It’s Jonathan here with our last weekly blog post for the upcoming event, VOX POPULI! This is the leadup for our May DR:TX event written by Heather Halstead, Overarc ST for our Season Closer, and Operational Storyteller for Season 5. Today we will talk a bit about the SURVIVING THE WAKE and the dangers you will face during the FOUR HOUR SIEGE of the Depot, as well as some common Rules You Should Know during a big fight. We will also talk about our new Quick Events and Environment Dangers, some Threat Skills of Note, and some strange and unusual new undead you might face over the weekend.
We have a lot in store for the finale of Season 4!
Our next event will feature options to use the ZIPLINE and the POOL at Camp Kachina! Make sure to pack those swimsuits! If the weather turns against us, we still have some plans to handle our Zipline event!
We will have a real-life WEDDING happening at our event, at 12:30pm at the Depot! We are so excited to see two of our players, Karen and Farrell, choose our game for this special event.
We’ve added some new ways to spend your hard-earned CAPS from the last event. Check out the new items you can purchase with your Community Action Points!
TICKETS FOR VOX POPULI ARE still available at the door! DON’T MISS OUT ON YOUR CHANCE TO survive the fall of waking!!!
THIS POST WILL DISCUSS A FEW LIGHT STORY SPOILERS FOR OUR NEXT EVENT, SO WE HOPE YOU ENJOY WHAT WE HAVE IN STORE!
Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team.
SURVIVING THE WAKE
One of the major set pieces of the VOX POPULI event will be a four-hour long assault on the Depot we have dubbed Surviving the Wake. From 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM SATURDAY NIGHT, the town of Bravado will be rendered unlivable as Waking, no matter the choice that was made, passes over, raining down smog, radioactive waste, zed, and other calamities.
During this time, you will not be able to leave the Depot unless specifically instructed (or to use the restroom).
This fight will be long, hard, and completely exhilarating.
You will have a protracted fight with Zombies, including some old returning 2.0 favorites that the ST Senate decided we just couldn’t live without anymore. But this means you should plan for that in advance.
What about the Post Office?
Expect to have limited or no access to the PO from 10pm - 2am. There will be an option for LCs to secure limited PO access during the assault depending on your choices, but you should assume you will have no access to farming, crafting, or econ during this time, just in case. Plan ahead, and make sure you have all the supplies you will need to survive.
Get those brews brewed, meals cooked and herbs farmed before 10pm Saturday night!
What If I die?
Death happens! And it is an extremely important part of our setting. But it can be a bummer to die early on in a long fight and feel like you missed out on the rest of the experience. We will have mechanics in play that will keep the fight interactive for anyone who might take an early, untimely death. If you die during the siege of the Depot, you will be returned to play pretty quickly in a “relapse” with no memory of your death along with some assistance in the form of some valuable named scrap that might be useful in the fight. After the fight is over, you will collapse dead once more and proceed to your Grave Mind scene as normal.
what about my cool room augments inside the Depot?
Shortly before the siege of the Depot starts, we will work with you to move your various crafting stations, room augments, and similar in-game items to the side and against the walls. We want to have some places for you to rest in between waves, so if that room augment isn’t taking up exactly a 10x10 space, that’s ok. You can still use the Artisan and Culinary crafting areas in the Depot, provided you have opened up access to the Post Office. Even if that doesn’t happen, you’ll still be able to use the workbench to repair armor and similar other activities that don’t require the Post Office.
What if I’m not a fighter?
That’s okay! A huge assault has need for many roles, including for non-com LCs. Equipment repair, healing, kinetic events, building reinforcement, and there will even be small STRIKE TEAM missions running during the conflict for things like supply runs, distractions, stealth missions, and rescue operations. There will be plenty to do while the phalanx holds the door.
Opportunity for Extra NPC time
We will also be taking a LIMITED number of NPC volunteers for additional time during the assault for perks. Our goal is to fill out a shift to give NPCs time to breathe while maintaining a constant pressure. We do not want to have most of the town on the NPC side of the conflict, so these extra hours will be limited, but if you’d rather weather the siege as a Zombie we have you covered!
How dangerous will this event be?
In order to answer this question, we want to discuss the philosophy of the dangers you’ll face during Surviving the Wake.
