Aftermath

Aftermath is a post-apocalyptic survival LARP set in the mid 20th century that is focussed on exploring a ruined city in search of resources.

 

It is the end of Summer, 1967, just over a year since the world as you knew it ended. 

In July of 1966, the world received undeniably proof of the existence of the supernatural as the world was ravaged by monstrous creatures, supernatural phenomena and vast creatures that had appeared from below the sea and beyond the stars (most of the population of the US Eastern Seaboard walked into the sea, days later, a seemingly endless tide of walking corpses emerged from the sea; great white apes destroyed villages in the Himalayas; mile-tall humanoid figures with writhing tentacles in place of their heads emerged from the sea and drove almost all who saw them insane; etc.).

By September, the USA and the USSR had jointly declared war on these ‘giant ones’ and nuclear missiles were launched. The giant ones, seemingly unphased by the greatest display of force humanity could muster, counterattacked. By the end of September, all of human civilisation lay in ruins.

Now, monsters roam the ruins of the old world, some of them vaguely recognisable from ancient myth, some whose very form frayed the mind of those who looked upon them and some who were, or had once been, human. The last remnants of humanity struggle to survive in the haunted ruins of their civilisation.

Game information

Game information can be found here

Me Hearties

Me Hearties: a game of pirate adventure! Players will play the Pirate Captains, Magicians and Specialists who run the island of Freedom Cove, dealing with magic, law enforcers, strange ruins and monsters!

Pirates have always been around – setting up in small coves, running from port to port to avoid authorities. But with the discovery of the Cardinal Islands, they found a new opportunity – to set up the port of Freedom Cove, a place with no laws!

The pirates exist in an anarchy. While there are agreements, all that binds them is their word. The pirates raid shipping to become rich, and come as go as they please. 

For what decisions are needed to be made, they go to the Council of Pirates, which is held on the centre of the island, hosted by the islands spirit, after bargains with the first landing magicians. The decisions are made by whoever is their, and there is no way to force one pirate to obey the majority. There are few rules, but the code states:

  • No Pirate shall steal from another Pirate if not in a feud
  • No Pirate shall kill another Pirate if not in a feud
  • No Pirate shall attempt to harm the Island Spirit

These are just codes – guidelines, not rules.

While some come to the Council to make decisions that affect the island, others come for adventure! There are dangerous beasts to slay, treasures to find, and stories to be lived!

Game information

Game documents can be found here

Undying

You were dead. Now, you are not. The last seconds of your life flicker through your head, a moment of fear or acceptance before a moment of knowledge – and then now. Your body, what remains of it, was made of it, slowly moving at your command. Reaching out – pulling from a grave, or stretching from an urn, you focus your form into place.

 

You are Undying. Whether recently buried, mostly decomposed or cremated, you became aware again and able to move what remains of your body. Although you may have died very far in the past, Undying is set in the modern day.

Game information

Information about the game can be found here

Speakeasy

The main setting of Speakeasy is the city of New York in 1958, except our story takes place not in the city as it is known by the mundane and common folk, but instead as it is known by the magic folk. With New York the centre of the United Nations who have begun to regulate more heavily on magical creatures, the schools of magic have begun to move their political operations there, strange goings on are happening and with greater law there has come to be opportunity.

 

In a bar known as the Volstead, the Bar-Keeper wipes down the bar as the incessant crows that exist above the bar circle ahead, a prophecy of difficult times. The Volstead is where the Magical Private Investigators are found, the most effective method of solving cases where magic is involved. Many have come to be the principal contact for those who desire political, magical power and just sometimes, a wrong righted. Cases can be anything from a wizard’s murder, to the appearance of a magical plague and even magical folk have their honey traps.

 

The other clients are magical creatures, finding a place within the largest city where they can if they choose, remove their masking spells and walk in their normal form if they wish. Keeping up the mask is trying, and just as they begin to relax in walks the final piece of the puzzle: the UN Attache for Magical Affairs. His presence can mean only one thing. It’s Friday Night, the clients are here, magical cases are in need of solving, and everybody noticed the Necromancy on Third Avenue….

 

Game Information

The world setting can be found here

The Downtime system can be found here

The Register of Magical Interests (list of players) can be found here

The character creation system can be found here

Gods’ Game

You are the gods of the peoples of this world. You are imbued with the power to bless mighty heroes, answer the prayers of your followers and do titanic battle with other gods in the mortal realm. However, you are not omnipotent, you know all too well your strength and even perception is tied to the belief of your followers, and that even the most fervent believers can only empower you so far; gods may claim to raise and set the sun, but in their absence all that would happen is a fusing ball of hydrogen would crest the horizon in the morning.

 

Your power is mostly subtle, influencing the air currents to redirect rain, slipping tales into the dreams of a sleeper or protecting a faithful champion against the arrows of their enemies. The most direct influence you have is to manifest directly as a divine avatar in the mortal world, but this is a draining process, and for reasons you cannot fathom, only a limited number of gods may perform this feat at once.

