Rules Ramble

A New Dawn

Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our April live event WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP! This is our next ST led over-arc game, led by Noah Goodman. 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 lore you should know about the upcoming event and glimpse at the new dawn for some of the established traditions of Collection Day and the Grave Tax.

  • TICKETS FOR OUR APRIL EVENT ARE ON SALE NOW! CAN YOU survive what emerges from waking?

  • One of the next Dystopia Rising Live books has been official released - A GRAVE PLACE is now available on the DR Live Website, free to read and enjoy! This book is a primer on the Grave Mind, but it does include some important story spoilers within. If you are still interested, take a look at the secrets of the Mortis Amaranthine!

  • CLEAN UP IS CHANGING! We will be experimenting with a new process for Clean Up at the end of the event during our April and May games. Immediately after closing announcements, we will start with our Camp Cleanup first, and then complete our Personal Cleanup last! We will have some more details on this soon, but we appreciate your flexibility as we try some new ways to speed up how fast we can get off site after game and still keep our friends in the Girl Scouts happy!

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, by Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, and Jason Dumas.

Whispers from the Deep [Lore]

Last week, we talked a bit about the teaser for the game and introduced a few points of interest that you’ll encounter during the April event. But if you haven’t been around DR:TX for a while, some of these names and places might be new to you. Let’s talk about a quick primer of the important stuff your character may know about some of these topics.

Let’s cover the “who’s who” of our next event:

The Buzzbee Family

One of the powerful Families of Waking Prime, the Buzzbees are easily identified by their maroon colors and Tainted scientists. The Buzzbee family was one of the oldest institutions in Waking before it crashed near Bravado, and were said to have been the founders of the flying city.  They created the lightning rod system that brought power to the city’s lesser systems, and the storm alert system that detected weather changes and navigation.  Considered masters of electricity, they collect oldcestor technology in hopes of recreating the marvels of the time before the fall. Some have suggested that the Heavycraf company stole the blueprints for the electro-welder from the Buzzbees, but this is probably just a jealous rumor started by one of the lesser family heads.

Regardless of the family’s success, the Buzzbees are known to be a bit eccentric and a more than a bit secretive. Many of their family worship at the shrine of Savannah’s light as members of the Church of Darwin, and the Buzzbees were thought to be responsible for the maintenance of the Capacity Engine, the strange oldcestor device that powered the flying city before its fall. The Buzzbee family has long since diversified their scientific interests beyond the electrical, and have become somewhat divided on the research in which they dedicate their wealth and expertise, particularly when it comes to the Grave Mind.

Kincaid Buzzbee

Kincaid Buzzbee— the Buzzbee that inherited the profitable backing of his name— chose to focus his life’s work on the Morgue of Waking. He is both the sole student and teacher who maintained a morgue in the sky and has been critical to helping the Grave Council understand how the morgue can be safely assimilated into the Gravemind network in the San Saba. Buzzbee has also been the primary Graverobber for the Waking Prime Family Members, and they have sustained his pockets heavily for decades. Most of the family has stayed very focused on managing the Electric Shield, a device powered by ancient Aggie technology, but Kincaid’s first priority has been the Mortis.

While many of the Waking Families fled Waking when the city was taken by the Mustang Loyalists, the Buzzbees have been one of the few families that has remained invested in the town of Bravado. Both Kincaid and his cousin Professor BB Buzzbee have been frequent visitors and sponsors of Liquidation Runs into the city over the past few months, and their knowledge has been crucial in surviving within the husk of the fallen skyship.

The Buzzbee Electric Shield ™

While the specifics are considered trade secrets by the powerful RRC family, one of the primary defenses of the mighty city of Waking Prime before its fall was known as the ELECTRIC SHIELD. Part generator and part super weapon, the Shield was the last line of defense of the city if a foe was able to overwhelm their arsenal of zeppelins and mounted cannons. When fully powered, the device was said to be capable of energizing the entire surface of the city, creating a powerful deterrent to raiders and those that would have tried to conquer Waking. During the Waste's Faire, the Electric Shield was used to cripple a fleet of raider skyships of the Stormchasers, thanks to the timely intervention of survivors from Bravado.

After the crash and the final shutdown of the Capacity Engine, most of the power of the crashed city has come from the capacitors of the Electric Shield. With most of the city’s interior filled with deadly radiation, the meager energy needs of the surface city have been only a minor drain on the potential of the Shield. While the reservoirs are no longer as easily recharged from lightning storms while in the air, the Chairman set a number of oxblood generators and repurposed batteries towards keeping the defenses of the city intact. Some suggest the Electric Shield may even still be a functional defense of Waking, even in its crashed state.

Mother Mayhem, chief auditor

Mother Mayhem is one of the chief agents of the AUDITORS in the Bravado and Essex areas. One of the only groups within the Grave Council capable of rivaling the Reckoners for sheer power, the Auditors are the day to day accountants, tax collectors, bankers, and financiers of the powerful faction. Mother Mayhem is an older Lascarian who has a habit of killing with kindness until she needs to force something with an iron fist. It is rumored that even blackmail and intimidation are key tactics if needed, but Mother Mayhem purposefully lets the rumors build up their mystique.

Mother Mayhem is the chief arbiter of the Grave Tax, and is responsible for the collection of Brass from across the San Saba to fund the support of the Morgue system. They are a known aberrant and have a deep fondness for other psions, believing their protection will lead to healthier relationships with the Mortis. She strives to protect the Grave Council at all costs, even against themselves, and her assistance was crucial to the arrest of the late Reckoner-General.

Cassiopeia Stargazer

One of the newer prominent figures within the Grave Council, Cassiopeia has recently been promoted as a leader of the Mystagogues, the sect of priests and Grave Mind cultists that make up the spiritual branch of the Grave Council. Cassiopeia is one of the ancient Imix Tribe, the Unborn refugees that first founded the Grave Council after the Hiway War. While most of her focus was on Essex and the heart of the Grave Council’s headquarters, she has recently found allies within Bravado.

Cassiopeia is a member of the Quiet Path, a group of grave cultists that believe the Mortis Amaranthine at its core is neither good nor evil. It is a catalyst for change that should be deeply respected and honored above all else. They believe that when we die, we are stripped down to the barest form of ourselves, and we must reassemble ourselves from the things that are most important to us. This may be seen as unsavory or unsettling to many, but to the Quiet Path, it is an awe inspiring journey that enables us to be the purest form of ourselves. The ever continuing cycle of change and growth is essential for survival in this imperfect and fleeting existence. Many members of the Quiet Path are necrokinetically inclined, and lean deeply into studying the interactions between the Mortis Amaranthine and the rest of the world.