As you read below, you’ll notice that most of these abilities are effects that don’t leave a permanent effect. Instead of things like Mangle, we’ve chosen abilities like Stun or Nail. We’ve purposefully emphasized abilities that only temporarily inconvenience you, or provide minor damage for these challenges, but I think you’ll still find these tend to create some good, stressful scenes during a fight.
Heather and I want you to be able to participate in the fight, not sit in some corner nursing a Mangled Limb for an hour. While death is still a possibility, particularly if you make certain choices about where Waking lands, the goal is not to simply murder your characters over and over again.
The goal of a siege is ATTRITION.
It’s not one swing that gets you.
It’s the Shambler that connects once or twice during a particularly heavy push on the doors. It’s the slow and steady damage from radiation that wears you down over hours. It’s the dwindling Mind points as you Avoid a particularly nasty attack, or you Call the Phalanx once more. It’s running low on those Uncle Todd’s after you pick up your friend from a fight again.
The siege is designed to push your characters to the limit, and dig into those amazing moments of triumph, heartache, victory, and horror that can occur when you are out of options.
This fight will be long, hard, and completely exhilarating.
This is the big culmination of our whole season, and we hope that you will trust us, provide us grace if we make a mistake, and buy in. We want you to have a good time as you participate in the first event of this sort in DR:TX.
We can’t wait to see how you SURVIVE THE WAKE!
opting out of “surviving the wake”
While we hope you will take part of this unique siege event, let’s cover what happens if you need a break from our four-hour siege.
using the BREAKOUT Room
One of the important lessons learned from our friends in DR New Jersey during a similar siege event was the need for a place to go to take a break during an event like this, on an out of character level. The stress of a big fight can wear you do, and it’s nice to have a place to retreat. For this reason, we will have a Breakout Room setup nearby. This is one of the calibration and safety tools we’ve planned for the siege.
During this siege, you will be able to drop out of character and step next door to Wikiup to the Breakout Room. We will reserve the back door of the Depot for leaving the building out of character, and no monsters will use this door to the enter the building. If you find the noise, chaos, and stress of the fight getting to you, this area will allow you to find a quiet place away from the siege to chill out, cool down, relax, and give yourself a moment to catch your breath.
This area will be completely out of character!
We will have water and chairs set up here, and you can take as long of a break as you need to get back into the action. The building is air conditioned and will be a great place to cool off. Once you are ready, you will be able to use the back door of the Depot to reenter the play space and jump back into the fray.
What if I need to use the bathroom or need a snack?
If you find that nature calls, you can always step briefly out of character and use the nearby Shower House bathrooms. Just hurry back, so you don’t miss the next fight! The kitchen will still be available for access to the refrigerator, and we will have a water station set up inside the Depot.
wHAT IF i WANT TO OPT OUT completely?
We hope that you will participate in our SURVIVING THE WAKE siege event, as either your characters or an NPC, and do your best to survive the threats we throw at you. But, if you are tired or simply not in the right space to handle the stress of the siege, that’s okay.
During the siege, you can “opt out” of this even by going out of character and get to bed early. Find a Guide outside to mark your character sheet, and you can leave at any time. Easy. Get some rest, and we will see you in the morning for the resolution of the event and our Sunday morning shambles. You can return to play bright and early Sunday at 8:00 a.m.
A few notes about this option:
First, this opt out is completely “out of character”. You can’t farm, do other activities, or anything of the sorts. The town of Bravado will be blanketed in radioactive storms and will be incredibly deadly if you are not sheltering inside the Depot. If you are “off camera” for this fight, we will assume your character took cover somewhere else or fled the immediate vicinity with the other refugees.
The Post Office and Ops will be closed. We will be setting up a temporary Siege HQ near the Depot to speed up our attacks, and we will have all hands on deck for the siege. The siege is our focus for the entirety of the 10PM-2AM shift. If you are expecting the usual entertainment of Dystopia Rising, you’ll need to attend the siege. If you need a staff member for anything out of character, this is where we will be. Our med room in Kiva will still be open, of course, but this is our primary focus for the last shift on Saturday night.
Opting out of this fight doesn’t exclude you from town-wide consequences. If the folks at the Crisis Center decide to crash the hulk of Waking Prime into the town of Bravado, you’ll still die a fiery death like the rest. There’s no way to get far enough away to avoid the devastation if that happens. I hope you make sure not to let those crazy people crash a city-sized airship onto your home!
If you decide to take this option to opt out, don’t worry. There’s no shame in missing out, but we want to make sure you have the option to participate. We will have many other stories to tell over the weekend as you decide the final fate of Waking.