 

Now your followers are on a great migration to form the first truly great city in the known world, founded from a simple village of a single faith, and consequently your presence is drawn along with them. Some claim it is a religious pilgrimage, others are fleeing flood or drought or famine and others yet seek to control and exploit the new city. The exact stories are less important than this fact: the gods of all these peoples must now work in harmony, command with an iron will or manipulate each other to rule over their new domain, win followers to their side as cultures mix and fuse.

 

Welcome, to the Gods’ Game.

 

Public documents available here

Department of Peculiarities (2018)

Summary

The Department of Peculiarities is a top-secret government body located under an unloved toyshop in Marylebone, London. It’s the late 19th Century and most devices from watches to automobiles are experimentally harnessing steam technology., However, this department has its own niche. It caters to the weird, the curious and the downright horrific. If something does not make sense and is too worrisome for normal minds to comprehend, it’ll go to the department. Most of the people who work here are given the title of “Researcher” – that is on the paperwork at least. They are people who explore the vaults, libraries and temporal anomalies in the department trying to understand them and in some cases, neutralise them. Occasionally, that which does not turn the researchers crazy will contribute significantly to popular science.

Underneath the toy shop, the inner workings of the department are vast. From large comfortable reading rooms to the Libraries of banned books to the vaults where the most dangerous creatures are kept, most things can be found if you dare to climb one of the confounding staircases. You will find weirdness and horrors here but you will also find strange things you thought only existed in fairy tales – goblins, mythical creatures and mutants. During the evenings,  employees meet in the Departmental Smoking Room where they can enjoy a drink and discuss their research. While they’re there, however, they are still on duty and will be expected to deal with problems that arise.

The Department of Peculiarities will be a game of mysteries and problem-solving, a game where you can create your plot based on your specific research interests and constantly create the world around you. Do you want to bravely defeat the Kraken who’s been locked in one of the vaults underneath the Great Library? Would you like to solve the minor time anomalies in Room 10Alpha? Would you like to solve the mystery of the lost children in the portal? The choice is yours. The game takes elements from steampunk, lovecraft and other mythology. The magic is generally that which emnates from artefacts and creatures but weirdness is everywhere.

Rules

Red Armbands

In DoP, players vary between normal-looking human beings and strange abominations. To signify this, those characters that look peculiar/not like a standard human will wear a red armband. If you see a character with a red armband on, this may prompt you to ask “NARRATE What do I see?” to figure out their state of appearance.

White Armbands

In DoP, refs will wear white headbands to indicate their refdom and that they are not present in character. You may also see a ref wearing a white armband. This indicates that they are there in-character but may be approached for OC reasons

 

Here – the game’s public documents

Fairhawk

 Summary

Greetings citizen! Are you interested in travelling the galaxy, visiting interesting new cultures and working in a rewarding and enriching environment?

Goodman’s Intersystem Shipping Services is now recruiting crew for its newest acquisition:

The Fairhawk!

We are currently accepting crew for the positions of: Lieutenant, Engineer, Medical Officer, Electronic Warfare Officer, Communications Officer, Security Officer, Cook, Gunnery Officer, Counselor, Able Crewman and many more!

Setting

The United Human Systems

The UHS is a loose alliance of systems that has existed for almost 200 years, centred on humanity’s homeworld, Earth. The inner systems, including Sol, Vesta, New Brazil, Juno and New China, are the most powerful members of the UHS and have the wealth, culture and political clout to reflect this. Further out are the core systems, which make up the majority of the UHS, and include terraformed planets, colonies within biomes, and space stations in orbit around uninhabitable planets. At the fringes of UHS territory are the newly colonised worlds; here, the influence of the UHS is barely felt. Advanced technology is rare, due to the lack of maintenance facilities and the rarity of visits from off-world. Instead, the populations of these planets use more traditional methods – construction is mostly done by hand and supplies are transported by horse and cart. There are also several independent human systems, but these rarely have any significance on a galactic scale since systems that have a degree of significance find it very difficult to secede from the UHS.

First Contact

First contact occurred in the early 22nd century, when envoys from the alien species now called The Keepers arrived in system and introduced themselves. They claimed to have been watching human development for some time and believed we were now ready to leave our solar system and join the galactic community. The Keepers installed warp-gates in Sol and some nearby systems, giving humanity access to several uninhabited systems suitable for colonisation. They also gave humanity universal translation technology to install on their ships, which would allow them to communicate with the other species in the galaxy. Shortly thereafter, the Squidfolk, who were interested in trading for biological resources unique to Earth, made contact with humanity.

Bionics

Bionic modifications are extremely common across the UHS. Ranging from the animated tattoos so popular in high society to the crudely enhanced muscles of a gang enforcer, these are a widespread part of society and it is rare to find a person who doesn’t have at least a few installed.

UHS Systems

Sol is the capital system of the UHS, as well as its financial centre. (Pop. ≈ 40 billion)

Earth is home to the bulk of the UHS government, as well as the head offices of almost all major corporations. It is densely populated, with most citizens living in cities and most manual labour fully automated.