Collection Day

A Grave Council “holiday” of sorts, Collection Day is when the Grave Taxes come due, once a year, normally in the oldcestor month of April.  The forces of accountants and taxmen take to the towns and cities of the Lonestar to upkeep the ledgers of life and death, collect interest on the debts they are owed, and keep tabs on those who would irritate the balance of power in the Wastes. During this time, the fees for morgue services can skyrocket in price, and people across the land strive to avoid an untimely death that could increase their debt, or else the Reckoners could attempt to “close your account” for good.

During the Collection Day “festivities”, the fee for deaths normally doubles in price.  As the bulk of the Grave Council is concerned with upkeep on the ledgers and collection of debts, distractions to manage the morgues have an additional opportunity cost assessed.  

If the debt is deferred, the Grave Council normally applies interest to the debt until it is paid.  This is at a negligible rate but accounts for the cost of maintaining the morgues of the Lone Star.  At Collection Day, a debtor must pay at least a portion of their interest to the Grave Council or risk being held in breach of contract.

The Grave Tax

The Grave Tax is one of the enforced laws of San Saba Territories and a tradition of the Grave Council that helps cover the maintenance of the Morgues of the Lone Star.  This is a fee, normally paid in Brass notes, that a Groundskeeper is paid to retrieve someone from the Mortis Amaranthine and is tracked and collected by the agents of the Grave Council.  As part of an agreement with the Railroad Conglomerate, the San Saba Board has delegated authority over every Morgue within the San Saba territories and the Lone Star to the Grave Council and enshrined the Grave Tax into law of the Board. Even the Junkerpunks acknowledge the need to preserve the cycle of death through the Mortis Amaranthine.

Let’s first consider why we started this tradition in the first place…

Why do we have a Collection day?

Collection Day was a local tradition we introduced to DR:TX back at the start of 3.0. Shan & Aesa introduced the various factions of the San Saba, one of them being the GRAVE COUNCIL. This faction was envisioned to handle two major things in the Dystopia Rising game — how we handle Death scenes from an “in-character” perspective, and how we could create a threat of punishment for breaking the contracts and laws of the region.

One phrase that kept coming up in our design docs and brainstorm sessions was the familiar quote about death and taxes. We loved the idea of creepy taxmen coming to collect what is owed around the same time the rest of us are forced to pay our tax debts to the government. From there, Collection Day was kind of… inevitable. I even wrote a cool story as a teaser before we started play, that you can read about here:

We missed our first attempt at running Collection Day due to the pandemic closing down live events around Season 1 and 2, but we revisited this “holiday” two years ago during Season 3 amid some turbulent times for the Grave Council faction. During that event, COLLECTION DAY, the leader of the Grave Council, Takheeta Firstborn, gave her life to cure a sickness that plagued the morgues of the San Saba. Thanks in part to the Grave Tax, a very real problem of disease was at last resolved. Last year, during our Season Four event, HELLS OF THE SAN SABA, Reckoner-General Rampart fired all of the Groundskeepers during a Gauntlet, and declared the town under a “quarantine”. While the faction was kept busy trying to stabilize the morgues of Waking, they left the town to their own devices without any real support from the faction.

We have three major themes of this holiday, from a Storyteller perspective:

  • Death has Consequences - In a world where survivors can return from death again and again, crimes like murder can run rampant unless some threat of punishment is enforced.  The Grave Tax is meant as a method to prevent the needless deaths of shareholders, merchants, and Vados, and is assessed as a financial burden upon death.  Unnecessary death is frowned upon and punished more heavily.

  • Death Comes for All, Pauper or Prince - The Grave Council does not care for the status placed upon a person in the times within the Mortis Amaranthine. They pursue their due from every being that walks the San Saba wastes, no matter their station. The Groundskeepers treat the death of a Pureblood from an ivory tower the same as they treat the death of a wandering Rover.

  • Story, not Punishment - The purpose of the Grave Tax is not to punish players for dying or to create an undue financial burden.  The Grave Tax provides a concrete way to involve yourself in the greater story of the Lone Star, interact with several powerful factions, and seek out assistance and roleplay with other characters in the game.  It is tied with the enforcement of law in the game and can be opted out if the player wishes to avoid a negative play experience.

You can read more about the Grave Tax and Collection Day in our story sections.

The Grave Tax during a Rebellion

Very few individuals that care about the Morgues and the Grave Mind can deny that the maintenance of the Mortis Amaranthine is a demanding task. Each time a person dies, a bit of their body that remains becomes a newly formed zombie, adding to the undead terrors that harass the living. Simply helping someone survive the harrowing journey after death can risk the mind and Infection of the morgue specialists themselves, and it can be a thankless job with little pay and extreme risk.

Furthermore, activities like Grave Dives, Pallor Mortis rituals, Infection transfers, Necrokinetic abuse and more can quickly lead to the ecosystem of the morgue suffering a dangerous MORGUE COLLAPSE. When this happens, the threat of the Undead increases and every death becomes more uncertain, as simply escaping the Mortis becomes a challenge. Whatever the reason, there are consequences when there is no Morgue in an area to attract the newly deceased.

Fixing such a calamity needs valuable and expensive resources like Psionic Crystals, scrap, and more to repair, and keeping that balance maintained can be a full time job for most Grave Robbers and Necrologists. While the stated purpose of the Grave Tax was to provide resources for such a crisis, as well as trained professionals to aid the town should a calamity like this occur, the Grave Council is inevitably tied to the power of the San Saba Board. After a year of little or no support from the Council per General Rampart’s orders, discontent over the concept of Collection Day has grown.

So, with the recent Bravado Rebellion, a very real question looms:

“why should we pay the Grave Tax at all?”

One of the questions that must be resolved during the April event is what becomes of the Grave Council in a world where the San Saba Board’s power is quickly crumbling? Will your survivors find a need for the Grave Tax, or will they be able to forge some new agreement with the Grave Council for their support? What purpose does the Grave Council serve if they cannot collect the Grave Tax?

Will the players fight for the soul of the Grave Council, and can they establish some new system to help maintain the morgues of the area? Can Mother Mayhem and Cassiopeia be trusted, or will they just repeat the mistakes of past Grave Council leaders? Since Rampart quarantined the town, what services has the Grave Council even done for the town over the past year? Should Bravado even continue paying taxes to the Grave Council, given their continued support of the San Saba Board? If the Grave Council isn’t maintaining the Morgues, who is supposed to do this in their place?

As the town continues to fight a Rebellion, and as the survivors of Bravado consider the very laws and order they will continue to maintain, the threat of the Morgue collapsing remains a very real possibility. During WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP, you will get a chance to decide the fate of Collection Day, the Grave Tax, and the very Grave Council itself.

wrap Up

That’s it for today Vados!

We hope that you will join us for our April event, led by the talented Noah Goodman, and explore the future of our factions as we reach the conclusion of our Season 5 story. Will you help the town reach a new dawn, fighting against evolution itself and the horrors that spring from within Waking? Will you pay the Grave Tax, or resolve to handle future grave crises on your own?