Rules you should know
Now, it’s the week of game so no blog post would be complete without covering some Rules You Should Know. In this “Surviving the Wake” edition, let’s talk about some common skills you might see during the fight, and some common confusions that come up regarding these abilities.
call the phalanx
This isn’t really a Skill at all, but rather this is a Profession Focus Achievement (PFA) ability of the OOPH Barrier shield. However, this is a very common skill used during a big fight, especially with how our Vados love the shield walls. I think one reason why this item gets confused is that there isn’t much actually written for the rules on shield walls. If I was King of DR, I’d love to introduce a Phalanx keyword or something similar, but for now let’s stick with the rules we have from the Blueprint:
Phalanx Doyen: Spend 1 Resolve and form a shield line with 4 to 9 others to call "PHALANX!". All members are immune to effects that would target or effect multiple players except by Guide call. Lasts 15 minutes but ends for any member that moves out of arm's reach of one other.
That’s not much to go from, but let’s break this down to the basics:
You need at least 5 people to form a Shield Wall. It says ‘4-9 others’ in the text, implying that these are in addition to the user with the PFA. This also means the most people that can participate in a Phalanx Doyen shield wall is 10 (you, plus 9 others).
The effect lasts for 15 minutes and costs 1 Resolve. This is an eternity in a common fight in DR, but for the siege of the Depot, you’ll need to space this out if you want to succeed. Since it costs a Resolve and needs a fairly rare Shield PFA, you’ll want to save these uses for the big threats that assault the Depot.
You must stay in arm’s reach of each other. If you leave this range, the effect breaks for you alone. However, if you fall out of formation you can risk losing the entire thing! But, as long as you stay in place, the effect continues. This means even if you are Stunned, Nailed, or Blinded you can keep your place in the line, provided the shield wall doesn’t move away from you.
You must have a Shield to stay in the shield wall. This seems obvious, but I’ll state it here. If your shield gets broken, the effect ends. One big thing to prepare for in a Phalanx is enemies trying to use the skill “Break Shield”. Make sure you save some Mind points to keep your essential equipment intact! A powerful way to be in a great shield wall is for folks other than the Phalanx Doyen to have Daline Bucklers as their shield. These items can become immune to Breaks for a short time, helping you keep in formation.
You are immune to effects that ‘target or effect multiple players”. Some common examples of attacks that trigger this is anything called by a monster with the “Area of Effect” ability, Skills like “Scattershot”, and even powerful psionic attacks like “Master Pyrokinetics”. If the attack targets multiple people, you are immune (with one exception below).
You can call “PHALANX!” in response to any multi-target effect. You can add “No Effect!” if the NPC is confused, but we will be coaching our Zombies during the siege to watch out for these calls.
The one exception to immunity is an effect delivered by a Guide call. This is an important distinction, especially for some of the rules we’ll mention below in this blog post. These will commonly be By My Voice or Area of Effect calls made by a Guide in a green headband. Basically, if it’s not a monster making the call, you can’t use the Phalanx to protect yourself. I’ll list out the particular attacks below that you’ll need to be ready for.
The big weakness of the Phalanx is the skill “Knock Back”. The big effects that will hurt a shield wall called by a Phalanx Doyen are single target effects that make a member move out of arm’s reach. As long as this Threat Skill isn’t called as part of an AOE or Scattershot, it means you will be knocked out of the shield wall unless you use the skill Balance! Make sure you save some Mind points to stay in formation!
One last thing to remember is that Shields CAN block melee strikes, thrown weapons, and blue packets from bows (p. 33), but CANNOT block white packets from Psionic Attacks (p. 105), red packets from a firearm, or projectiles from a Nerf gun (p. 33). Make sure if you see a zombie throwing a white packet to use Basic Mental Endurance instead!
Master Malicious a.k.a. “Death Stalk” (p. 131)
We’ve had a few recent encounters with this Skill that have left folks confused, so I want to address some of the bigger mistakes I see used with this ability. This is a core skill in the Malicious tree that is in the main DR Corebook, on page 131. I’ve included the relevant bits below:
“This skill can be used if the user currently has a Fracture (subdued or active). After spending 1 Resolve and pointing at a Target while saying “Death Stalk”, an individual using [this] skill may ignore 20 seconds worth of strikes and effects while stalking toward the Target. They cannot deviate from walking toward the Target and cannot attack or swing at others while walking toward the Target, and the Target must be no more than 15 paces away. One they reach their Target, they must strike the Target and then will begin taking damage and skill effects as per normal.”
