Howdy Vados!
It’s Jonathan here with another signature DR:TX Rules Ramble, leading up to our penultimate 3.0 event THE FUTILITY OF EVIL! This is one of the last events of the 3.0 rules system before we launch DR Live, led by Jared Schlabra. 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 settings updates and THEMES of Season 6 in a bit more detail.
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Our photos for this post were taken from previous DR:TX events by our talented Photo Team, including our guest photographer Seth Kahler.
Picking up the pieces
Last season during our May event, the San Saba Board was stopped at the Battle of Essex. In a brutal battle, the forces of the Bravado Militia crushed the last remnants of resistance and ushered the San Saba into a new era. While the Burning Season delayed some of the collapse, the final defeat of Arthur Lovelace in September ended any chance of a territory-wide government setting roots in the area any time soon. With the wasteland growing into a harsher place, and as settlements become more isolated, our story has shifted to our hometown of Bravado. While areas outside of our town still have a bit of a story of their own, we’ve focused our narrative on the immediate area around Bravado.
Let’s cover the major updates after the end of the season and as we move into our stories of Season 6:
Essex was seriously damaged during the final days of the war. As the Chairman fled the armies of the Bravado Militia, he turned his gunship on the city itself, bombing innocent civilians in a display of carnage not seen in the town since the Fountainhead Incident. Buildings were destroyed, the Grave Bureau was nearly collapsed, but the Fountainhead stood strong despite the fires that swept through the forest-city. Boss Debs of the San Saba Republic has vowed to rebuild, but it will be months and years before the damage is truly recovered.
The Battle of Bravado was won by the forces of Bravado and their militia, turning the tide again and again against the last attacks of the San Saba Board. The town held the armies at bay at the Devil’s Gorge Bridge, protected their solar panel system against sabotage, defended their morgue from collapse, and fought back against the combined forces of the Red Ledger and the Chairman’s personal Praetorian Guard.
Arthur Lovelace was killed, and an elaborate murder ritual was enacted in Bravado to make sure he stayed dead. When the Chairman’s remaining forces met the Militia at Bravado, they were held at bay while the town dealt with the villain personally. His imprint was scattered, his reason for living was destroyed, and the last walk of Arthur Lovelace was witnessed. The villain is no more, his loyal assistant, Lawrence Graves suffered his final death, and there is none to take up the banner of the Board after his death.
The Breaker of Crowns stayed behind during the final ritual, her revenge satisfied. In a shocking turn, the Breaker of Crowns did not emerge from the Morgue after the final death of Arthur Lovelace. Some said that she had come to terms with the monstrous acts she committed in the name of the War of Antlers, but others suggest that she didn’t have a reason to leave after the death of her hated enemy. The San Saba Republic is still reeling from the loss, and have promised a memorial will be made in her honor in Essex.
The Red Ledger was paid a hefty ransom to betray the Chairman, and they turned on the remaining forces of the Board during the final conflict. Over 1000 Brass was collected to pay a bounty to Red Ledger in September. The conflict decimated the mercenary company, and their remaining soldiers have scattered to the winds. Without the coffers of the Board, some have joined with the Militia while others have returned to the mercenary life in towns across the Lone Star.
A new Bravado Charter has been signed. The Justices have approached each settlement around Bravado, offering their services, not as overlords, but as arbiters, a neutral party to help diffuse tensions before they flare into outright conflict again. Both Bastion with its strict military code, and Drywater with its descent into anarchy have declined this offer, but Bravado has opted to take a chance with this new approach and formulated a Town Charter.
The Wells Society Initiative has begun in the San Saba. The Wells Society has proven that their new glow shrooms can be a valuable resource during their presentations at Bastion. While there was some complications with the morgue, the agents of the Wells Society under Dr. Ezekiel Abbott have begun to offer their unique resource to more settlements near Bravado.
The Bastion Morgue was stabilized, and the population was kept safe by the efforts of the visitors and the Loyalists during a mighty siege of the Hall of Inventions. The zombie horde was dispatched and the morgue’s corruption was cleansed through the efforts of several dedicated necrologists and grave heads that rebuilt the morgue virtually from scratch. While the danger of these strange new dead has passed for the moment, it’s unlikely that the new zombie threat will remain pacified forever.