Tickets FOR “WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP” are still on sale, so don’t miss out! aPRIL 12-14!

See you soon!

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Whispers from the Deep

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Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our April live event WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP! This is our next ST led over-arc game, led by Noah Goodman. 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 the premise of our event, some content warnings, and some teasers about our upcoming event!

  • TICKETS FOR OUR APRIL EVENT ARE ON SALE NOW! CAN YOU survive what emerges from waking?

  • If you had a great experience at our last event GIFTS OF SUFFERING or had some suggestions for how we can improve, we’d love to hear from you! Did you get to take one of the Crowns of Suffering for yourself? Did you hear Brother Agony explain why he was “helping” the town? Did you help the Rebellion fight the first battles of the war against the San Saba Board? Let us know!

  • CLEAN UP IS CHANGING! We will be experimenting with a new process for Clean Up at the end of the event during our April and May games. Immediately after closing announcements, we will start with our Camp Cleanup first, and then complete our Personal Cleanup last! We will have some more details on this soon, but we appreciate your flexibility as we try some new ways to speed up how fast we can get off site after game and still keep our friends in the Girl Scouts happy!

Our photos for this post were taken from our March 2023 DR:TX event by the talented Heather Halstead.

The Premise

Something is churning deep within Waking's corpse. Memories best left forgotten from the time of the Hiway War have left old Darwin experiments to fester in basement labs. As Mustang Loyalists solidify their hold over the decaying remains of Waking Prime, the final safeguards on long dormant projects have become unstable, threatening to unleash what has been left trapped within the radioactive wreckage. Errant and uncaring soldiers shut off power, open doors, and unlock new sensitive areas within the city without thinking of why those doors were shut in the first place.

Sometimes a door was closed for a reason…

Project EVE, one of those forgotten evolutionary experiments, was said to bend infection itself, capable of mutating flora and fauna and worse, and now it stirs within the bowels of Waking, changing and mutating into something new and unique. Underneath this glowing city of scrap and decay that looms over Bravado, a new danger threatens to EVOLVE.

Kincaid Buzzbee, scion of the Waking Families of the RRC, has called upon the townsfolk of Bravado to help him contain the worst of these threats within Waking. With the aid of brave Vados, he hopes to reactivate the remnants of the Buzzbee Electric Shield ™ to save the town from this new ecological destruction. If these dangerous experiments are let loose to infest the tunnels below Bravado, there is no end to the mutated nightmares that might erupt if evolution is left unchecked.

At the same time, Collection Day looms. With The Grave Council in disarray, Mother Mayhem and Cassiopeia come to negotiate with Bravado’s citizens about a reformation within the Grave Council and revision of the sacred tradition of the Grave Tax. The Grave Council must evolve as the Rebellion continues, but the mystagogues and auditors wish to reestablish their society’s legitimacy in Bravado even after Reckoner-General Rampart’s fall from grace.

Sitting at the edge of a possible mass extinction event, Bravado must salvage the remains of Waking Prime to save themselves from total annihilation while building the pillars of their future society. How will the townsfolk of this rebellious boom-town survive an evolutionary leap into the next epoch of San Saba history?

Inspiration & Tropes

This season in Bravado we have focused on bringing some new elements of Survival Horror to the forefront of the story. In our tradition of Radical Trust, we want to share some of the inspirational bits of media and movie magic that we feel help capture the themes and feelings of our upcoming event. If you are looking for a movie to inspire your role play for this event, here’s a list of our favorites to get ready for WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP:

  • Resident Evil

  • Parasite EVE (Video Game)

  • Cabin in the Woods

  • Mimic

  • The Crazies

For this event, the common theme is that “evolution doesn’t have a plan. It makes frequent, catastrophic mistakes”. Waking was a city of a mad scientists, using technology beyond their ken to tinker with things that should not be. With the Board in exile, and the city in the control of their enemies, no one is left to contain these projects, and sometimes something goes wrong.

This event also plays on the ideas of “Mad Science Gone Wrong”. The world is being forcibly evolved because of the horrors within Waking. Experiments created in attempts to play God have now escaped and are wreaking havoc on the world. We are looking extinction in the face because scientists focused on if they could without ever considering if they should.

As strange new creatures emerge from Waking, echoes of these experiments can be seen in the horrors like the Necrophage, the terrors within Killhouse Prison, and all of the mutant monstrosities unleashed on the town last year. With this new lingering threat emerging, can you save the town from the disastrous consequences of unchecked evolution?

CONTENT WARNINGS

The themes of Dystopia Rising often touch close to our real world in ways we cannot always avoid. The DR:TX team believes that we can still tell these stories about challenging topics, but we also believe we need to be transparent about our intentions and set proper expectations for our content. In our tradition of radical trust, we want to also trust in each player that attends our game to know their own limits and be able to choose to avoid topics and situations that make them uncomfortable.

It’s important to watch for descriptions, situations, or events that you might want to avoid. You may find new limits that are unknown to you because the matter never came up. We encourage you to take the necessary steps for your own emotional safety. We want you to be comfortable with the types of horror in our events so you can enjoy the thrill of the zombie apocalypse and the nightmare creatures we introduce into the game space.

It’s one reason we take our OK Check-In system so seriously! We understand that these may not be stories you want to participate in, and that’s okay! Remember, you can always use the OK Check-In System to choose to leave a scene, even CVC!

You can always find a list of our Content Warnings on our website, but let’s talk about some of the specific things you might want to be prepared for during this February event.

Overall, this next event focuses heavily on the themes of BODY HORROR, LOSS OF AGENCY, and TAX COLLECTION. These can be some serious themes, so let’s talk about some content warnings of note for WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP:

Body Horror, grotesque or disturbing mutations, visceral costumes and props

  • Certain creatures this weekend will have disgusting and visceral costumes and props that might require you to interact with sticky, gross, or terrible looking things. These props will change the features of certain threats, and should be repulsive and terrifying.

  • If a module requires you to interact with chemicals or substances that might stain your clothing or costumes, we will announce these aspects as a “SPLATTER MOD”. We will try to give you a fair warning before engaging with these challenges, but we cannot guarantee clothing or items may not be affected by the disgusting goo in our mods.

LOSS OF AGENCY, UNSTOPPABLE THREATS, Consequences AFTER DEATH

  • Some threats during this weekend will not be things you can truly kill. Much like the Tyrant in Resident Evil, while you may be able to defeat them temporarily, these are threats meant to survive and endure, not overcome. As evolution itself runs out of control, these threats will continue to return after being killed and continue the pressure of their attacks. You’ll need to run and hide, rather than trying to make a valiant last stand.