Let’s break down the important parts:
This is one of only a few skills that need Resolve that can be used while Fractured. Even Scattershot can’t be used while fractured, but you can still Death Stalk!
You declare a target, call “Death Stalk” and walk menacingly towards them. While nothing suggests this can’t be a brisk pace, the skill specifically mentions walking. This skill is based on an old skill from 2.0 that prevented you from running, so this is a common interpretation of the skill, but it does not mention running either.
You can ignore 20 seconds of strikes and effects, or take 15 paces, whichever happens first. For this short moment, you are an unstoppable juggernaut, with bullets and swords alike glancing off your angry advance. Because you have to use it on a Target within 15 paces, once you reach them the effect ends.
You end the skill use with a strike against your Target, but you can’t strike anyone until you reach the Target. While you are protected from others strikes, they also gain a measure of protection from you! Don’t wade into the fray, keep your eyes on the prize!
You cannot deviate from walking towards the target. This is NOT an “out of character” teleport ability, and this is probably the single biggest confusion on Master Malicious. There was an ability back in 2.0 that worked differently that this, but this power specifically is in character. If you cannot reach the Target because of an obstruction like a door, wall, another LC, or something like a tightly packed shield wall, this effect fails after 20 seconds. Period. Make sure you have a clear path before you spend the Resolve!
Downsurge
This last ability will come up during the STRIKE TEAM EVENTS, a special type of mod ran during the siege event that includes leaving the safety of the Depot. This is a key mechanic added via the DR National website on the Lexicon. This is similar to an Upsurge, but is always a negative effect:
Countered by Basic Mental Endurance. Downsurge modifiers work as Upsurge (DR: LARP Evolved, page 109) modifiers do, but are always detrimental. They hold a separate ‘slot’ than Upsurge – that is to say, each character can have both one Upsurge and one Downsurge effect active at any given time. A new Downsurge effect called will override the current one if not resisted.
These will be negative effects that last one hour, and will stick with you regardless of how many Upsurges you use. Watch out!
Dangers of being Outside
One of the reasons your characters will be taking shelter inside the Terminal Station Depot during the siege event is that it is SAFER INSIDE…
During the SURVIVING THE WAKE siege event, being outside of the Depot will be CHARACTER DEADLY. There are three major effects you’ll need to worry about, but some of these only really apply for the folks that will inevitably end up defending the door from the invading zombies. Don’t worry if you can’t remember all of these, as it will be posted on the door nearby for anyone to read at the start of the Siege.
Choking Air
The choking smog outside makes it difficult to speak or even breathe. A Guide will periodically call “By My Voice, Choking Blow, 5 Minutes!” during the siege of the Depot.
This is an airborne effect, delivered by a Guide call, and cannot be resisted with “Call the Phalanx”. An LC with a Helscape Death Mask (Basic) may spend 5 Mind to call "Deathmask, No Effect!'' against a single instance of this event.
This effect might make coordination difficult inside. It’s hard to call for a healer if your lungs are full of radioactive smog, after all. Plus, all those neat Faith skills that need you to be able to shout supporting prayers for your friends aren’t so useful while you are coughing and choking.
During breaches into the Depot, this effect will be periodically called by a Guide nearby. Remember, effects called by a Guide like this cannot be ignored by the safety of a shield wall! If you are lucky enough to own a Helscape Death Mask, this will be one of the few protections from the deadly choking air during the siege.
However, choking clouds of smog won’t be the only danger outside.
Rad Storms
Standing at the Depot Door or within 10’ of any entrance exposes the LC to a toxic level of ambient radiation from the waste and fumes of Waking Prime. A Guide will periodically call “Area of Effect, 1 Rad Damage, Mutants Immune!” near the doors during the siege of the Depot.
Rad damage inflicts both 1 Body and 1 Mind damage.
This is an airborne effect, delivered by a Guide call, and cannot be resisted with “Call the Phalanx”. Mutants are immune to this call, due to their Strain resistance. An LC with a Helscape Death Mask (Basic) may spend 5 Mind to call "Deathmask, No Effect!'' against a single instance of this event.