Let’s talk a bit more about the themes of our new story.
Themes of Season 6
Each season, we’ve focused on a central theme, such as “Renaissance” or “Rebellion”. The primary theme of our new Season 6 story is “Reconstruction”. In the aftermath of the War of Antlers, there’s been a few changes, and I’d like to remind y’all of these updates as we prepare to move into our full story for the season. I’ve posted some of this back in August, but I figured it would be worth a bit of a refresher on where we stand. This season is about new beginnings, particularly as we launch the 4th edition of our game, Dystopia Rising Live.
Our story of season 6 is one of conflict and drama, and at the heart of that drama is the struggle to survive in a cruel and hostile world after the collapse of the San Saba Board. Here’s a few of the questions and concepts we hope to explore over the coming seasons. I’ve broken these down into a few common narrative conflicts.
The Death of a Future (Man vs. Fate)
When the Board fell, their vision for the future fell with them. Without a central force encouraging trade, repairing the rails, and helping keep lines of communication open, the San Saba has quickly collapsed into a series of city-states. Without a greater incentive or need to care about other towns, this inward focus has ended much of the technological advancement that the Board once promised. This loss will help drive the change to the genre and technological setting materials of DR Live.
New threats have emerged, particularly Natural Born Raiders and strange new undead variants. Most connection is lost with the north, the southern coast, and even the settlements near Bravado are hard pressed by raiders. Rail lines are only reliable closer to the main area around Bravado, and generally only for the wealthy or fool-hardy. Most telegraph lines are gone, salvaged for scrap or destroyed as sabotage during the war. The RRC has abandoned the outer rail systems towards Gatorland or Hell Dorado, and virtually no one can make a trip into the Dune Sea any longer. The fleet of locomotives that connected the region is dwindling, and the RRC and others are reluctant to risk the Ox on anything but the safest and most patrolled routes.
Essex is rebuilding, recovering from the devastating Battle of Essex at the end of the war. While they are still a ready ally, they have their work cut out for them in the months and years to come. Essex serves as a constant reminder of the damage caused by the war, and the rebuilding that is required afterwards.
The Threat of Bravado, aka What Happens Next? (Man vs. Self)
Bravado is an existential threat. The world watched as Bravado led a rebellion that toppled the “lawful” government of the area through violence, and brought anarchy and chaos in the wake of the collapse. Many respect what they did, but there is an undercurrent of fear on the minds of every other settlement in the San Saba. Bravado now has the largest standing military force in the region. What happens if Bravado decides that they are the new enemy of freedom in the wake of the collapse?
While hope after the war is still possible, there is a lot of uncertainty for the San Saba. In the aftermath of violence, with no central leadership the various settlements of the area have been left to themselves. There is a lot of need to rebuild and restructure, and there are many conflicting ideas of the best path forward. Each town has their own opinions on what the right answer is but everyone is hyper-aware of what Bravado did. If they choose for themselves, will the town of Bravado respect their autonomy or choice?
Cities and towns must decide how they define order from the anarchy of the wasteland. They must establish new laws, and find new ways to hold people accountable. While the Justices of Sin and the Law Dogs can help enforce town charters, there is very little oversight or ability to institute rules without the consent of the governed in the towns. And after the example of the Board, trust is at a premium. The players must decide on a Bravado Charter that they can enforce, and they must decide if some larger form of organization for their town is necessary or needed.
Bravado and the Oxkillers recruited countless soldiers, armed them, trained them, and whetted their appetites on war and violence. Without a cause to fight for, what happens to those soldiers and weapons of war? How does a soldier return to a life in their hometown? Is there still a need for an active military presence, and who should lead them? Who is responsible for providing funds for upkeep and salaries? What should be done about the militiamen that turn to banditry or set themselves up as petty warlords and tyrants? It’s difficult to turn swords to plowshares in the apocalypse.