The Moon is notable both for its proximity to Earth and for extremely low property prices resulting from its hazardous conditions; as such, it is a popular base for anyone who wants the prestige of a Sol headquarters but can’t afford the Earth rates.

Mars is fully terraformed and is a popular location for second homes.

New China was the first colony settled and is still the largest in the UHS. It also has the most warp-gates of any known system, resulting in it being a heavily industrialised planet with an economy built on trade and manufacture. (Pop. ≈ 9 billion)

Vesta is somewhat unusual in that it required no terraforming before colonisation and has almost no native wildlife dangerous to humans, resulting in its nickname “New Eden”. It is the galaxy’s only supplier of Vestan wine, a beverage made from the native flora, and has strict laws in place to maintain this situation and protect the local environment. It has a fairly small population, mostly living in comfort surrounded by farms and vineyards. (Pop. ≈ 3 billion)

New Brazil is a heavily militarised system and the home system of most of the defense corporations in the UHS. It has a reasonably relaxed legal system compared to the rest of the inner systems and a more independent populace. (Pop. ≈ 7 billion)

Juno is the youngest of the inner colonies; it has a high concentration of tech corporations and a reputation for being a centre of innovation and learning. (Pop. ≈ 6 billion)

Goodman’s Intersystem Shipping Services

Goodman’s is a small shipping corporation based on the Moon. It operates a fleet of five ships, including the recently acquired Fairhawk (of which the players are the crew).

The Fairhawk

The Fairhawk is a middle-weight cargo transport ship at approximately 550m long. It is equipped with 2 missile racks, a small shuttle and a basic electronic combat suite alongside its transport capabilities.

The Fairhawk has an A.I. installed, also called Fairhawk, who is responsible for such crucial jobs as plotting the course to destinations, regulating the ship’s general processes, and such other things.

Aliens

The UHS interacts with several alien factions in both trade and war; the most notable species humans interact with are the Squidfolk, the Borrowers and the Keepers.

The Squidfolk are an aquatic species, with their multiple prehensile tentacles making them extremely dextrous. They have a reasonably cordial relationship with the UHS, as their underwater lifestyle means humans are rarely in direct competition with them. When on the surface, or in low pressure water, they require pressurised exoskeletons to protect them from the low pressures.

The Borrowers are a species of small humanoids with similar living requirements. This has placed humans in direct conflict with them on several occasions, and we have learned that their courage and sharp intellect make them formidable opponents.

The Keepers operate and maintain the warp-gates. They are of a similar size and form to humans, and are the only species known to have discovered the secrets behind faster-than-light travel, a secret they refuse to share, but relatively little else is known about them.

FTL

Long distance travel is accomplished solely through the use of alien devices known as warp-gates; these are created by the Keepers and the details of their operation are a closely guarded secret. The gates are generally inactive, with the Keepers requiring payment in order to keep them open; exceptions to this being the hub systems – those systems that experience enough traffic to warrant the expenditure of keeping gates constantly open. Warp-gates are usually installed in an outer orbit around a system’s star, and are kept away from any large masses.

Single-use FTL modules are also available at a steep price, and allow a ship to travel from a warp gate to any location within approximately 300 light years before burning out.

Pirates

Pirates are an occupational hazard for shipping; these raiders usually operate out of concealed bases in the outer colonies and target ships travelling to or from warp-gates. Occasionally, they will ‘piggyback’ on another ship’s passage through a warp-gate if they need to relocate their base or raid in a different system.

There are rumours of a so-called pirate conclave somewhere in the outer colonies.

Colonisation

Colonies are usually established as part of a UHS settlement operation in order to secure valuable resources, or in preparation for future population growth (although occasional private ventures by the extremely wealthy have been known). Colonisation is a slow process, with volunteers from other planets travelling to the system using a single-burn FTL module and expecting to spend up to a century almost totally isolated before the colony is considered significant enough to establish a regular route to.

Not all colonies succeed, and there are many stories of colonies being discovered destroyed by all manner of calamities.

Ship Design

The primary weapons used on spaceships are guided missiles due to their accuracy at long ranges, low cost, low weight and lack of recoil. The risk of pirates means most ships built for intersystem travel carry at least a few racks of missiles. Most ships are also equipped with long-range communication lasers that can reasonably easily be repurposed to hack into the systems of other ships.

The primary defences of spaceships are: a sturdy metal hull to absorb impacts; point defence lasers to intercept missiles; and a magnetically charged layer in the hull to deflect harmful radiation.

Ships are usually powered by a nuclear reactor of some form (fission or fusion) mounted near the centre of the vessel.

Space Elevators

Space elevators are the standard method by which goods and people are transported to and from the surface of planets. The tops of these elevators act as ports, with integrated docking facilities, customs offices, and sometimes shipyards.