Rad Storms will be one of the most common calls during the Surviving the Wake siege event. Radiation is insidious, and even the meager protections you erect in the Depot won’t stop all of the radiation from affecting you inside. There will probably be at least one door open, and for those folks holding shields and guns at the entrance, you won’t be able to avoid being exposed to this radiation, even with a Phalanx ready.
It doesn’t seem like much, but one point of damage will add up over time. Because Rad Damage impacts both Body and Mind, losing 1 point of Mind might mean you can’t use a handy Avoid any more. You will find yourself needing to cycle folks out off the front line for periodic healing and mind refreshes.
Thankfully, the Lineage advantage of the Mutants (Remnants, Retrograde, and Tainted) offers some decent protection from minor exposure like this. For characters of these Strains, you’ll notice that most of the radiation calls will include the phrase “Mutants Immune!”. If you hear this phrase, you’ll be strong enough to resist these effects. However, your mutated blood only protects so far — larger doses of Radiation will still require you to spend Resolve to ignore, and even a Retrograde won’t survive long outside.
Lethal Exposure
Any prolonged or repeated exposure outside (past the boundaries of the doors of the Cafeteria) for more than 1 minute is LETHAL, regardless of any gas mask or Strain resistance. At the end of this time, you immediately DIE and lose an Infection unless you have specific protection as part of a STRIKE TEAM EVENT.
When the flying city of Waking crash lands nearby, or flies overhead, the only safety will be found INSIDE. Even a short period of time outside will be enough to kill even the hardiest survivor, no matter the Strain. Your Helscape Death Mask won’t protect you if there is no clean air to filter out. If you stay outside for too long, you will immediately die. Period.
There’s only one way to stay outside for a protracted period of time in character and that will be through our STRIKE TEAM EVENTS. Throughout the siege, there will be opportunities for small groups of survivors to brave the dangers of the outdoors on much needed supply runs, stealth missions, and reconnaissance. These small missions will have some special temporary protection from LETHAL EXPOSURE, but only for the small group of people on the mission.
However, these events will be timed.
If you don’t get back to safety in time, you could die in the choking clouds of radiation across Bravado, despite your temporary protection. Plus, each character will only be able to attend ONE of these Strive Team Events. Repeated exposure to the irradiated clouds will be deadly, especially if you try it more than once during the siege. The Infection in your bodies can only handle so many Rads!
Quick Events
One last complication to the fighting will be experienced in the form of Quick Reaction Events, a new concept for DR:TX that you see continue into Season 5. These were inspired by some clever skill uses in DR: Oklahoma (Fore!!), and by our very own Reaction Events during the Submarine mods written by Ed Sampson.
What is a Quick Event?
During the siege, you will occasionally hear a Guide start a Quick Event:
The Guide will describe the effect with a exclamation - “Shockwave!” This is largely flavor and is meant to help you understand in-game what effect is happening. We don’t have a Hollywood budget, so sound effects will have to do.
The Guide will call the keyword, then start a slow 3-count. - “Hit the Deck, 3, 2, 1!” When you hear this countdown, it will be a clear sign to do something!
You will have only a brief time to REACT to the event. If you perform an obvious behavior to protect yourself, you will avoid the damage or negative effect. This might be something like taking cover, covering your mouth, looking away from an explosion, or falling to the ground.
If you do not react in time, the Guide will call a “Failed Reaction”. This call will be alongside a temporarily inconvenience, like Blinding, Agony, or Stun. This is an unavoidable effect, and no use of Avoid, Balance, Mental Endurance, or even a Phalanx will stop this.
A few of the events cannot be avoided at all. There are two effects that cannot be avoided by reacting to the event and will simply be a thing you need to deal with.
In practice, these attacks will be pretty intuitive. After you’ve seen it in action a few times, you’ll understand what you need to do to protect yourself, and you can simply listen for the Guide to call or point to you for the effects. The first time you experience these Quick Events, you’ll even have a longer count to help you realize what is about to happen.
What if you are a little less mobile?
Don’t worry! The goal of these events is not to punish people that may have a lack of mobility or be a bit slower. I know I’m not the fastest person out there, but what we are looking for is EFFORT.
If you do something that a reasonable person could interpret as reacting to the event, the effect won’t hurt you.
This is largely a self-applied attack, so if you feel you avoided the attack our Guides will believe you! We want to have a fun, kinetic event to break up the monotony of a fight and to add a bit of tension to the siege, and this is not meant to force a strenuous physical activity.