  • There will be mechanics during this event that return the recently dead back to play as a new threat. This is a powerful way to restrict your character’s agency after death, but will not be something you can avoid if you get put into certain situations.

  • Many horror stories involve this concept of loss of agency, where you are powerless to stop a monster that is itself a metaphor for the relentless advance of time, death, or war.

TAXES, RENT, AND DEBT COLLECTION

  • Each April we feature the Grave Council tradition of COLLECTION DAY. While this is on it’s face a way to represent the horrors of financial burden and mimic the real life stress of tax day, it’s also a big part of how the town continues to support one of the major factions.

  • There will likely be conflict over how the Grave Council attempts to collect debts incurred over the course of the season. If you notice on the bottom left corner of your character sheet, you might see a GRAVE TAX owed if you’ve died during this season. This is a monetary amount in Brass that your character may be expected to owe by the end of the event. While there are ways to ask for forbearance or have this debt taken by another, you may encounter NPCs asking to “check your contract” for their debt. Be prepared!

FORCED EVOLUTION & RAD DAmage

In our tradition of Radical Transparency, let’s discuss some key mechanics that could happen to your character during WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP.

If you are caught alone on the battlefield with certain threats, they may convert you to their cause by a spontaneous evolution before the Mortis Amaranthine takes you with a FORCED EVOLUTION.

Forced Evolution

Upon taking a “Forced Evolution” call, writhe in pain for 10 seconds before rising again and fighting for [REDACTED] with the following stats.

30 BODY, Strong Limbs (Immune to Mangle), Keywords: [REDACTED], Once per flurry/reload deal Radiation Damage. Radiation Damage inflicts both Mind and Body damage at once.

Upon death, report to Ops. Return from The Grave Mind with Radiation Sickness Stage One.

Similar to being devoured by zombies with Cannibalism, if this attack hits your character they will be D-E-A-D, slain by the [REDACTED]. After your death, instead of proceeding to Ops to get your death scene, you’ll first return to play as a NPC threat. You’ll join the horde of enemies, and try to kill your friends until you are stopped for good.

Let’s cover this attack in a bit more detail.

  • This attack counts as a Killing Blow. It’ll only be used on bleeding, helpless, and dying characters, so it’s not really something that can take you down in a single hit.

  • It’s not a Murder effect, so armor like the Striker’s Coat won’t prevent this effect. However, stuff that stops a Killing Blow can prevent this effect.

  • You cannot use most Skills, Equipment, or Abilities during this Forced Evolution. You are just a reanimated corpse, so you can’t do much other than attack.

  • You can use still use the basic damage of your weapons (even firearms!) during this brief return from death, but cannot use activated abilities of the item. Rad Bullets sound pretty scary to me! We will also have some white brawlers available for you should you fall to this effect without a weapon handy (or if your friends disarm you.)

  • Since your body isn’t really YOU anymore and you aren’t really dead yet, certain skills like Faithful Will won’t be very useful on the creature you become. This means it may be hard for your friends to prevent an Infection loss if get up and wander away.

  • Once this Forced Evolution has ended, you can collapse on the ground dead for a brief time before headed to Ops. Once this has happened will effects like Faithful Will or Necrokinetics be again useful on your corpse.

Let’s talk briefly about the other prominent mechanic during this event, Radiation Damage.

Rad Damage (P. 105)

This is a mechanical damage effect normally associated with radiation or irradiated creatures. Radiation damage cause an equal degree of lost Mind as it does Body.

This is a dangerous effect you might have seen before on Glow Boys and Toxic Terrors. When damaged by this type of attack you lose both Mind AND Body, so it’s particularly devastating. For example, if the threat calls “5 Rad!” on an attack that hits you, you lose 5 Body and 5 Mind from the wound.

  • Radiation Damage by itself doesn’t inflict Radiation Sickness, the disease most commonly associated with irradiated creatures.

  • These attacks can (and should!) be Avoided, and are generally delivered by a melee Strike or a Ranged Attack with a packet.

  • If the attack is called by an AOE or Sound of My Voice call, these effects cannot be Avoided, and must be prevented by mechanics that stop AOE effects.

  • Armor doesn’t stop Rad Damage. If your got hit by a “5 Rad!” hit while wearing 20 Armor, you would lose 5 Mind and have 15 Armor remaining.

Small attacks with Radiation Damage may not be worth using Avoid on, as spending the Mind on the defense may be more costly than the damage you’ll take. But, take enough of those small hits and you won’t have the remaining Mind to dodge the next big hit! Ouch!

wrap up

That’s it for today, Vados!

We hope that you will come join us for our next event, led by the very talented Noah Goodman. We have some fun surprises in store for you during this game, and we hope that you are ready to EVE-OLVE your tactics to fight the dangerous new enemies facing Bravado. Will you be able to help contain the danger within Waking? Will you fight for the soul of the Grave Council as they take steps forward into this brave new world? Will you pay your Grave Tax?

Next week we will recap some of the important events from our last game, and catch up to speed on all the story continuity you’ll need as we face the WHISPERS FROM THE DEEP! See you soon, Vados!

Tickets are on sale for our april event now! Don’t miss out!

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Rules You Should Know - March

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Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our March live event GIFTS OF SUFFERING! This is our next ST led over-arc game, led by Andrew Harper. 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 last minute rules you should be ready for this weekend!

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, by Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, Sidney Betzina, and Jason Dumas.

ONE LAST GIFT FROM BROTHER AGONY…

While the most prominent Gift from the wandering Final Knight monk is the Crowns of Suffering, Brother Agony does have a message for those willing to take up the mantle of his crowns:

You have sealed the Obelisk against The Prince Undying, but I assure you it is but a barred door that he shall seek to test and break through again and again.  

Do not let him. 

If you but accept my gifts then I shall give you one more.  A ritual to bolster the Obelisk and deflect the power The Prince Undying sets against it for a time.

You shall want all the faiths.  Even if they do not see as true as we do, there is still power in them.  So we shall take that power and bend it to a worthy goal.  To defy The Prince Undying yet again.  And so take our humble place in this legend of his eternal defeat.

Brother Agony

Well, if it’s for the good of the town I guess I could be convinced to claim a Crown.

Or two.

To make sure that you can each focus on the CONFLICT that the Crowns bring to town, Brother Agony has also brought a special change to the world:

BLOOD MOON

To enable the CVC centric plot of GIFTS OF SUFFERING, the usual 4-hour requirement before attempting theft is waived at game on. This supersedes the 4-hour limit for CVC play listed on p. 162-163. The time restrictions for lethal CVC must still be met.

Enjoy the suffering faster!