Robots

Automated labour is common in the UHS and has almost completely replaced manual labour in most of the inner colonies. However, fears of a robot uprising have been ingrained into humanity be centuries of popular culture, and restrictions on artificial intelligence are high. A.I.s are only permitted by UHS regulations to operate under human supervision and strict behavioural controls.

Mechanics

Death and Dying:

A character reduced to 0 hit points is downed: they should fall to the ground, may make no calls, may move no faster than a slow crawl and should role-play being severely injured. When downed, a player should begin counting down from 60 at a rate of 1 per second; if another play role-plays attempting to stabilise the downed player, they should insert the word “and” between each number (effectively halving the rate at which they count down). If a player reaches 0 on their count, they immediately take a SLAY.

Red Armbands:

If an individual is playing a character who is obviously nonhuman, they will be wearing a red armband to signify this. They may then NARRATE their appearance if asked.

Items:

Items are separate from attributes and abilities and as such are unaffected by DRAIN. Furthermore they may be freely traded with other players (including a label or lammy describing what it does, which calls it makes, etc.) and must be physrepped – if you are carrying five guns IC, you must be carrying five guns OC.

Grappling

If you wish to physically drag a resisting person, you should NARRATE your CARRY. If you are resisting someone and their CARRY is greater than your CARRY and equal to or greater than your BULKY, then they are capable of dragging you relatively trivially.

New Call Modifier: FRAG X

FRAG is a modifier call, and is a derivative of ZOC. It should be called immediately before throwing a grenade, and it has the effect of ZOC this grenade on impact. For example, if a call of FRAG BURN 5 preceded the throwing of a grenade, everyone within the ZOC of the grenade when it hit the floor/a target/etc. would take the effect of a BURN 5. For clarity, ZOC is here defined as “an area within a metre, or roughly the length of one’s arm, from the target” for purposes of determining whether one is in a ZOC or not.  

Ship Combat

Whilst the formal mechanics have not yet been finalised (watch this space), ship-to-ship combat will be part of the game and will involve multiple actions and roles. The mechanics of this will be closer to strategy games than hitting each other with foam, and so if you feel you would be interested in this, there are character roles geared towards specialising in this area of game.

Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9sYEw55To_ZV2ZwVVNxQWtnMUk – the game’s public documents

Tilt II

Summary

The main focus of the game is a seedy tavern in Shepherd’s Find, a fairly large stallic mining town in the Grand Republic of Vardell with a few distinctive traits – Mayor Linson governs the town and has recently implemented new laws banning the practice of technology and magic within the town borders. The town watch patrols frequently, and most people seem to feel that this new law (as an addition to an already large list of laws and punishments) is a much needed one. It is generally frowned upon to be a mage or a technologist, and even the more accepting townsfolk advise keeping it hidden. There are two pubs – an upmarket one near the main square, called the Traveller’s Rest, and another, plain-looking pub called The Bull’s Head. It is rumoured that if you need a “problem” solved, The Bull’s Head is the place to go…

How Tilt Works

Although all people understand the basic nature of tilt and the danger it poses, they may not comprehend the more complex aspects depending on their level of education and time spent outside of stable areas. Tilt is not a fully understood phenomenon.

When people spend time in tilted areas, they gradually take on some of that tilt over time. Conversely, being in the same area as stallic removes that accumulated tilt, extremely rapidly in the case of directly touching a large amount. If a person is extreme tilted they can experience a variety of debilitating effects, including physical injury and death. Prolonged exposure to lesser tilt can cause disease and mutation. Moderately and extremely tilted areas experience a wide range of effects- most notably, pockets of magical or technological energy form and lie dormant, waiting to discharge violently if disturbed.

Tilt appears, changes, and migrates relatively rapidly. Over the course of several days, it’s possible for a given spot to swing from one end of the spectrum to the other. What causes this is unknown, but it is believed to be somehow related to the actions of technologists and mages. Stallic serves to dampen this effect, gradually bringing everything around it back towards balance. As these ‘waves’ of Tilt roll across the land and clash into each other, they form comparatively stable boundaries of balance between the areas of tech and magical tilt, and it’s these boundaries which caravans must negotiate as they travel.

Laypeople can’t see much of a difference between technological and magical tilt, but they know intuitively what each feels like, just like people intuitively know what hunger feels like and its cause. Likewise, they can intuitively feel the difference between their own tilt and that of the area they’re in, and so work out its tilt. It is commonly believed that magic becomes more powerful in magical tilt, and likewise for technology in tech tilt.

The seven discrete stages of tilt are a mechanical simplification- in character it exists as a pure continuum.

Reason’s Folly

Reason’s Folly is a bustling and vibrant city, and one of the two major powers in the geopolitical area surrounding Relief. The bulk of the city area is built atop a cliff overlooking the sea, though the sprawling mass of structures continue for some distance, and the city has no real boundaries or walls to speak of.

It is impossible to discuss Reason’s Folly without discussing The Church of Folly– they are, in many ways, one and the same. Though Reason’s Folly has a civil council nominally in charge, in recent years its power has degraded to the point where it is almost wholly ineffectual. Nothing of importance happens in the city without the approval of the Church.