Should a town or its people atone for their sins? Was it a sin at all if they won? Both sides “othered” their opponents, and war crimes were committed in the name of freedom, justice, law and order. Enemy soldiers were killed, enemy settlements bombed, and infrastructure damaged. Should there be accountability for the damage they caused, or should Bravado shoulder any responsibility for their role in the fall of the San Saba Board? With no easy villain to blame for the damage or to assume responsibility, it’s easy to turn eyes towards Bravado.
A Tale of Two Cities, aka Rivalry with Bastion (Man vs. Man)
During our National Event in October, we had the chance to meet the residents of nearby BASTION, the fortress-city built atop the wreckage of Waking. With the infamous GENERAL MUSTANG at their lead, the town has presented itself as a serious contender and rival to Bravado, with differing philosophies of governance, capable soldiers and weapons to defend themselves, and a place the Mustang Loyalists can call home.
How do you deal with an enemy you can’t simply throw armies at? The Loyalists have skilled soldiers on their side, a nearly unassailable fortress atop the wreck of the airship, and a surprisingly effective barrier against ground assault in the Exclusion Zone. They cannot be easily intimidated by the forces of the Bravado Militia. Bastion represents a source for political drama and ways to create a foil for the town of Bravado.
The Fallow Hope represents a rival settlement to our town, and a drain on potential resources for the area. This is the first time we’ve really explored the idea of a nearby rival to our town, and it will provide ample opportunities for conflict. Why would merchants or travelers go to Bravado when they can get better prices or safety in Bastion? As Loyalists deploy the glow-shrooms to deal with radiation in the area, this provides a new resource in fresh, untainted land and water compared to our town. The threat they represent is very real, but in a much more subtle way than simply guns or soldiers.
A map of the San Saba after the War of Antlers, PHW ‘08, by Jonathan Loyd
Story premise for Season 6
I shared this in August, but here it is once more:
Another deadly war has shook the foundations of Bravado, and the San Saba has settled into an uneasy and chaotic peace after the collapse of the San Saba Board. Travel and communication across the area has grown more difficult, and towns turn their focus inward, towards their own fraught survival.
It happened more quickly than many expected. The outer rail lines that once reached as far as the Broken Coast and across the Dune Sea have been abandoned in favor of closer, safer routes between the immediate towns near Bravado and Essex. Telegraph lines stripped for salvage and murdered postal runners mean that all but the most persistent communication between settlements has stopped, and the points of light at the edge of the map have dimmed. Soldiers and mercenaries recruited for the war, now without a common cause, consider new allegiances, brutal banditry, or violent reckonings on rival settlements ill prepared for trained and well armed survivors at their gates.
In this new world, the implacable equilibrium of the wasteland churns onwards, reclaiming abandoned settlements in overgrowth, and damning once vibrant towns to destruction, returning the land once more to a lawless waste ruled only by what a survivor can claim for themselves. Strange and dangerous raiders have overtaken the north, their war path marked by blood and the sounds of drum beats. The dead have risen in even greater numbers, the Grave Mind turning the countless deaths of the War of Antlers into new and more deadly variants, bent on feasting on living flesh.
The factions of the San Saba have been broken and worn by the war, but each has consolidated what remains of their fortunes closer to the new heart of the San Saba, Bravado. While it should be a new shining beacon on a hill, a pervasive sense of insignificance has rendered the town forgettable and alone, a ghost town tucked into a forgotten corner of the region. A fog of memories, casting a shroud of forgetfulness and absence has settled over Bravado, perhaps a last dying gasp of an ancient terror trapped within or perhaps just the unfortunate reality of a world that has moved on after the fall of the Board. As the town wanes in importance, new rivals flourish nearby, threatening to complete the fall into obscurity for our humble home.
Forgotten and left to decide their own future, our survivors face the harsh and horrific realities of survival in the wasteland. Now, once easily secured resources like power, clean water, food, fuel, and scrap are in question, and the lean and hungry eyes of your fellow survivors seem not quite as friendly as before. The future promised by the San Saba Board may be dead, but perhaps a new future can be forged from the ashes for the survivors that call Bravado home…
FACTION UPDATES & CHANGES
The War of Antlers had some big impacts on our story, and virtually every faction was impacted by the conflict in a pretty significant way. Our stories of season 6 will determine the fate of some of the factions, and even introduce some new characters to the story. In the same way this will be a bit of a season of transitions as we get ready for the launch of DR Live, this year’s story will continue with the aftermath of the war that nearly ended the town of Bravado.