LAST MINUTE LOGISTICS

We’ve received a lot of great feedback from our last game, and we are hard at work responding to some of the key behaviors we can improve going forward. Based on your suggestions, we’ve made some immediately changes you’ll see as soon as our February event:

  • Make sure you check out our last blog post on a few settings updates that might be important for this weekend - Age of Rebellion Blog Post

  • We’ve dramatically revamped our war game mini plot to be more forgiving, more approachable, and less narrow that it was originally designed. This new ruleset is still designed to be optional and most of this will be available to see on Zones of Mechanics and at the War Table in the Depot.

    • You don’t have to memorize anything, but if you like reading over this kind of thing in advance, here you go!

  • War Supplies are now much easier to make and can be made without such a large expenditure of resources. In addition, anyone can recruit a Combat Unit for the war game now, without needing to go through specific folks in the Militia. Lastly, anyone can participate in the war games throughout the weekend, so check out the War Table in the Depot for more info!

  • We’ve planned a few NPCs to leave the story based on feedback, and you should see these stories come to a close by the end of the season. We are continuing to find ways to improve our behaviors regarding continuity and Face NPCs as well, and have already started some additional ways to collect after action reports for key characters.

  • We’ve received the copies of the 42 new Benediction prints from the Great Revival. You’ll be able to make copies of these Blueprints starting this weekend! You can find a list of the new prints on our Blueprint Checklist!

  • Daylight Savings happens this weekend. Saturday night, we will LOSE an hour as the Final Knights enact their ultimate plan for suffering. Prepare accordingly!

Rules You Should Know

Let’s cover a few of the basic mechanics that might be relevant this weekend.

AGONY

Countered by Basic Mental Endurance if delivered by an AOE or Sound of Voice call, or by Avoid if delivered by a Strike or Ranged Attack. Agony is an ability that causes intense physical and/or mental pain in the character affected, making it difficult if not impossible to act through the torment. This effect normally lasts 10 seconds if not otherwise specified, and during that time, the character cannot use Skills or items but can move at a slow pace and defend themselves. Agony Interrupts skills being used when it is called.

That sounds like pain and SUFFERING to me. Surely this won’t come up a lot during this weekend…

Some important details to remember:

Agony is a versatile skill used by several different entities in Dystopia Rising. While affected by this ability, you may not use Skills (including weapon skills!) or items, but can move slowly and act defensively. This means no brews, no gizmos, no armor, no weapons, nothing!

  • This attack interrupts all Skills being used, including Crafting. Remember, if you start using a new Skill while working on that expensive Artisan project, you will also be Interrupted. If you use Mental Endurance to resist the effect, you will Interrupt yourself. Best be careful about crafting while [REDACTED] are about.

  • Agony is often a precursor to more dangerous attacks like Break and Mangle, so remember you can’t Avoid while under the effects of Agony. 10 seconds is a LONG time in the heat of combat!

  • The Candlepin Survival Pack can protect you from this attack, but remember this is a Supply Bag item and cannot be stacked with a Freeiron Dry Pack. You can use either or, but not both!

  • The Battle Hymn is probably the best single defense against Agony, as it gives you an Upsurge protect and simply makes you immune. This is the only way to avoid interruption from Agony, as the effect simply doesn’t happen. Remember, an Upsurge only lasts one hour, so make it worth it!

BAPTIZED

A character that has been inducted into a faith, normally through the use of Basic Faithful Patterns, is considered to be Baptized into the faith. They gain the name of their faith as a Keyword, for the purposes of certain abilities that only affect members of a certain faith.

It’s a simple rule that involves Keywords, but remember if you are considered to be Baptized, then that means you can interact with Faith items, Benedictions, and even other things that specifically target folks with that Faith. It also means if someone calls out a mass heal effect like Proficient Faithful Miracles, then you will also gain the benefit of the healing.

Surely monsters (or other players) won’t be using this against you this weekend…

Faith Bane

Bane is a type of damage that can be done to anyone with the matching Keyword. If the Bane damage hits the correct Faith, then they take double the damage called. For example, if 5 Final Knight Bane is called and hits someone that has been baptized into that faith, the character takes 10 damage. If the Faith Bane hits someone without that matching faith, then they only take 5 damage. If the target of the appropriate type Bane damage would normally take reduced damage from the source of the attack, Bane damage and the reduction cancel each other out and the Target would take the standard base damage. If a Target of Bane damage would normally be immune to damage due to the nature of the source, the Target of the Bane damage takes no damage and is still immune.

While one of the primary advantages of the Crowns of Suffering is a resistance to most damage, it does have a particular weakness - FAITH BANE. If you are hit by the Faith Bane and it matches your faith, you take DOUBLE damage.

Better get someone to heal you… oh wait…

Wrap Up

That’s it for today Vados! Short and Sweet!

This weekend, you’ll get to fight amongst yourselves for the honor, nay the privilege, of claiming one of Brother Agony’s GIFTS OF SUFFERING. Will you stand triumphant against the arrogant usurpers that would claim your rightful prize? Will you claim power and your true role among the Damned? Will you thwart those who would promote the false truths of the divine? Will you uphold the laws of Hell and trust not those that claim knowledge of those laws? Will you bring suffering where you can and take power at all times?

Let’s find out together, as we claim the GIFTS OF SUFFERING…

TICKETS ARE STILL ON SALE AT THE DOOR! SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!

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Age of Rebellion

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Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our March live event GIFTS OF SUFFERING! This is our next ST led over-arc game, led by Andrew Harper. 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 major settings changes from last event, as well as some other updates for our March game!

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by Jason Dumas.

Boss Debs and Malorous Mab meet with the Bravado representative, Ace.

The REsults of “The Breaker of Crowns”

During our event last month, we presented several important CHOICES about the fate of the San Saba to the town of Bravado. With all the charm and stubbornness we’ve come to expect from Bravado, our folks stepped up to the challenge and made some big decisions that will have a continuing impact on our setting going forward. There’s a reason the Bravado (and Texas) Motto is “Come and Get It!”.

Let’s get the biggest choice out of the way - the town of Bravado has DECLARED a full REBELLION from the San Saba Board.

We’ll cover what this means in game in a moment, but let’s first discuss how we got to this point.

During this event, we had several prominent NPCs in play that could each be interacted with to influence the decision of the event towards, WAR, PEACE, or REBELLION. Each of these NPCs had an agenda they wanted to achieve, some secrets they had to hide, and some deals that could be struck. We talked about these specific faces in a previous blog post, but here’s a reminder:

  • The Breaker of Crowns - The leader of the Oxkiller Alliance, she has had a significant presence in town over the season so far. She’s attacked folks during the first game as they completed Liquidation Runs into Waking, crashed the Tribe of Seasons meetings, and even fought alongside Boss Debs against the Nightmares. She was the most interested in a chance of REBELLION, but wanted the town to prove their willingness to stand up and speak truth to power. This character was portrayed by Ace Sexton.