The Church teaches that nothing is permanent and man must learn to live in the moment. The making of long term plans is seen as arrogant, as you declare you know the future state of the world in the face of the vagaries of chance. Life is short and cruel, so why not have a good laugh while you’re here? Gambling forms a central part of worship- you offer up your works to other players and the Church, and chance decides who amongst you can make best use of it. Many of the parables told by the priests of the church involve a Vardellen, stereotyped as an unimaginative dullard, being taught valuable life lessons by a perceptive and witty jester.

Ceremonies and rituals to chance are conducted publically with great aplomb and humour. Perhaps one of the faithful will receive a basket of ripe tomatoes, while another will have the same ‘reward’ hurled at him- it’s impossible to tell in advance, and visitors are astounded that anything here runs at all with such a zany, casual attitude in the air.

Morality in the city is extremely lax- theft, murder, and the practice of magic and technology are some of the only crimes against civic law, though the Church deals with those who fail to keep the faith in all manner of creative ways. Punishment in the city is a light-hearted affair, with minor crimes punished by small tasks with a view to embarrassing and humbling the perpetrator. For more serious crimes, punishments are usually left to chance, the most serious being to walk across an area of extreme tilt unassisted.

Despite this apparent lack of organisation, The Church of Folly is one of the foremost powers in the geopolitical area around Relief. The Church enjoys immense popularity amongst the laypeople, due in no small part to its fun-loving and casual attitude, which contrasts sharply with many of the other, much smaller tilt-based religions. Every single person in Reason’s Folly at least makes a show of keeping the faith, and pilgrims flock from surrounding settlements on holy days to worship at The Wheel– the stone cathedral at the centre of the city is one of the largest structures in the known world. The internal workings of the Church- its leadership, organisational structure and so forth- are mysterious, though one can safely assume some element of randomness is involved.

While boats can travel along the coast with relative ease, the further one travels from the shore the worse the tilt- and the waves- get to the point where the sea becomes unnavigable. Fishing is one of the city’s main industries however, and excess stock is commonly traded for much-needed metals from Vardell.

Vardell

The Grand Republic of Vardell has emerged from the city of Vardell, and is one of the two major players in the geopolitical area surrounding Relief. Vardell itself is well defended, with high stone walls, a well-trained and equipped Guard, and the whole city lying in a cleft in the mountains which protects against the elements. In addition, Vardell sits on the largest field of stallic ore known to exist, making the whole area remarkably resistant to tilt. Many Vardellens say (only half-jokingly) that Tilt creeps into the less stable places of the world, making everyone outside the city mad.

Law and order are treated with the utmost seriousness here. The law is based ideas of common sense and community, with most offenders sentenced to hard labour to make amends for damage done to The Grand Republic. Unfortunately, Vardell’s legal system incorporates a number of obscure traditions which limit its efficiency. Diligence, patience, and loyalty are among the most favoured virtues here.

There is little attention paid to questions of philosophy and mysticism, and few of the smaller belief systems seem to make much impact here. In particular, membership of the Church of Folly is publically discouraged. Visitors often remark that there is not much to do in Vardell, either culturally or in the more raucous forms of entertainment typically found in pubs and taverns elsewhere.

The Grand Market of Vardell is probably the largest in the land, open every day, and folk say you can buy and sell almost anything there. In particular, much like prostitutes are euphemistically known as ‘seamstresses’, it’s possible to find a technologist by asking around for a ‘hingemason’ if you’re lucky, though the practice of both magic and technology are illegal here.

Vardell’s main exports are minerals and metals, gathered from the Grey Mountains. The refined stallic slab which forms the heart of Relief was formed almost entirely from Vardellen stallic. However, trading stallic or stallic ore with those outside the Republic without proper authorisation is a crime of the highest order, punishable by immediate execution, as it risks destabilising the whole of Vardell. The city is importing natural products such as food and fabrics from outlying villages as well as Reason’s Folly to fuel its growth.

Though there is no official currency in Vardell, officials of the Grand Republic are authorised to write chits– basically IOUs for resources. These are expected to be bartered as though they were the resources themselves as the Republic guarantees their value, and no trader in Vardell would dare refuse one- though caravaneers are perhaps more discerning. Use of these chits is on the rise.

Several years ago, a charismatic young Captain of the Guard, Anton Verper, rose through the ranks of the city council. His glorious vision of a chaotic world united under the banner of Vardell caught the minds of the populace, and he was elected to the newly-created post of Commander to execute his vision.

Now, it is the stated goal of Commander Verper to unify the many villages and small towns scattered in stable pockets throughout the Tilt under the banner of the Grand Republic of Vardell. Much progress has been made, and over a dozen settlements now swear allegiance to Vardell. More are expected to join within the year, as Vardellen diplomats expound the merits of The Grand Republic and gradually expand their sphere of influence. The city itself is still adapting to being the centre of the burgeoning Republic, and a new class of bureaucrats and managers is rising to meet the challenges of this new age.

