a faction, have fired all the groundskeepers, and the Reckoners will be performing an audit on any actions that impact the Grave Mind over the next year. Heavy fines and penalties will be placed on those that choose to use unlicensed graverobbers, particularly for life binding services, and Bravado is on their own should a morgue crisis ensue. Yikes!
Characters may not increase their Society Membership with the Grave Council past Basic without a specific plot request.
Any character that uses Master Faithful Will will incur a 100 Brass fine from the Grave Council during the duration of the Audit. This amount will be added to your Grave Tax, and could come due in April.
The Morgue will have additional mechanics for maintenance that must be completed by players during each game. If this is not completed, serious consequences could occur in the town.
The Railroad Conglomerate has been seriously impacted by the fall of Waking. The loss of their capital as a shining beacon of their power was a massive hit to the financial faction. In retaliation for Felicity’s role in the catastrophic crash, the Families of Waking Prime have claimed the second Board seat once reserved for the Railroad Conglomerate. This has served to weaken the influence of the RRC during Board votes, as the Families are much more likely to favor the Chair.
The RRC will experience several penalties to their financial and political influence during Season 5 based on the decision to land Waking Prime on Bravado.
The second RRC seat on the Board is now held collectively by the Families of Waking Prime, powerful allies of the Chairman that were introduced during the Emerald Gala.
The Red Ledger is focused on the war to the north. Their Strikers have been sent to aid the war effort alongside the San Saba Republic, and they have their hands full. Expect to see less of a Red Ledger presence in Bravado as the season continues, as they chase bigger prey in the war to the north.
The Red Ledger is no longer an eligible Society Membership. The Red Ledger Buylist will be added into the various Faction Buy Lists instead, and your Marks are still eligible to be earned and spent on SES-related items.
We will have some more information on this in the weeks ahead!
Text: Strikers of the Red Ledger should regroup on the northern fronts. Mercenaries and militias don’t mix. There’s no glory in small quarry and the Oxkiller War has plenty to go around. Let the San Saba folks handle the small stuff and let’s answer the call. Iron sharpens iron, Strikers. — Gustav Glasseyes
The Charter of the San Saba has been updated, giving new autonomy to the Law Dogs and the Justices of Sin. Thanks to a clever submission during the Stakeholder’s Meeting, the contract the Law Dogs signed with the Board has been renegotiated. Additionally, the Justices of Sin have become an entity of their own, gaining new freedoms from Tabitha and Killhouse Prison. However, the conflict between these three factions is sure to cause issues for justice in the San Saba during Season 5.
The Faction Buy Lists for Prudence Penitentiary and the Law Dogs have been updated. Several items once limited to one faction are now available to players of BOTH factions.
Players will have an opportunity to decide the final fate of these three Justice factions during our Season 5 events: Prudence Penitentiary, the Law Dogs, and the Justices of Sin.
The Bravado Morgue was successfully defended, and the Voice Below was silenced. Near the end of our May event, players successfully dealt with the Grave Mind entity known as the Voice Below, and the catastrophic consequences that might have occurred had Waking landed with the link still intact were prevented thanks to player sacrifice. However, while players successfully dealt with this threat, the Shard of the Grave Mind formerly known as the Eightfold Mother is still a growing problem within the Bravado morgues.
The Local Blueprint “Rite of the Indulgence” has been removed from play.
The Bravado Morgue has been moved to the Treehouse. Returning safely from death will no longer be as certain within Bravado. If you are not careful, you could lose multiple Infection when you die!
The mysterious Obelisks have quieted for now, but Lake Bravo is still boiling. Folks did something in Barogue to slow down the crisis of these strange monoliths that awoke over the summer all around the San Saba, but it didn’t fix everything. There’s something different about the strange white obelisk in the center of the lake, and its still wrecking havoc on Drywater, the Junkerpunks and anything that lives near or on the water. Plus, the Prince Undying is still missing after the nightmarish escape from Barogue. Where did he go, and what is he up to now?
Sailing mods this season will involve new threats, new enemies, and the Junkerpunk faction will have several penalties to their financial influence during the season.
Shards of the Red Crown are a new limited currency item introduced for this season. This item is an Illustrated Item Card, and will have several different uses over the season.
A new keyword “Attuned to Nightmares” has been added to our Local Rules.
The radioactive husk of Waking is on Bravado’s doorstep. The once mighty skyship was crash landed near the city, causing massive ecological devastation in the process. While the surface city is mostly intact, the interior decks of the ship remain dangerously irradiated. The town has cordoned off the radioactive approach to the airship into the new Waking Exclusion Zone. The seat of the San Saba Board is now directly involved in the future of Bravado.
Zuni has become our new NPC land. The entire area is severely radioactive and should be avoided in-character. Players may not enter this area unless on a mod, as they will quickly die from lethal exposure to radiation.
Text: To our Lovelace Family in Bravado. At the request of our Matriarch, Immacula Lovelace, and the town council of Widow’s Peak, it has become time to protect our values politely but proactively. The Lovelace Family has chosen to focus our public assets with the charitable organization of the Widows of the Lone Star. Our family will not grace the lands of Bravado until restitution for sins committed has been met. Rebuilding a community starts from the ground up, but our patience tells us when to prune the weeds from the blossom. Your deeds for the Family will not be forgotten and all the respect and honor of our family will be met by our siblings within the Widows. Live Quiet, Peaceful, and Connected Lives, Clauthia Lovelace.
A sneak peek at the future
We have a lot in store this season, but I’ll wrap up today’s post with a teaser into our season story. Here are the episode titles and Storytellers of the upcoming games of the season:
September 15-17 - BENEATH THE CORPSE OF WAKING
Overarc Storytellers: Heather & Jonathan
October 13-15 - CIRQUE DE DREAD
Overarc Storyteller: Matt Hoadley
November 10-12 - EMERGENCE
Overarc Storyteller: Maenad Wilder
December 8-10 - THE RED DEATH (Premiere Event!)
Overarc Storytellers: Heather & Jonathan
February 9-11 - THE BREAKER OF CROWNS
Overarc Storytellers: Heather & Jonathan
March 8-10 - GIFTS OF SUFFERING
Overarc Storyteller: Andrew Harper
April 12-14 - WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP
Overarc Storyteller: Brett Moulton
May 10-12 - THE ATROCITY
Overarc Storytellers: Heather & Jonathan
What could it all mean? Oh man, I’m so excited to tell the next chapter of the San Saba story. We have a lot in store for this season, and I hope you are as excited as we are.
Remember, tickets are still on sale for our September event. Skip the line at pre-reg!
See you soon Vados!
Text: Life Binding: Class 3 Offense. The Grave Council will enforce a 100 Brass bounty on each use of Life Binding to upset the balance of the Mortis. Robbing the Mortis Amaranthine in this way threatens our work in Waking and the San Saba and will not be tolerated under the Bravado Quarantine & Audit.