We will be updating our Faction pages over the next few months, so here’s the major changes to expect:
The Factions of the San Saba have lost much of their influence in the region, and many of these groups have new NPC leadership, new headquarters, and new objectives. Money is tighter, and many have had to spend vast resources relocating or rebuilding after the events of the War of Antlers. This is one story reason the Faction Buy Lists will be sunsetted, but overall the ability of a faction to influence a wide area of the San Saba has been severely reduced following the war as part of our new license structure.
Two factions will be exiting our story, the Widows of the Lone Star and Prudence Penitentiary. These Society Memberships will be removed from character sheets going forward.
One new faction will be introduced, The Bravado Militia, representing the remaining soldiers and troops recruited during the War of Antlers. Players that served as commanders during the war can add this Society Membership to their sheets for free.
Here’s a bit of a story update on the various Factions, and we will expand on this on the website and during our Season 6 stories.
The Widows of the Lone Star have been driven out of Widow’s Peak and have now joined the Criminal Factions of Bravado. They are no longer a full faction, as their story really concluded in September with the final confrontation against Arthur Lovelace. While some stories will continue in the background, particularly for characters in Murder Inc, we won’t have regular events like Widow’s Tea and you won’t see characters like Clauthia Lovelace during our games.
Prudence Penitentiary has ceased to exist following the war. With the disappearance of Tabitha St. Mercy, taken into custody by the General during the last days of the war, the location once known as Killhouse has been well and truly finished. With no remaining function for the prison after the collapse of the San Saba Board, the fortress-prison has taken on new importance to the Militia and the Grave Council as a strategic fortification and not as a place of incarceration.
The remaining six factions of the San Saba have each experienced their own trials and tribulations following the War of Antlers.
The San Saba Republic has splintered further following the aftermath of civil war. The SSR is eager to return to a more peaceful life following war, the destruction at Essex, and the betrayals during the rebellion. With the Breaker of Crowns’ rage finally satiated with the collapse of the Board, many families that were broken and torn apart on the opposing sides of the rebellion are seeking reconciliation. With Boss Deb’s focus on rebuilding Essex, only a few of the Tribes remain in Essex, and many of their soldiers recruited during the war and their Houses have returned to their homes once more. With the Breaker dead, many of the factions have went their separate ways, still picking up the pieces of a vicious civil war.
The RRC is in crisis, as most of their fortunes were tied to the success of Felicity Redfield and the Board. Forced to abandon the outer Oxlines, they have taken a more conservative approach to survival after the collapse of the Board. A new CEO will need to be named in time, but the Ox is safe in Bravado for now. However, the families of Waking Prime have splintered with the rise of Bastion - some have joined the Mustang Loyalists in their new fortress-city, while others have remained in Essex and Bravado.
The Law Dog Union has established their relevance through the creation of several town charters across the area around Bravado. These new social contracts empower Marshals and Sheriffs to find new paths of redemption for criminals with the help of the Justices of Sin, and they have their work cut out for them. While Boss Wyatt has established an office for the Union in Essex, their agents roam the wasteland offering their services as investigators and beacons of stability in a lawless wilderness.
Following the death of General Rampart, Cassiopeia Stargazer has emerged as the leader of the Grave Council. With the help of the new Reckoner-General Solomon, the faction has diverted their expertise in necrology and the Grave Mind towards establishing a new Vault of Reckoning inside the strong walls of the fortress-prison formerly known as Killhouse. The new town charters have also redefined the grave tax for a new post-Board era, but the faction has a lot of work to do to rebuild their reputation.
The Junkerpunks are licking their wounds after the war, after being forced to retreat inland towards their new home of Drywater. After years of trying to appease the kinder elements of the Muddy Water Accord, the faction is ready for a clean break from law and order. Drywater has refused to sign a charter with the Law Dogs or the Grave Council, choosing to forge a new path ahead on their own. Will complete anarchy be a viable method of survival in the new lawless wasteland?
