Our Premiere Event is fast approaching and we’d like to provide a rundown of what to expect. In this blog, you’ll find some of the story that’s set up for the event, the major plots and themes players will get to engage with, relevant local mechanics, and details on the Wildwood Fever that much of the weekend’s narrative revolves around.
The Story So Far
The Overgrowth has been surging and encroaching on Barker since the winter. Key to the weekend’s action is that something has agitated the Overgrowth, sending massive amounts of dangerous flora and fauna into town – as well as threatening to overtake the town itself!
Meanwhile, R.A.N.G.E.R. – an extremist environmental activist group concerned with preserving and propagating the Overgrowth and all its creatures – has caused problems for the industrial ambitions of the Financial Institutions of Lorado. As Barker has tried to navigate these conflicts, others have been less diplomatic, and now the Rolling Coalition has declared outright war on the “ecoterrorists” after a violent dispute.
Finally, the Machonis Company, a health-tech “startup” (whatever that means) run by maverick medical pioneer Fiona Machonis, has moved into town. Though she soured local opinion in her first visit to a Barker trade, Fiona proved instrumental in defeating the fatal contagion of Tunnel Hunger last month. With opinion divided, the Machonis Company has made its intention to remain in Barker clear.
Major Weekend Plots and Themes:
Major Themes
Environmental Destruction and Exploitation
Spread of Disease and Fear
Resistance and Rebellion, Control and Manipulation, Unity and Division
Major Plots
Major plots this weekend will focus around the Overgrowth and how to deal with its dangers, with our Survivors unraveling what’s going on and making complex choices while they fight for their lives. Expect a good deal of action and pitched combat this weekend. Finally, though not in-character knowledge: there’s a disease afoot, and dealing with it will also mean the inevitable intervention of the profiteer Machonis Company. You’ll have to do research and find ways of mitigating, treating, and hopefully curing the disease at your disposal.
Local Mechanics of Note
Although we have a variety of local custom mechanics and encourage you to read our website to learn more (please note our website is under revisions and not all the below mechanics are posted yet) we’d like to highlight a few key ones for this event.
Invasive: This means an effect is exceptionally powerful – often psionics – and comparable to Overpower. To resist an Invasive effect costs double, e.g. “Area of Effect Invasive Agony” would still be countered by Basic Mental Endurance, but it would cost 10MP at base instead of 5MP.
Inflict (variant Threat Mechanic for this event):
If an attack with the Inflict carrier hits your Body (i.e. bypasses or exceeds your armor), you contract Stage 1 of the declared Disease.
If you already have a Stage of the declared Disease, this call will NOT advance your Stage.
Pheromone: A tag for other mechanics, Pheromone indicates that the call can be resisted by the Basic ability of the Helscape Deathmask.
Role-Play Prompts: Role-Play Prompts are meant to give actions or guidance for RPing your character during their duration. Characters should attempt to complete the Prompt or to role-play struggling against the Prompt and fighting it off in some clear depiction of internal strife. Prompts are an Opt-In mechanic and can be opted out of at any time.
Bad Brain Prints: The Machonis Company are bringing some of their innovations to market, most notably the Cutting Edge Injection and the Razor Syringe. Cutting Edge is a potent combat enhancer for using Proficient Combat Skills – especially for similarly Bad Brained individuals who want to push to the limit. Razor prevents the progression of Bad Brain due to the passage of time and allowing tapping into “Raider Rage” but with some drawbacks. We strongly encourage you to seek out these prints in-game.
Cracked Psionic Crystal: A local resource usually available on the Master Criminal and Northheed Favor buylists, at start of game it will not be available via Buylists due to plot happenings.
Blood Sap: A local resource available on the Master Trade and Bear Claw Favor buylists. This one might come in handy – especially given its historical links to the Overgrowth.
Hunting Buylist: A buylist that uses Hunting produced goods and Meaty Bits as well as the skill Hunting to buy from it. Several items on the buylist will help fight Critters and Overgrowth this event.
Psionic as a Tag: Some threats or other mechanics may tag on “Psionic” to a typically non-Psionic call, meaning the effect interacts with mechanics involving Aberrancy as normal (such as being shut down by Master Mental Endurance) – and as a carrier tag – that if it directly would harm or impact your character, Basic Mental Endurance is a viable defense unless indicated otherwise by a Guide.
Psionic: Stealth: A caveat about Psionic-tagged Basic Stealth, however! This skill in particular is augmented by the Psionic tag, bypassing requirements for cover, darkness, etc. – just don’t whisper while you walk! Interacting with the environment and Awareness still cause this skill to drop as normal. Because this is not a direct impact on your character, Basic Mental Endurance does not reveal a threat using Psionic: Stealth.
Damage Cap: Possessed by fearsome threats, mostly local Undead, this allows any damage above a certain number to be reduced by the threat to that number. Bane is reduced to the Cap and then doubles. For example, an Undead with Damage Cap 5 would take 5 Damage from a 20 Damage strike, but 10 Damage from a 20 Undead Bane strike.
Local Diseases: Several diseases floated around as of last trade, but the most important is Purifying Bad Brain, a Bad Brain variant invented by the Machonis Company that can halt the progression of other diseases.
Wildwood Fever
Finally, let's talk about Wildwood Fever, this weekend’s star Disease. It’s a virulent, deadly contagion from the Overgrowth that can cause delirium, rage and obsession. Any Bad Brain-specific calls that you may hear throughout the weekend will affect you as well while you are afflicted with Wildwood Fever.
For example, if a Haze Raider calls “Advance One (1) Rank of Bad Brain,” and you have Wildwood Fever you would advance in Wildwood Fever, otherwise you would interact with regular Bad Brain. Please refer to this document for a spoiler-light writeup of the Fever as well as information about specific RP prompts for each stage. Be sure to check-in with fellow players before engaging in CvC while under the effects of Wildwood Fever, as you would with Bad Brain. Remember, at the end of the day, these are your real life pals!
While you can Opt-Out of Wildwood Fever at your discretion, we encourage you to lean into getting and having Wildwood Fever. It will be a blast. A surge, if you will. Of pheromones.
Hopefully this will help prepare you for this weekend in Barker as you face down the Overgrowth, Wildwood Fever and more. Dive into conflict, make tough decisions, and try to survive. The Root of All Evil awaits – see you in the fray!