Rules

Generally speaking, the rules for Tilt II are the same as those for Tilt. Exceptions to this are listed below:

Power & Tilt

The land is always considered to be balanced, though personal tilt can still vary. The effects of this on technology and magic may vary between characters.

Tilt

Summary

Tilt I focused on the fledgling town of Relief. Most characters headed there after reading this stuck to a communal noticeboard:

ATTENTION!

I have recently founded a new settlement in the twisted countryside along the main trade route between the cities of Vardell and Reason’s Folly. A settlement named “Relief”, for the rest and sanctuary I hope it will provide travellers along the wild and winding routes.

Relief has been established around the largest core of refined stallic to have been created thus far. Rapid construction is underway, and we have already created a central meeting hall, basic facilities, and enough accommodation for our burgeoning population, which will soon be in the hundreds. We are well supplied with food from the farmers in the village of Stone nearby.

It is my dream that Relief will not be another town ruled by petty kings and councils, but rather become a community of equals, thriving and prospering together to build a town that will last the test of time. Though I have taken the position of Arbiter to ease Relief through its birth, it is a title which I pledge to lay down as soon as the town is properly established.

What are you waiting for? I’ll see you in Relief!

– Charles Thomson
Leader of Thomsons’ Caravans
Temporary Arbiter of Relief

Setting

Everyone has heard a story of The War. Many hundreds of years ago two rival powers came to blows, one wielding immense arcane power, the other utilising devices of unmatched complexity. The War destroyed them both and left the land and everything in it tainted. Or maybe the land had always been this way, and the powers disagreed on how to deal with it. Or maybe it was one power tearing itself apart- the stories tend to disagree on the details.

Regardless of the reasons for it, Tilt is woven into the fabric of this world. It is a complex phenomena with straightforward rules, known to even the simplest peasant. Casting spells ‘tilts’ the caster, the area, and the target of their magics, spellwards. Likewise, utilising technological devices tilts techwards, in the opposite direction. Tilt accumulates over time, much like radiation, and makes it increasingly difficult to use the opposing power- magic acts chaotically in tech tilt, and vice versa. High levels of tilt cause reality itself to become less stable and more dangerous. This makes magic and technology wholly incompatible, and makes both a threat to everyone.

Most of the land is heavily tilted- indeed, the vast wilderness outside of the small pockets of civilisation is often simply called ‘The Tilt’. Walking over tilted land in particular is like walking over a minefield, with injury or any number of bizarre effects possible as pockets of energy are disturbed. The flora and fauna of the Tilt has been drastically altered. While domesticated animals such as horses and cows are commonplace, out in the Tilt most animals which can survive have been changed and mutated to such an extent that the idea of a ‘species’ ceases to apply, replaced by a more immediate concern for the capabilities of the rampaging beast bearing down on you. Rumours persist of Tilters, men who have been similarly warped to the point of insanity, though few claim to have ever actually seen one.

All the land would be absorbed into the Tilt, were it not for the remarkable properties of a rare mineral known as ‘Stallic’. Stallic has the invaluable ability to draw tilt from its vicinity and dissipate it over time. In this blasted world most people must spend several hours a week near a large deposit of stallic in order to safely go about their business. Settlements can only be established in areas which have a natural abundance of stallic ore in the ground, or around a core of refined stallic.

Travel is a risky proposition at the best of times. The routes which seem to be most stable and therefore safest are long and winding through hazardous terrain. For any journey longer than a few days it becomes essential to bring enough stallic to clear any accumulated tilt, even through these relatively stable areas. Unfortunately several tons of refined stallic are typically required, and so caravans are huge affairs, in many respects like self-sufficient mobile towns. These obstacles mean news travels slowly- lone couriers which deliver small numbers of messages or parcels directly through the Tilt exist, but it’s an extremely hazardous job.

Nowadays, both mages and technologists are viewed with a combination of anger and fear by most common folk. Mages are typically seen as a sort cross between medieval witches and simple thieves. They are accused of spoiling harvests, manipulating minds, and putting entire villages under their power using invisible magics. They act only for personal gain and think of nothing other than their own power. Dealing with mages is roughly equivalent to dealing with devils- you may get want you want in the short term, but the mage will inevitably get the upper hand and use it to twist you into his unwilling pawn.

Technologists are looked on slightly more favourably, perhaps as the connection between common tools and technological devices is rather more direct. They are well-meaning idiots, dabbling with infernal powers which should have been lost hundreds of years ago. It is said that, if you are going to be foolish enough to seek the aid of a technologist, you should at least be as specific as you can with your request. For to a technologist told to simply ‘make a hole here’, the most direct course of action which comes to mind may be to leave a smouldering crater where your town once stood. There are some relatively simple technological devices which are not uncommon and in high demand- such as guns. But by and large, people prefer simple, reliable tools in preference even the simplest technology.

There are certainly no ‘Guilds’ to speak of, and those foolish enough to advertise such abilities too openly quickly find their welcome exhausted. That said, both mages and technologists can be found if you know where to look in most settlements, and both can usuallyfind enough work to support them from the more open minded- or less scrupulous- in their communities.