The Militia stands as the strongest military organization in the region, and has claimed the fortress-prison of Killhouse as their headquarters. Under the leadership of General Hargrave, the Militia now has to grapple with the unfortunate realities of a post-war landscape, including dealing with their veterans and the threat trained soldiers represent. How do they lay down their arms and return to a normal life without the purpose of serving in the rebellion? Who pays the bills now that the rebellion has been won? While many of their soldiers returned home, some remained behind to stand guard against the Mustang Loyalists, and others worry that the Militia will just find a new excuse to plunge Bravado into a new war against Bastion.
There’s still a few unknowns for how Factions and Society Memberships will function in a new DR Live world, but for now there are still plenty of stories to tell as we begin Season 6.
The Fog of Memories
One new story beat we’d like to introduce for Season 6 is the concept of the “Fog of Memories”. For our season of survival, we have added a new story effect to explain why the outside world no longer cares as much about Bravado as it did in seasons past. This has no actual mechanical effect beyond what the players decide, but it is simply a cool narrative way to address continuity going forward.
Some suggest that the effects of capturing the Prince Undying within the Bravado Mortis appears to have created a strange phenomenon that is now impacting the residents of Bravado. Others simply point out that without an organizing government like the San Saba Board, most folks tend to mind their own business. With travel being tougher across the San Saba, it’s easy for people not to want to risk a dangerous journey after all.
Regardless of the cause, it started small and sometime shortly after the Burning Season began. People began to forget Bravado unless they were actively living there or had some sympathetic tie to the town. As it continues to worsen, people literally forget about the town unless they have a reason to remember it. People with a strong connection or tie to the town like your characters are more resistant to the effect, but the effect increases the further you travel from Bravado. Every month, some new traveler arrives in town, surprised to find the town and even more surprised to find folks living there.
Much like something that is out of sight, or out of mind, it’s a subtle effect for most, and leads to small mistakes and forgetfulness that interrupts regular trade and commerce. Repairmen forget to make the trip to check the rail lines leading into Bravado, and merchants accidentally miss the stop as they daydream about something else. Important faction leaders focus on other settlements nearby, and don’t make it a priority to visit Bravado. For those that don’t live actively in the town, it’s as easy to forget as some small random town in another state could be in real life. If someone brings it up, folks might have a spark of memory, but it quickly fades into obscurity when it fades from their attention.
There are no real mechanics for the Fog of Memories. This is simply a story element for how the town is being forgotten by the outside world. Think of elements like relationship decay, or nostalgia as a means to a story. The themes here are not catastrophic, but just the distance that grows between ideas as time passes.
This is an optional story that your character can choose to have impact them, or simply choose to ignore it. If you don’t want it to affect your character, it doesn’t. You get to decide if and how the Fog of Memories has affected your character. It’s entirely up to you, but this could be a great reason to update a back story, or wrap up some unfinished stories as you prepare for the new stories of DR Live. Maybe the amnesia you suffer can provoke some new character connections or let you start fresh as if you just arrived in town.
In general, this is not a problem that can be fixed. It’s simply a new part of life in Bravado, and it can have as much or as little impact as you want it to have on your character. It’s not something that research or a zone of mechanics will change.
You might encounter strange fog in Bravado from time to time, as we plan to use fog machines more in S6 as setting ephemera. The fog could have strange effects via certain zone of mechanics, but most of this effect is simply a background story.
I hope you are ready for some spooky stories in Season 6!
Wrap Up
That’s it for today. I hope you are ready to face the cannibals in November! We have some tough choices and deadly enemies to face as we finish out our last two games under the 3.0 ruleset.
We have some fun surprises in store for you as you are ready to try and survive the cannibal hordes of THE FUTILITY OF EVIL. Will you help the Cannibal Crown escape from the choices he’s made for power? Will you help the Malefactors recognize the folly of their philosophy, or will you answer their threat with violence? Will you survive being eaten alive by vicious cannibals?
Next week we will recap some of the Rules You Should Know, including a few familiar DR Live mechanics that will premiere a bit early during this event.
Tickets are on sale for our NOVEMBER event now! Don’t miss out!
See you soon Vados!