  • Ahote, the Restless - The mentor of the Breaker, this Natural One leader appeared for the first time in the live space and kept his cool throughout the Summit. One of the agents of PEACE for the Oxkiller War Party, he was the most interested in hearing what the town had to say about about a path forward, particularly for how they would hold people accountable for crimes committed during the war. The character was portrayed by David Rios.

  • Marcus Remington - The Minister-General for the Star City faction of the Mustang Loyalists, Remington was a divisive figure. The most eager for WAR or REBELLION, Remington was more focused on setting rules of engagement for future conflicts and ignoring the long history of violence the followers of Mustang have committed against the people of old Bravo. He also had a part to play in a serious betrayal, but ultimately wanted to wage war against the Chairman and the crashed city of Waking Prime. This character was portrayed by Ariel Patrick-Munoz.

  • Carina Astora - The “Saltwater Sweetheart”, Carina has been a terror of the Spoiled Coast for quite some time. First appearing during our online Junkerpunk event, THE CERTAINTY OF TIDES, Carina is the leader of the Junkerpunk organization known as the “Clearwater Accord”. A known pirate, terrorist, and general anarchist, she kept to her divisive nature through the event and towards a cause of WAR. This character was portrayed by Kiara Everlen.

  • Lucy “Boss” Debs - The leader of the San Saba Republic, and representative of the Local 727, Boss Debs has been a recurring NPC in our events. She was the titular character of the Summit, hosting her cousins in the Oxkillers in the ancient rituals of her tribes despite the threat of treason against the Board. Boss Debs was a powerful advocate of PEACE, even under the threat of death. This character was portrayed by Barbara Vold.

  • Malorous Mab - One of the only open Final Knights of Essex, Malorous Mab stands as the Spymaster for San Saba Republic, and for the Cali*Co Caravan. Regal and mysterious, the Accensorite always has another scheme in the background, and knows which strings to pull to get her way. Mab has always been an agent of chaos, but always seems to come out on top, whether it be in WAR or PEACE. This character was portrayed by Liz Harvey.

Each of these characters brought information, agendas, and secrets into play, and our characters still made some interesting choices on how to solve the crisis of the Summit.

The Breaker and Ahote consider the town’s offer at the Summit.

The Choice Points

During the game we had several planned CHOICE POINT events that occurred. Each choice had WAR, PEACE, or REBELLION choices that could be made, and up until the final night of the game, the choice for Peace was leading the way. A decisive stand against the forces of the Board at the Dive on Saturday night set the stage for several decisions in quick succession that led to Rebellion.

Choices for Peace

  • The Oxkiller War Party Arrives: One of the first few choices dealt with Friday night was “How does the town treat the Oxkiller ambassadors?”. The town treated the Oxkillers on Friday night with respect, and even went out of their way to help the Oxkiller War Party escape out the back door when Zombies attacked the Depot.

  • Zombie Ambush: Presented with an option to just let the War Party fend for themselves, the town protected their guests. Even with blood scented threats tunneling towards the Oxkillers, the town jumped in the way of the trouble and defended their promise to keep the peace during the Summit.

  • The Rescue Mission: After the disastrous rout at Barogue, the Militia found a way to retrieve their captured commanders from the Prince Undying via a Mortis procedure. Taking a force of Vados into the Nightmare, they rescued not only the captured Militia leaders, but saved an Oxkiller commander as well.

  • The Loyalist Demands: The Oxkiller War Party NPCs each had a series of demands and concerns to address during the Summit. The Mustang Loyalists demanded the right to conquer Waking and came to an uneasy truce with the town. While most of their terms were met and the faction is not at outright war with Bravado, the town still has plenty of reasons to be suspicious of Remington and his Fallow Hope forces.

Choices for War

  • The Summit Negotiations: The Summit arrived on Saturday afternoon, and the town heard the various demands of the Oxkiller representatives. They considered grievances, talked about solutions, but ultimately there was conflict on how exactly to proceed. Some advocated for war, while others advocated for peace, while others still suggested open hostility against the Chairman and the San Saba Board.

  • The Clearwater Demands: The Oxkiller War Party NPCs each had a series of demands and concerns to address during the Summit. The Clearwater pirate queen demanded an exorbitant ransom to pursue peace but was rebuffed at every turn. The town was openly hostile to Carina and refused any demands she made, causing her to leave in an explosive exit as she convinced several dusters to bomb Anyport and destroy the docks at Bravado.

Choices for Rebellion

  • Publicly Defending the Oxkillers: Not only did players publicly defend the Oxkillers, and advocate for a refusal of the Board’s terms of war, the Summit simply proved how many were willing to spit in the eye of the Board. Not only did they defend the Oxkillers against another strange zed attack, but many of the townsfolk even signed a contract with the Breaker agreeing with her terms to defy the Board and the Chairman, Arthur Lovelace.

  • The Foiled Mustang Plot: The Oxkillers were not entirely harmonious, as a secret plan to murder the Breaker was uncovered by the town. Putting one of their own in a disguise as the Breaker, they stopped the assassination and prevented the death of the Oxkiller leader at the hands of her so-called allies. This was one of the major crises that swayed the Breaker towards Rebellion, though she is not yet in a position to truly act against Remington. With her people still in Star City, the Breaker will need time to consider her next steps with the Loyalists.

  • The Oxkiller Demands: The Oxkiller War Party NPCs each had a series of demands and concerns to address during the Summit. The town was able to agree to a series of treaties and contracts with the Breaker and Ahote, promising fair treatment of those accused of war crimes and giving them time and space to negotiate with respect and honor. Both Oxkiller leaders were impressed by the commitment of the town, and have sworn themselves as new allies.

  • The Grave Council Influence: While the true implications of this secret have yet to be leveraged, the town discovered the Reckoner’s influence on the strange zombie behavior in town during the Summit. They disrupted a strange ritual to control the zombie hordes from afar, defeating General Rampart and killing the villainous Board member in an act of open defiance against the Board.

  • The Arrest of Boss Debs: The true moment of Rebellion occurred Saturday night, as the Waking Intelligence Service arrived to arrest Boss Debs for her clear acts of treason. As one, the town told Lawrence Graves and his paid thugs to fuck off, ignoring the orders from the Board to strip Debs of her power and title. With a hoot and holler, the town cheered its first step towards a new age of Rebellion.

With those Choices in mind, let’s cover what happens next…

A Map of the Contested San Saba Territories, as of March. Key: Purple for Rebellion, Pink for the Nightmare, Green for Board, Blue for Clearwaters, Yellow for Loyalists, Orange for Neutral

continuity & Settings Updates

With such a monumental decision for REBELLION comes a bit of an update for our various factions and personalities of the San Saba. Let’s cover the various events that your characters should know about as you enter into our March event, GIFTS OF SUFFERING.

