Beans, Bullets and Bandages

Beans

Actual Food

Gethsemene is a game that ultimately is about scarcity in a subsistence time. We want players to look hungrily at a can of beans and have to make hard choices about whether they give it to the hungry refugees or save it for themselves. To that end, there are food mechanics in the game, and we ask that any food eaten in IC areas, is represented by appropriate food tags, which match the quality of the food consumed. Part of your ticket to Gethsemane DOES include a Meal Plan, and we don't intend for anyone to go hungry, we will primarily be modifying the quality of the food found by what is located in play

Important Note: Obviously some players will have dietary restrictions, medical reasons or requirements that we don’t want to overlook. With that in mind we encourage players to cook and eat in their tents or private areas if that is the case. Ultimately, we want the feel of a world where people are hungry, not actually hungry people.

Otherwise meals will be an RP portion of the game which helps separate the haves from the have-nots, and if you’re interested in being a part of this, we encourage you to opt-in to trying to do your best to provide for your in-game loved ones.

Favor

Favor is a mechanic used to thank players for contributions to the game, and generally Favor is required to play non-standard character concepts, or rare concepts (Such as Trueborn, Mutants or Magnates). The general ratio for goods donated to favor is ~$30 = 1 Favor. Favor can be earned for activities such as helping set up/tear down the site, or operating Art/Deco crews. Similarly favor is worth ~1 favor per three-hours of time donated. Favor will only be granted for items donated which the game actually requires, so please check with staff before making a donation if you’re hoping to earn Favor for it.

Lifestyle

Gives you free time that you can spend to work on learning new skills (or doing whatever personal plot/other things). Generally speaking you can purchase ‘Lifestyle’ at any point in time during a game. The lifestyle you purchase will determine how comfortable your character lives between games. Lifestyle is purchased simply by giving the required cards to staff, and having your lifestyle marked.

Starving - Characters are at this lifestyle level if they have failed to get adequate food and shelter during a previous game. Plot will randomly check for complications and potentially add them to the player packet before the first game. All players begin the game at Starving unless otherwise noted. Characters who are starving do not receive downtime actions. Characters at this level do not heal between games. They also begin game with the Starving condition Cost: None
Fed - Characters at this level have managed to find basic food. It’s not much but they at least aren’t sliding slowly backwards into hunger. They do not heal between games, or receive downtime actions, but they do not run the risk of any complications. Cost: ½ Sho or Equivalent Food
Fed and Bedded - These characters have managed to get the basic food they need and a roof over their head. While not glamorous this is a better living than many are able to afford. At this level you do not receive downtime actions. Cost: ½ Sho (or equiv) and 1 Meager Lodging Token
Staple Living - A quiet, clean place to sleep and enough food to fill your stomach regularly. This is a dream for many. Cost: 1 Sho (or equiv) and 1 Standard Lodging Token
Living Well - You have either scrounged some temporary wealth or begun to establish a level of living far beyond what most people ever experience. Cost: 3 Sho (or equiv) and 1 Quality Lodging Token and 2 Luxury Tokens
Fine Living - A multi-room house. Real Meat. Coolant. Pleasures of the flesh regularly available. Cost: 6 Sho (or Equiv), 1 Fine Lodging token, 4 Luxury Tokens and 1 Character spending their downtime to support you
Magnate Living - Custom clothing, massages, warm baths, songs being sung to you. Literally beyond the dreams of most, and an opulent living. Cost: 1 Koku, 1 Fine Lodging token, 2 Exotic Tokens, 2 Luxury Tokens and 3 Characters spending their downtime to support you

Lore Cards

In the game you may, at various times, encounter Lore cards. Unless you have an appropriate skill, you may not point out Lore cards to other players. If you’ve spotted a Lore card, and have the appropriate lore skill, you may read the card. Some lore cards will say “Moveable” on them to indicate the lore is, likely, attached to an item and can travel with the item itself. If the card does not say this, the card itself may not be moved and someone with an appropriate lore must be physically present to read the cards. The Lore cards are color coded, and may also say the name of the lore. Once you’ve read a Lore card you’re welcome to tell other players what is on them and that knowledge can be shared, or kept to yourself.