What kinds of Quick Events Should I expect?
In our DR:TX tradition of Radical Trust, here’s the list of the effects you can expect to see during the fight. This will also be posted in the Depot, and we will have several NPCs to help telegraph these behaviors when they happen.
Pay attention, and you’ll survive the fall of Waking unscathed!
Shockwave! HIT THE DECK!
A Guide will call “Hit the Deck, 3, 2, 1!”. If you do not obviously react and take cover, sit down, and/or fall to the ground (if able), you suffer an unavoidable “Failed Reaction: Stun, 10 seconds!” as you are disoriented by the collision of a shock wave.
Take a Deep Breath! GAS LEAK!
A Guide will call “Gas Leak, 3, 2, 1!”. If you do not obviously react and cover your mouth, you raise a scarf or face covering, you are wearing a Helscape Death Mask, or make some obvious attempt to hold your breath, you suffer an unavoidable “Failed Reaction: Choking Blow, 1 minute” from poisonous gasses quickly filling the Depot.
Watch Out! FALLING DEBRIS!
A Guide will call “Falling Debris, 3, 2, 1!”. If you do not obviously dive for cover, move from your current position, or take obvious attempts to dodge the debris, you suffer an unavoidable “Failed Reaction: 5 Body, Nail, 1 Minute!”. You may not move from your place for 1 minute following this damage, as you are pinned by falling debris.
Geiger Spike! RAD STORM INCOMING!
A Guide will call “Rad Storm Incoming, 3, 2, 1”. A Guide will call “By My Voice, 1 Rad Damage, Mutants Immune!”. This call inflicts both 1 Body damage and 1 Mind damage, unless you are of the Mutant Strain as the deadly radiation seeps into the building. This cannot be resisted by the “Call the Phalanx” ability. You can’t react to avoid this event.
Power Surge! LIGHTS OUT!
A Guide will call “Lights Out, 3, 2, 1!”. The lights of the Depot will be extinguished, and LCs AND Threats may use Stealth effects indoors for the next 5 minutes. You may use Awareness to counter Stealth effects as normal. You can’t react to avoid this event.
The Undead Wail! PSIONIC RUPTURE!
A Guide will call “Psionic Rupture, 3, 2, 1!”. If you do not obviously cover your ears, muffle your sense of hearing, or make some effort to meditate or mentally protect yourself, you suffer an unavoidable “Failed Reaction: Agony, 10 seconds!” as the haunting screams of the Mortis Amaranthine overcome your senses.
Flash! Bang! BLINDING LIGHT!
A Guide will call “Blinding Light, 3, 2, 1!”. If you do not obviously cover your eyes, avert your vision from the windows and doors, or make some effort to protect your eyes with goggles, masks, or scarves, you suffer an unavoidable “Failed Reaction: Blinding, 10 seconds!” as the blinding flash of the nearby explosion overwhelms you.
That’s it for the Quick Events. I think these will offer some fun ways to interact with the fight that isn’t swinging a boffer and it will be something that anyone can do during the siege. Remember, it’s all about the effort, so just try your best!
siege challenges & needed materials
During the Surviving the Wake event, zombies won’t be the only challenges you’ll face while defending the Depot. While things like Healing Brews, Mind Restoring Meals, and Injectables will be useful during all of the fighting, that’s not the only resources that will be in demand while you SURVIVE THE WAKE.
During the fight, you will need to resolve several different SIEGE CHALLENGES. These tasks will require a kinetic activity to complete, like putting boards over the windows, or holding your breath to quickly hang a tarp outside. If you don’t complete these tasks within a certain time limit, it will create a bigger issue for the folks inside called a CONSEQUENCE. These Consequences will often aid the zombie hordes besieging the Depot, or make your efforts to defend the Depot a bit harder.
If this happens, you’ll need some materials to repair the damage to your shelter. We’ve kept the materials to items that can be gathered with BASIC skills, so even new players can pitch in to help patch up barricades and fight back the intrusions of the Grave Mind. But, since you won’t be able to leave the Depot during the siege, you’ll need to get your collecting done BEFORE the siege event starts.
Here’s the materials you can expect to use during these Siege Challenges:
BASIC TRADE CONNECTIONS:
Basic Scrap. If you have access to Uncommon and Rare scrap, you’ll be able to complete the tasks with a few less total Scrap instead. Good thing you can Smelt & Weld now!