The Current State of Affairs

  • Bravado is in open Rebellion against the Board, based on player decisions in February. The Board has declared Bravado an enemy of the San Saba and declared that they are all traitors under the Wartime Powers of the Charter.  Not every faction is willing to respect this claim entirely, but all are wary of the consequences of dealing with Bravado in an official capacity. The new Rebellion took most of the Board’s active military forces with them, except for the few mercenary and Grave Council units loyal to the Board.  The Board will need some time to respond to the other threats they are facing, and Bravado can exploit that time to prepare. Many of the factions have even sent rebels to join the Bravado resistance as new military units.

  • Bravado is under a blockade and siege by the remaining forces of the Reckoner Legion, led by Reckoner-Commander Grant. The Board has severed telegraph lines, stopped the trains from running into Bravado, and generally cut off the town from outside support until this force can be defeated. Travel into and out of Bravado is extremely difficult, and access to common trade routes is hampered. The ports and access to the waterways at Bravado and Drywater were attacked by the Clearwater Pirates on the way out from the Summit and heavily damaged.  Support from Drywater or the Longberths will require repairs and help from Bravado to fix the damage.

  • The Mustang Loyalists under Marcus Remington are in military control of Waking, but are not necessarily enemies (yet).  The Loyalists are currently working on pacifying the city and any remaining resistance.  The remaining RRC presence is limited to a few refugees that are either fighting back or trying to survive the occupation.  The Loyalists are expecting a counter-offensive from the remaining Board forces, and are preparing for a battle.

  • The Chairman escaped Eureka Tower in his private airship during the occupation of Waking, along with a few of the loyal Pureblood family heads and fled to Essex.  Essex is now occupied by the remaining Board forces and has become the new home of the San Saba Board. The Board controls most rail and water traffic out of Essex, but the city has reached an uneasy cease fire amid martial law.  Most of the actual resistance has either gone underground, or has fled the city with the forces of the Rebellion.

  • Carina Astora has escaped to the Spoiled Coast and is a general nuisance, but she has few interests in returning to Bravado.  The Clearwater Pirates and most of their forces have broken their alliance and taken their resources and troops with them to the south. The Board has declared the Coast a lost cause as they can no longer properly defend it against the Pirates with their remaining forces. The Junkerpunks are now on their own and Sinker Swim has returned home to the Clutch in preparation for the eventual attack.

  • The Law Dogs joined Boss Debs in her rebellion against the Board, following Boss Wyatt’s public defiance of Lawrence Graves and the Waking Intelligence Service.  Most Law Dogs have followed Wyatt, but a few rogue agents still exist in the Board’s employ. While the town is facing anarchy, the Law Dogs have a plan to sign a new Bravado Charter to establish some common sense laws and rules for the town with the help of the Justices of Sin.

  • The Grave Council is in a quiet civil war following the revelations of February about General Rampart.  The Mystagogues and even parts of the Reckoners are frustrated and ready to end Rampart’s hold on the faction, but need assistance to have him removed from power politically.  Cassiopeia, head of the Quiet Path, has presented herself as a voice of reason, and has kept open conflict between the faction from erupting.

Let’s talk about some of the ways these continuity updates will be reflected in game through Rewards & Consequences…

Marcus Remington (left) and Finnegan listen intently during the Summit.

Consequences & Rewards of Your Choices

We clearly have some exciting times ahead of us. Let’s cover some mechanical changes to be aware of as we continue our season.

The Bravado Blockade

  • Uses of Trade Connections or Sailing Buy Lists will be limited during this event until the Blockade is broken. Connection with the greater San Saba is extremely limited as long as the Reckoner army is on the door step and Carina’s sabotage of the docks remains.

  • The Blockade can be broken by defeating the Reckoner armies during the war game phase on Saturday night. The docks at Anyport and Lake Bravo can be repaired via a Zone of Mechanics during this event.

Radiation Penalties are Gone!

  • Research was completed to contain the worst of the Radiation from Waking.  While the city is still deadly, the surroundings are now causing less damage to the environment.  The hard work and countless Crafting Components worked into the soil have returned most of the town back to normal. Well, as least as normal as the wasteland can be.

  • Scrap and Herb are returned to normal expiration dates!

Waking is Occupied by the Loyalists

  • Liquidations Runs into Waking will require more subterfuge to avoid Loyalist attention, while rescuing innocent survivors caught there by the siege.

  • Radiation is still a worry on the outskirts of the Exclusion Zone, but incursions inside the city will require Stealth to avoid Fallow Hope patrols.  The focus of these runs will be more focused on evacuation, infiltration, or sabotage, rather than surviving the radiation.

Morale Boost

  • Every LC in Bravado, once per game, may spend 1 Resolve to declare “Is that all you got?!” and stand back up from Bleed Out with 10 Body, as the fighting spirit of Bravado is stronger than your fear of death.  This effect lasts until the end of the season.

Welcome to the Age of Rebellion, Vados!

Wrap Up

That’s it for today! I’ll be back on Wednesday with our customary “Rules You Should Know” post for Wednesday, covering a few last minute details about the GIFTS OF SUFFERING and what awaits you this weekend. Will you help Brother Agony prove his point, or will you defy his machinations? Will you claim one of the Crowns of Suffering for yourself, or will you help destroy them? What will be your role in this new Rebellion, and the shiny future ahead?

Let’s find out together, as we experience all the gifts the Final Knights have to offer!

See you soon, Vados!

The Crowns of Suffering

Howdy Vados!

It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our March live event GIFTS OF SUFFERING! This is our next ST led over-arc game, led by Andrew Harper. 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 a new unique item that will be at the core of the event!

  • TICKETS FOR OUR MARCH EVENT ARE ON SALE NOW! WILL YOU CLAIM ONE OF BROTHER AGONY’S GIFTS?

  • The Rebellion update is coming! Make sure you check out some important updates to our Setting and the results of the town’s decisions from the BREAKER OF CROWNS later this week in a special bonus blog post.

  • We’ve added a new #war-planning channel to the Bravado After Party Discord. We’ve heard your feedback on the War Mechanics, and we have some really big changes coming soon! If you are interested in updates to the war mechanics, check it out!

Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, by Max Pohlmeier, Lauren Guzaldo, Sidney Betzina, and Jason Dumas.

Gifts from Brother Agony

During our next event, GIFTS OF SUFFERING, the titular “Gifts” will be a prominent part of the next event. Brother Agony has brought several powerful items to provoke conflict and suffering in the town of Bravado, and it will be up to your characters what you decide to do with these new items. Will you use them for personal power, or will you instead use them to save Bravado? These Relics will be a feature of the event, so let’s cover a bit more about their purpose and how they work.

In our tradition of Radical Transparency, we are going to fully reveal the rules for one of the TEN (10) Crowns that will be available to claim during this event, the CROWN OF STAGNATION. Each Crown is themed around a particular Faith in the wastelands, and this Crown is a foul perversion of the Church of Darwin. Just be warned - the other faithful of the Darwins likely won’t be a fan of someone using this relic to make a mockery of their faith.