Orange - Wastelore. These cards represent things that spending time in the wastes will teach you. Species of creatures, natural hazards, edible foods and the like
Gold Bordered - Necrotech - These cards represent the strange technology known as Necrotech, a remnant of a bygone era
White - Etiquette - These cards represent knowledge of social situations and propriety.
Green - General - These cards may be referenced by any player though they'll show on the back the requirements to examine further, for example you may see a Green card which says "Pistolero". Anyone may check the card to see it's requirement, but only a Pistolero can flip the card to see what it contains.

Patrons and Magnate Houses

Magnate Houses are a form of Noble Houses in the town of Gethsemane. Ultimately the Overseers are the authority, but they grant a vestage of their power to a select group of mortals to run the city for them. These Magnate Houses are all responsible for the delivery of goods to the city itself (and the Overseer by extension) and failure to meet these requirements can have harsh punishments. For those Houses which are successful though, favor has it's rewards.

Magnate Houses must be lead by one of the Marked, at the start of the game, players may enter with the intention to form a Magnate House but they'll need to undergo the process in play to establish a House, and there is no garuntee that taking the Marked Skill Heading will ensure your position within the city.

Bullets

Combat

The combat in Gethsemene is slower paced and cinematic. Most games say this, our combat system tries to help inform that. The way we do that is with a combat system that’s light on calls and high on threat. Gunfights aren’t long extended things, you can’t usually dodge a bullet.

All weapons generally do one point of damage, and for the most part you need to have a skill in order to use a weapon well. If your character is carrying a weapon they aren't skilled with, they take the Nervous Novice condition for as long as they have it.

Combat is a hit location based combat system, this means when you’re struck in a limb you lose the use of that limb, and when you’re struck in the torso, you become downed and begin to bleed out. If no one comes to your aid with the appropriate skill within 3 minutes, your character has died.

While there are some ways for damage to be healed, if a wound remains untreated it will stay with a character for the remainder of the event. Being wounded can expose your character to additional Complications.

Some creatures or players might deal Subduing damage. Primarily this comes up when individuals are brawling with each other. When dealing Subduing damage to a limb it applies the Dislocated effect, and if you would otherwise become Bleeding Out from a torso wound, you instead gain the Unconscious condition.

There are two types of effects that are delivered to players, Statuses (these are short term effects which last, at longest, the duration of a combat), and Conditions (much longer effects which can have consequences far beyond the combat itself). Generally by design a player won't be given Conditions during a combat scene. If poisoned by an NPC, for example, at the end of combat the NPC may give a "Poisoned" Condition card to any player that struck them during the combat. If the poison renders you Unconscious however, the status may be applied mid-combat.

Calls

Absorbed - Armor and Hit Points may allow a player to shake off or shunt incoming damage. While these don't prevent Statuses or Conditions, if a player acknowledges a hit but uses one of these to mitigate the damage they should call "Absorb" so all involved parties know what's happening

Missed Me - This is called when someone would strike you, and this represents you otherwise avoiding the attack.

Countdown - A countdown is a short pause, which a player will include a skill name with. Only players with the skill may act during the pause. For example: Countdown 3 - Quick Draw. Any characters with Quick Draw may take the skill's effects, while everyone else in the immediate vicinity pauses play for 3 seconds. The player initiating the call should count this down, as should everyone around them
Disarm [Item]- You must drop whatever the disarmed item is. You may alternatively set it on the ground if it’s fragile, but then you can’t pick the item up again for 3 seconds if you do
“I Got You” - The attack hits you, regardless of whether or not it physically struck you. The skill granting this ability will give examples of when it can be used.
Piercing - Damage goes through cover
Disabled - An item that has been disabled can not be utilized for any of its mechanical benefits, nor does it deal damage. (This represents it being bent/mangled or otherwise unusable until tended to)
Shatter - The shattered item is destroyed
Knockback - You're struck hard enough to send you flying backwards. You should take 5 steps back and roleplay being momentarily staggered by the force of the blow.
Knockdown - You're sent ass over tea-kettle and are momentarily vulnerable. Go to the ground, flat on your back and drop anything you're holding.
Countdown - A countdown is a short pause, which a player will include a skill name with. Only players with the skill may act during the pause. For example: Countdown 3 - Quick Draw. Any characters with Quick Draw may take the skill's effects, while everyone else in the immediate vicinity pauses play for 3 seconds. The player initiating the call should count this down, as should everyone around them
Disarm [Item]- You must drop whatever the disarmed item is. You may alternatively set it on the ground if it’s fragile, but then you can’t pick the item up again for 3 seconds if you do
“I Got You” - The attack hits you, regardless of whether or not it physically struck you. The skill granting this ability will give examples of when it can be used.
Piercing - Damage goes through cover
Disabled - An item that has been disabled can not be utilized for any of its mechanical benefits, nor does it deal damage. (This represents it being bent/mangled or otherwise unusable until tended to)
Shatter - The shattered item is destroyed