BASIC SALVAGING:
Machined Components, Synthetic Fibers.
BASIC FORAGING:
Craftable Stone, High Grade Lumber.
BASIC TRAILBLAZING:
Alloy Metal, Conductive Metal. Metals will be used rarely, and never in the same quantities as the materials above, since they are harder to come by.
If you end up running short on critical supplies, there will also be several opportunities for small teams of survivors to venture forth into the choking radioactive wasteland on special missions. However, we want to give you some advanced warning of what you might need, just in case!
If you have some coordination and pay attention during the fight, you might be able to avoid having to spend resources at all!
New Threat Skills of note
One of the more particular side effects of the Waking morgue getting so close to the ground is a strange Grave Mind anomaly. Morgues have begun vomiting strange new Zombies, reminiscent of earlier times before the Hiway War. As such, new and dangerous types of Undead are to be expected throughout the weekend, but particularly during the siege of the Depot.
Some of our veterans of 2.0 may recognize some of these abilities and the Zed they represent, but we’ll save some surprises for the event. For now, let’s look at some of the NEW Threat Skills you might see this weekend:
SIGNATURE ABILITY: Overwhelming Strike
While most undead cannot use weapons, the [REDACTED] can make a single massive strike and call “15 Body, Overpower!”. This strike requires TWO uses of Avoid to ignore and ignores Armor.
Zombies with Melee weapons? Yikes! I hate that! I bet they get some other combat skills as well, depending on what kind of weapons they are equipped with. But, if it’s using weapons, you might be able to find something nice if you can manage to search the corpse in the midst of the melee…
SIGNATURE ABILITY: Triple Jointed
[REDACTED] can access any room by squeezing through impossible spaces. Place your hand on your head, go out of character, and spawn inside the space near a window, door, or small access point. You may return to play in Whisper Walk, with the stealth symbol. Do not use more than once per minute.
Zombies that can get into a locked room without using the door? That means no cabin is safe from these monsters, even if you are on the 13th floor! Whisper Walk has been used on some other threats, and it even means they can use Basic Stealth to hide in bright light or plain sight. I hope you have Awareness!
SIGNATURE ABILITY: Body Puppet
White Packet delivered, the [REDACTED] can call “BODY PUPPET: Psionic Compulsion!” If the target does not resist, give the command to the LC to “Fight the Living for 5 minutes. Bleed Out ends!” This effect ends once the victim has been reduced to Bleed Out, or the [REDACTED] is slain. This power is resisted by Mental Endurance. Do not use more than once per minute.
Oh man. A Zombie that turns me against my friends? If I ended up getting someone killed, I’d feel like a complete bone head. Remember, items like the Grave Bell Shard and the skill Mental Endurance can protect you from Compulsion effects. Psionic Zombies are bad enough, and you gotta know that this isn’t the only aberrant trick these zed can bring to the fight…
SIGNATURE ABILITY: Mercy Paralyze
The [REDACTED] can call “Area of Effect, Psionic Stun, 1 Minute”. Functions as a very long stun, allowing the [REDACTED] to feed from the horrified and paralyzed victim at their leisure. Resisted by Balance or Mental Endurance.
Yikes. Imagine being frozen solid and still being aware of the zombies eating you but being unable to scream out for help. Whelp, guess I’m not going outside without a friend this weekend, because I might have to beg for mercy…
SIGNATURE ABILITY: Still as a Statue
While remaining motionless under direct observation, [REDACTED] gain Damage Reduction (Major). They reduce all Melee or Ranged strikes by 10 to a minimum of 1 damage. Bane does normal damage, not double.
Ok, so all I got to do is keep my eyes on these zombies. Good think I won’t need to avert my eyes from a bright, blinding, explosion during the siege. I remember stories back before the Hiway War about zed that could scream and sap your will, but that’s probably a different type of zed. (There’s really no clever pun for these, the name is just too weird.. It rhymes with Golgos… Nope that doesn’t work either.)
Wrap Up
This was a lot to cover today, but don’t worry — most of these rules will be clearly telegraphed during the fights, and stuff like the Siege Challenges, the Environmental Dangers, and the Quick Events will be printed out and posted clearly at the Crisis Center during the fight.
We can’t wait to ring out the season with an epic fight, unlike anything we’ve ever attempted in DR:TX. Thank you for your buy in, and we can’t wait to push you to your limits during the events of VOX POPULI!
See you in a few days, Vados!