Wait a minute - there are only 9 faiths in the corebook, and you said 10 crowns. What’s the 10th Crown supposed to do?

Artist concept of the Crown of Suffering prop, by Poe Popek

The Mechanics of SUFFERING

These are a unique local item and will have all the rules you need included on the provided item card sheet. It’s a full page, front and back, so let’s break down the key parts:

  • Every Relic REQUIRES behaviors of CVC. Trying to claim one of these items will involve your character in conflict against other characters.

    • If you are not interested in CVC behaviors, you should not pursue one of these Relics.

  • The Crowns cannot be hidden and must be openly worn. These are powerful Final Knight relics and must be displayed proudly and prominently. This will include a cool prop that is unique to each crown, and the item will be worn on your head like a tiara or crown.

  • Every Relic has a bonus ability of Damage Reduction. This can make you much tougher in a fight, which is helpful considering some folks may want to take that Crown from you by force! Lineage Bane damage ignores this protection, so grab that Toothpiq Chopper!

  • Every Relic has a punishment if you don’t complete one of the “Geas” every 2 hours. You’ll lose a Resolve (possibly gaining a Fracture) and take 10 unavoidable Body damage. While this can be damage can be healed if you have a friend, can you trust them not take your new prize from you in a moment of vulnerability?

    • This only counts time spent awake, so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of this timer while sleeping. But, in the morning you’ll need to get up, get some coffee, and get to committing crimes!

  • Each Relic can be Empowered to gain dangerous new abilities called “Boons”. Gaining these boons will require you to perform behaviors that will likely provoke conflict with other characters. These will generally let you use a certain skill for free, count as a Baptized Final Knight for various faith abilities, and help you unlock the ultimate power of the crown.

  • The Relic can’t be given away willingly — unless you’ve taken damage for not performing a Geas. Someone might be able to attack you and take it by force or steal the item while you are sleeping. But, once you’ve worn the Crown for two hours and taken damage from the Crown, you’ll be able to gain a moment of sanity that you can use to give the cursed item away. But will you want to give up your new prize?

  • The final “ascension” of the Crown requires Deadly CVC. This will unlock an ultimate power but requires performing a KILLING BLOW on another Lineage - a clear act of murder, and something that could get you in trouble with the Law Dogs if you are caught. Additionally, the final form of the Crown will require doing this multiple times, so be aware of what you are agreeing to if you choose to empower the Crown to it’s ultimate form.

    • If you are not interested in Deadly CVC and killing another player or NPC, you should steer away from empowering the Crowns.

What’s in a Geas?

Pronounced “geSH”, this is an old word from Irish folklore, but it generally refers to an obligation or prohibition supernaturally imposed on a person. This was also a wizard spell in classic D&D and shows up in a number of other roleplaying games. For our purposes, the Crowns have a sinister influence included that encourages the wearer towards acts of conflict and violence.

During GIFTS OF SUFFERING, the Geas of the Crowns will be the motivator to complete the tasks on the back page of the unique item card. Each of these actions will generally bring you into conflict with those that follow the Faith that the Crown is mocking. These actions might be something like interrupting a crafting session, having a dramatic scene with a particular Lineage, or require you to renounce your faith entirely.

The Goal of the Gifts of Suffering being in play is NOT to win by having one. The goal is to create dramatic scenes of conflict when they change hands, or when someone trys to fulfill the Geas of a crown.

Each of these Geas actions must be witnessed by a Guide and must include a dramatic scene of conflict. We want you to buy into to the conflict and roleplay, so each Geas compulsion is meant to be a noticeable scene that involves others. We want you to not just use some technicality to empower the crown, but really dig into the amazing roleplay that can come from scenes of conflict with another character.

But, say you are successful in performing the Geas tasks for the Crowns - what next?

The Ascended Crowns

So why would you even want to acquire one of these cursed Relics? Brother Agony brought these gifts to Bravado for a purpose - to inflict Suffering. But they have a strange connection to the Monolith in the center of the Crossroads. If the Crowns can be Ascended, they might be able to either empower or even destroy the Monolith.

Brother Agony has provided a useful tool that can be used in your Rebelllion against the Board, or maybe even as a weapon against the Prince Undying, or even more mundane enemies like Raiders and Zombies. However, you’ll notice that these items aren’t bound to just this single event. If you are willing to go through the effort to Empower the Crowns, you can use their cool abilities for the REST OF THE SEASON*!

* You can use these for the rest of the season In Bravado only, at least. These are still Local Plot Items and cannot be taken outside Bravado, without specific approval.

Let’s cover some of the important things to consider on the Ascended Crowns:

  • Your targets that you kill must be Lineages. It’s not enough to kill a zombie or some critter. It needs to be a living, breathing character, either NPC or LC.

  • Your Damage Reduction improves. You can now reduce most Damage effects down to 1, subtracting 10 points from any hit. You’ll be a virtual tank!

  • You can’t be the target of healing effects. You’ll have to recover from a deadly fight the old fashioned way - with brews and meals. You won’t be able to use or be targeted by skills like Medical or Biogenetics.

  • You gain the ability to do a Mangle, even if you don’t have the Skill. This is a powerful ability, and can dramatically swing a battle in your favor.

  • You can use skills as if you don’t have a Fracture. Need to cause some more pain with Pyrokinetics? No worries!

  • You can call Faith bane against your enemies. This could be handy against some pesky Fallow Hope that took up residence in Waking last month.

  • You can ignore most Area of Effect or By My Voice effects. Well, you can at least 3 times per Twelves. Your friends will need a crown of their own, or you’ll get to enjoy their suffering nearby.

Important Note: The Ascended Crowns require you to complete a Killing Blow every 24 hours. This means you’ll need to kill more than one character over the course of the event. Be warned!

How useful could these Crowns be as we continue Bravado’s Rebellion? You just need to be willing to keep up the bloodshed necessary to satisfy the Geas of the Crowns. That’s a small price to pay for the ultimate power of the Damned!

Or you can do something silly like try to destroy them. It’s your choice. During the GIFTS OF SUFFERING, it matters not what you do with the crown - the Suffering is guaranteed either way…

Wrap Up

That’s it for today, Vados! We will have another Blog coming soon detailing the effects of the town’s Rebellion against the Board, but those Crowns are looking mighty useful in the dangerous wasteland. Will you be tempted by power? Will you cast aside your faith for something more? You can just use the Crown against the Board, and then you can give it up - your friends can trust you! Will you strike down the heretic, and try to destroy the Crowns?

Let’s find out together, as we discover the GIFTS OF SUFFERING!

Tickets are still on Sale for our March Event! Save yourself time at Check-In by having your sheet ready to go!