Social Calls are generally delivered with hand gestures as opposed to verbal calls to let them be more easily woven into conversation

Sincerity (Raised Crossed Fingers on one or both hands) - The character making a statement while using the Sincerity gesture should be treated as being earnest in their belief that they are telling the truth. They may not be telling something OBVIOUSLY untrue (the sky is red) while using this ability or it fails.

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Bandages

Getting Hurt

Generally a character will begin an event uninjured and, more or less, healthy. Throughout the course of play, events may conspire which result in the degrading of your health! There are three types of damage in Gethsemane: Maims, Normal Damage and Subdual Damage.

When struck during combat, the effect of the type of damage you receive doesn't change the outcome. Taking any kind of damage to a limb will result in you being unable to use that limb, and being struck in the torso will take you out of the fight. There are some skills which may change some of these effects, but if you don't have any of them you can react as normal.

While being struck in combat is never great, it's better to be winged in an arm or leg than struck through the guts. If you take damage to an arm, you may no longer use weapons/attack/utilize that arm. If you're holding something in the arm you must drop it as well. If you take damage to a leg you should generally go down to one knee, as long as it is safe to do so. You may pull yourself up to your feet with the help of another person or object, but may only stagger a few steps before collapsing again without support. (You need 2 people to support you if you have 2 wounded legs).

Taking damage to an already wounded limb causes the player to receive a Torso wound.

When struck in the Torso, you go down and begin Bleedin' Out (unless the damage was Subdual). You should begin a 3 minute timer in your head, after which your character begins dyin. Your character is not Unconciousduring this time so you may call out, but you may not use any of your limbs/fight and can only speak, sputter and gasp. You may slowly crawl while Bleedin' Out, as long as it is safe to do so (be sure not to crawl behind anyone/through combat/etc). You may not carry or drag any weapons or items during this time, those all get left behind.

Types of Damage

Subdual: Subdual damage is most commonly caused with fists, but other things may do subdual damage as well. Unless you have an ability that lets you do so, you may not choose to have a weapon do Subdual damage (if you have a sword, it only does Lethal damage). Subdual damage heals after a fight ends, or after 5 minutes (if you can find a place to hide and rest up). You should roleplay resting/recovering/stretching out from these wounds. Unlike lethal damage, taking Subdual damage to the Torso doesn't make you Bleedin' Out, instead you become Unconscious. Being knocked Unconscious three times in the same scene will make you gain the Concussed condition

Lethal: The most common kind of damage caused by swords/guns/knives/claws/etc. Unlike Subdual damage, Lethal damage does not go away after a fight and is only healed between events. Additionally, depending on your lifestyle, ending an event wounded can cause Complications for your character.

Maim: While Lethal damage is healed between events, Maimed damage is never healed on its own. There are PC abilities which can deal with the maimed condition however.

Consequences

Sooner or later you’re going to run afoul of something that wants to do you harm, and sooner or later they’ll be bigger or badder than you. Here’s how your sufferin’ works:

When a character receives a wound to the torso, or they become “downed” by some effect or another, they begin ‘Bleedin’ Out’. A character who is bleeding out may crawl or stagger, and may cry out, but is in extreme pain and can’t otherwise defend themselves or attack effectively (You’re welcome to ineffectively flop a sword around, but it needs to be obvious you're down and out. This allowance is for fun dramatic scenes, not to cheese the rules). A character is Bleedin Out for 3 minutes, at the end of which they begin Dyin’.