Few people know much of the world beyond their community save the news the caravans bring, which tends to be from the two major cities they trade between. To the east, at the foot of the Grey Mountains, lies the ‘Grand Republic’ of Vardell. The people here are hard-working and honest, and many visitors from outside the city visit regularly to exchange their wares for the work of talented Vardellen craftsmen. This previously peaceful city came under the rule of Commander Verper several years ago. Since then it has pursued a policy of increasing expansion, bringing several nearby settlements into the Republic, offering protection and order in exchange for allegiance to Vardell.

Across the vast wilds on the western coast, is the town of Reason’s Folly. Though a city council theoretically holds power here, nothing happens without the approval of the Church of Folly. This religion holds that, in this cruel world where life is hard and even that can be snuffed out at a moment’s notice, the only true power is chance. Their rituals involve randomly determining who receives favour and disfavour. The priests frequently journey out into the smaller villages in the wilds, advocating their beliefs in place of the many diverse and unstructured beliefs which tend to prevail there. Reason’s Folly grows annually thanks to the steady trickle of immigrants this evangelism generates.

Relief is a new settlement, recently established roughly halfway along the busiest trade route from Vardell to Reason’s Folly. It was founded by Charles Thomson of Thomsons’ Caravans, one of the largest trading organisations, as a place of rest and sanctuary along the long and treacherous path between the cities. It currently has no significant infrastructure aside from a large meeting hall built around a huge slab of refined stallic, though rapid construction is underway. News of its creation has spread relatively quickly along the major trade routes, and the fledgling settlement is growing quickly.

There is no true currency to speak of, though there have been several attempts to introduce them by travelling caravans. Vardell has begun to use a system of hand-written chits, and some villages use small, finely-made items such as glass beads. Most people view these as untrustworthy though, and prefer to rely on the barter system. The world is populated by a myriad of other people with all sorts of different professions. Traders, doctors, builders, lawmen, councillors, farmers, herbalists, couriers, craftsmen, writers, entertainers, and many others are common sights all across the land.

The general feel and aesthetic is somewhere between ‘medieval’ and ‘western’ for most people, though those in positions of power can obtain finer apparel and equipment. Any device more complex than a crossbow is almost certain to arose suspiscion from those who fear technologists. There is no particular naming convention- everything from Mark to Mazzarok is acceptable, although one should take care not to reference famous characters, whether real or fictional.

Calls

In addition to the basic A.N.T.I.C.S system, Tilt utilises the following:

New Call Quality- Energy
Calls may be prefixed with TECH, indicating the effect is technological in origin, or SPELL, indicating it is magical in origin. These types have no effects by themselves, though various abilities and effects may interact specifically with TECH and/or SPELL calls. Roleplay-wise, unless you know otherwise, you can assume TECH effects are caused by electricity whereas SPELL effects are caused by invisible force, should you be need to.

More formally, the grammar for calls is: ‘Target [Silence] [Energy] [Damage] [Effect [Modifiers]]*’. This means that all calls have a target, which comes first. They then may or may not have the words SILENT, SPELL/TECH, and a damage number, each element of which will appear in that order if present. Finally, there may be multiple effects, each of which may or may not have a modifier.

New Call Type- TILT
Modified by Tech, Spell, or Balance, moves you one step closer to that position on the tilt continuum. This has no immediate mechanical effect, but may affect your vulnerability to further tilt effects, and empower or weaken any technological or magical abilities you may have.

Rules

Items
Items are represented by small cards. This typically includes a name, description, and bulkiness. Anyone who can see the card can see the item- you should read the description of items near to you if asked. Items may also come attached to props, in which case the card must stay attached to the prop. Items can be carried, given to other players, and so forth- but do not do anything with item cards you couldn’t do with the appropriate item.

Skills
Tilt uses an invisible skill system, which means that players will not be directly aware of the skills they have. For example, if your backstory indicates you are tougher than average we may give you additional hits, but you will only be told the number of hits you have. You may have some special abilities, but you won’t know the behind-the-scenes structure of your characters skills which grant these abilities. The refs will always attempt to give each new character at least one skill which is initially unique to that character.

Packets
These are small folded cards which can be owned by players or attached to items.. Packets have conditions for opening them written on the front- if you meet the conditions, you should open and read the packet as soon as possible. You must never look at the contents of any packet you haven’t been instructed to open. If you open a packet because of something you’re doing, such as eating or drinking, you’re committed once you open it. You can’t consume/use/etc only a part of something, although you can roleplay doing the whole thing gradually. Packets are O.O.C and invisible to characters- if you see packets instructing you to open them when an event occurs, you must not specifically try to trigger or avoid that event.