Once a character begins Dying, they have 3 more minutes, at the end of which they’re dead. It’s harder to save someone once they’ve begun dying, so quickly getting to someone and stop them from bleedin’ out is generally preferable. While Dyin' you can't take any of the actions that you could while you were Bleedin' Out

Getting Patched

Inevitably you're going to be banged up and need a Patcher to come and tend to your wounds. Depending on how bad it was, you'll wind up either on Death's Door or Severely Wounded. In either case, in order to get back into play you'll need to have a Patcher try to operate on you. This is done with a Complication draw. The Patcher will let you pull a card from a deck, the complication card will give you some RP notes on what has happened (to help you RP) and will also have symbols on it that the Patcher can reference to treat you. Unless otherwise stated on the card, this will generally resolve the condition as well (See Below)

If you're playing a Patcher, you can use the Diagnose ability to view an individual's complication card. When you unlock your medical symbols, it will be explained to you how they function, how to read them and how to resolve them.

Dying and Retirements

Death is an inevitability, but in Chalcedony it's a complicated thing. If your character dies, please RP a corpse for as long as feels fitting, and once people/things have moved on and you're no longer in the scene, report to ST camp and you'll figure out next steps.

Eventually though, you may find your story at an end. Depending on how your character died, you may receive bonus Favor based on a 'Good Death Bonus'. Basically characters that have a good thematically appropriate death can receive this bonus. You can never receive a Good Death Bonus as the aggressor in CvC.

While characters are never forced to retire, there is a cap on the advancement a character can have, and Favor can not generally be spent on a character you're currently playing. We encourage players to use the '5 Skill Heading' maximum as a rough guideline on when they should approach the storytelling team who will work with you to come up with an interesting ending plotline for your character.

Conditions

Gethsemane tends to rely on Conditions rather than Combat Calls for a majority of encounters and effects. Conditions are long lasting, and can complicate into worse conditions if not dealt with. Conditions are also thick with RP opportunities (and RP resolutions). Generally failing to RP a condition will make it complicate into something worse for you.

Generally speaking, adrenaline will help you power through when the shooting is happening, and so during a combat if you don't know what a Condition that you receive is, feel free to either take your best guess, or wait until after combat when repercussions set in. (Some of the exceptions to this are the standard conditions such as Bleedin' Out/Unconcious which we expect all players to know/respect)

Generally anything you encounter in the wild will have cards they will provide you after a fight which act as cheatsheets for your Conditions. Conditions last until they are removed, and some long term conditions may last multiple events.

There are items and skills in the game which you will be able to access which will help remove conditions. Many of the common conditions are listed below. Don't worry about learning all of these conditions. While it's good to take a look through them for reference, you will be able to look at reference cards at game. If you have a power which gives a condition however, you should understand that condition so you can explain it if need be.

List of Conditions

Nervous Novice

You're holding a weapon and you don't REALLY know which end is up or down. You can brandish this weapon and threaten people with it, but your hands should shake and your voice crack when you try to portray confidence.

Additionally, any time you use this weapon in combat, you must take a limb wound at some point during that combat (feel free to roleplay this)
Cured By: Putting down the thing you don't know how to use! Getting training
Complicated By: A combat ending before you've taken a limb wound
Complicated Into: A self-inflicted torso wound, which ignores armor

Worn Out

You’re plum worn out. Your muscles are weak and you are out of gas. You can’t make active skills calls while this tired, but still can use equipment you’re trained in.
Cured By: Water and one hour solid rest
Complicated By: Doing any strenuous physical activity while Worn Out, having this condition for 3 hours.
Complicated Into: Exhaustion

Exhaustion

Your lips are dry, your brain is fuzzy. You might be talking to people who aren’t there and can barely stand up straight without your legs going out from under you. In addition to not being able to make calls you can’t walk without assistance and can no longer use equipment. It’s taking all your energy just to remain upright
Cured By: Water and Sleeping for at least 4 hours
Complicated By: Doing any strenuous physical activity while Exhausted, not sleeping within an hour.
Complicated Into: Unconsciousness (Lasts 4 hours instead of 30 seconds)