Injury
Each player has a number of hits. If you take damage, you lose an equal number of hits. Players must roleplay the effects of any and all damage they receive- for example, if cut by a sword across their chest, they should clutch at it as if in pain. Healing a wound mechanically is unlikely to instantly remove these additional roleplaying effects. If you have 0 hits you are ‘incapacitated’ and helpless. You can no longer stand, hold any objects in your hands, use any skills, or shout. You are not necessarily unconscious, though you should be if you feel it is appropriate to your injuries. Further damage has no mechanical effect, but should continue to be roleplayed. You do not die unless affected by SLAY- however, you should see a ref at the next convenient point if you are reduced to 0 hits or lower.

Dying
If you are reduced to 0 hits or fewer, you are ‘dying’ in addition to incapacitated if no clear effort was made to limit the injury you received, or you took any damage call higher than a ‘ONE’. If you’re not sure, you may assume you are not dying. If you’re dying, start counting once per second in your head. If you reach 100, you die. Other characters can see that you are dying- you may appropriately NARRATE this. Any character can stop this count by roleplaying any suitable attempt to prevent you from dying. This attempt can be interrupted as normal, or if they try to move you- if this occurs, resume your count from where it was stopped.

Death
If you die, roleplay your corpse for as long as its relevant. Please don’t talk or comment on the game, tempting though it is- you are encouraged to spend this time relaxing and reflecting on the ultimate futility of life and the insignificance of personal achievement. You should convey the basic state of your corpse to anyone who examines you closely and asks ‘What do I see?’.

Bulk
A character with ‘Carry X’ can have X points of bulky items on their person without inconvenience. Characters may move at a slow walk, dragging excess bulky items behind them, if they have 1 bulk more than they can carry. Characters with 2 or more bulk than carry cannot move. Corpses have 3 bulk. Bulky items may not be concealed on your person. By default, characters have Carry 2.

Interruption
Any act which requires delicate physical manipulation or investing time may be interrupted by a non-helpless character within 1 meter (approximately 2 arm lengths) saying ‘No’, ‘I stop you’, ‘Interrupting’ or otherwise unambiguously indicating opposition. Combat, moving away from a required item or location, beginning another action, or becoming distracted for more than a few seconds also interrupt.

One Second
Regardless of what abilities you have, you may make, at most, one call per second. Similarly, you may never attack faster than one strike or one shot per second. This does not include meta-calls such as PAUSE, NOTED, NO EFFECT, etc.

Concealment
Any items hidden in the environment will be discoverable without needing to move or rearrange out of game items, although you may have to move your head around and look carefully. Players may hide items in the game area, so long as they meet the above criteria. Searching a willing or helpless character takes 30 seconds and reveals all the items they have on them. Any visible item cards or props indicate visible items in character.

Restraint
A willing or helpless character can be restrained by anyone who spends 1 minute doing so and has appropriate materials, and can be freed in the same way. The restrainer specifies the manner in which the captive is to be restrained at the beginning of the timer. Regardless of skill or materials, all restraint applied in this way is completely inescapable unless the captive is left unsupervised for 5 minutes or more. In this case, the captive may free themselves after one minute of obvious struggling.

Not Here
If for any reason your character is not in the same place as your physical body, keep one hand in the air. Anyone with their hand in the air, or wearing a coloured headband, is invisible and intangible, cannot sense anything, and so forth. Take care when using this so as not to obstruct players. If you need to go to the toilet, get food and so forth, so does your character.

Dizziness
If at any point during combat you’re not sure what is mechanically going on (for example, you lose track of hits, or aren’t sure how to take a call in a split moment where you can’t ask for clarification), you should immediately fall unconscious. You don’t lose hits from this, and can rouse yourself or be roused by another character at will (once you work out what’s going on). If asked IC what happened, you should comment on ‘dizziness’.

Tilt
There are seven levels of tilt which form a continuum- extreme magic, moderate magic, slight magic, balanced, slight tech, moderate tech, and extreme tech. All characters begin at balanced unless otherwise specified. All people are intuitively aware of their own tilt and the tilt of their immediate vicinity- ask a ref if you’re unsure. You are ‘magictilted’ if your tilt is one of the first three, and ‘techtilted’ if it’s one of the latter three.

Power
Some items and/or abilities have different effects depending on the level of tilt in their user and the surrounding environment. Such items/abilities will be written in three forms, labelled ‘-‘, ‘/’, and ‘+’. Unless you have been told otherwise, you can only use the ‘-‘ power level on such effects.

Advancement
Tilt is designed to avoid situations where characters who have been playing for a long time are much stronger than new characters. Character advancement is possible, but is handled at the discretion of the refs. New skills may be awarded for consistently interesting roleplay, completing significant character goals and/or awesome player action, and will be thematically related to the action taken.

Stonewalling
Players are encouraged to discuss the game with each other O.O.C. Players must not use knowledge gained of any part of the game or its workings to gain an advantage for their character. Conversely, players should take reasonable steps not to tell details of plans against specific characters to their players.

Everything Else
These rules exist as a basic outline to play. The refs may tell you to do something not covered in these rules. Should you have an idea for a course of action not covered in these mechanics, find and ask a ref.