A game about civilians in wartime. You play villagers who are caught between lethal forces that want things that you may not be able to provide. On one hand, an authoritarian military that has completely slipped its leash. On the other, partisans who fight in the name of the people but who are little more than bandits. ***Draw a Map*** Start with an A4 / letter-sized piece of paper. Draw a compass rose in one corner to determine orientation. You can decide whether your map will be in a landscape or portrait layout. Place two forests on the map. Each should be about the size of your closed fist. Name one the Garen and the other, the Natin-Gandan. On the North side of one or your forests, draw two lines of upside-down Vs to indicate a low mountain range. Pick a corner of your paper that hasn't been filled in with anything yet. Using the lengh of your thumb as a guide, draw a square in that corner to represent the large town of Hor·l. This will also be the Main Operating Base (or MOB) for the Hailstone forces who have just taken control of the region in a military coup. From the town of Hor·l, draw a rail line to the opposite corner of the map. Make sure to draw the rail line around the edges of the forest, mountain range, or compass rose in your path to the other side. Bisect your map, either horizontally or vertically, with a river. Give it a little bit of a curve or bend to give it a more natural flow. It can flow directly through forests or the mountain range. This is the Natin River and is currently a plentiful source of food and water resources. The Northeast part of the river is upstream, flowing to the Southeast part. On either side of the Northeast most part, draw a circle about the size of your thumbnail. This is the village of Siln' and the headquarters of the Self Defense Militia, a paranoid and xenophobic collection of nationlists who would burn their fields and poison their wells before letting the Hailstone forces sieze control of them. If your Natin River cuts through a forest, then create a small marsh on either side. If your Natin River flows through the mountain range, then mark the waterfall as a holy site and sacred land to the native people. This waterfall is known as Kaln ne Natin, or “The Sacred Sky River”. There are those that believe this is the entrance for spirits to return to the heavens. Draw a highway that travels from Hor·l, following the rail line. Once the rail line crosses the Natin River, the highway will turn and follow the river downstream, exiting the map along with the Natin River on it's Southeast most point. If your Natin River flows through the mountain range, your highway will curve around the edge of the mountain range to connect to the river on the other side and continue on. There are three small villages caught within this warzone. We've already mentinoed Siln' above at the Northeast most part of the Natin River. In two empty areas of your map, draw two more circles about the size or your thumbnail to represent the villages of Pracha and Thola. Now to connect the villages to the highway with roads. Following the flow of your land, draw one line each connecting Pracha, Thola, and Siln' to the highway. For Siln', this might be as simple as a road that follows the Natin River. Other roads may travel through forests or wander past the mountain range. Locate the nearest village to Hor·l that isn't Siln'. This village is controlled by the Hailstone forces and serves as their Forward Operating Base (or FOB). Locate the final village. It is controlled by Pro-Government Paramilitaries. By now you should have a detailed map of a war torn nation. If you'd like, feel free to embellish other areas of the map with additional details, such as adding swamps, caves, or an area of the map that is currently being savaged by a wildfire. Wildfires will slowly travel from East to West and will destroy everything and everyone in their path, making for a more difficult survival as locations and resources cease to exist. We've mentioned the Hailstone forces, and their MOB and FOB locations, as well as the Self Defense Militia located in Siln', and the Pro-Government Paramilitaries located in one of the other villages. There are three other factions trying to control the region: The Army of National Salvation, The Holy Gandan Militia, and The Partisans. Choose one of the forests as a starting point for The Army of National Salvation. These are the remnants of the Peoples Republic as well as wealthy elitists from Hor·l that seek to restore the former government. The Holy Gandan Militia begins play in the mountain range. They are a group of religious zealots and fanatics that will persecute anyone for not adhering to a strict moral code as interpreted by their charismatic leader. Finally, there are The Partisans. These insurgents will ruthlessly use any method to unseat the current government while making sure the previous ruling party is not allowed to be reinstated to power. They can pop up at anytime and turn a controlled situation into one of chaos in order to turn the people against those that would seek to rule them. ***Start a War*** Choose one group from each faction below by selecting a name and assigning it a commander. Suggestions have been given below but feel free to choose your own for a more sci-fi or fantasy feel. We've noted where each group is headquartered or located when the game begins. Each faction grants three aspects to the region it controls. Each faction also demands up to two qualities from each civilian every turn: Hailstone Government Troops (MOB Hailstone - Headquartered in Hor·l) 415th Airborne Regiment, Second Composite Division, Arajan Battalion, First Mountain Division General Strach, Captain Protten, Major Beingue, Lieutenant äpato Have: Discipline, Paranoia, Excellent Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Intelligence Hailstone Government Special Forces (FOB Hailstone - Located in either Pracha or Thola, nearest Hor·l) Unnamed Kill Team, Special Hunter Group, Fifth Commando Brigade, Joint Task Force Marik Colonel Shorrow, Major Nouka, Captain Motter, Lieutenant Semnow Have: Discipline, Savagery, Excellent Equipment Demand: Intelligence Pro-Government Paramilitaries (Located in either Pracha or Thola, furthest from Hor·l) Alpha Echo, K-7, Petra Auxiliary, Black Skulls Commander Hlasy, Captain Lunto, Subcommander Placet, Old Fiver Have: Chaos, Savagery, Good Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Support Self-Defense Militia (Headquartered in Siln') Vigilant Beacon, West Garen Peopleís Militia, Natin River Self-Defense Force, The Hawks Smoot, Pruit, Kopel, Tadk˝ Have: Discipline, Paranoia, Poor Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Support Army of National Salvation (Located deep in one of the forests) Whirlwind Brigade, ANS Ranger Battalion, Group Kanyara, ANS First Mobile Division Subcommander Whirlwind, Lieutenant Kr·k, Sergeant Roat, Major Spliûe Have: Discipline, Paranoia, Good Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Intelligence Religious Militia (Located deep in the mountain range) The Holy Gandan Militia The Supreme Leader, Raphtep the Wise, Bishop Cardna, Cardinal Moteep Have: Discipline, Savagery, Poor Equipment Demand: Loyalty, Religion Partisans (Insurgents that can be located anywhere at anytime) Matej Brigade, Gandan Marauders, Kartima Organization, Satraís Band Captain Fancy, Snout, Antarn, Satra Have: Chaos, Savagery, Poor Equipment Demand: Support, Intelligence Once the factions are set, determine which other faction each one perceives as it's current greatest threat. Factions will immediately begin planning to attack that faction at the start of the game. ***Stabilize the Lines*** Draw a dotted line around areas of government control. These should extend in every direction from any base, road, or railroad about the width of a thumb (1-2 cm). Follow the ley of the land in determining if control extends out beyond a forest into the marshes, or what faction controls what parts of the roads and highway. It should be assumed that The Army of National Salvation controls the entire forest it is located in. Likewise, The Holy Gandan Militia controls all of the mountain range including parts of the Natin River and highway that are adjacent or inside the mountain range. If a Wildfire is in play, no one controls that territory. As the Wildfire progresses throughout the game, territory is considered uncontrolled as it has no resource value to any player or faction. ***Locale and Persons*** As players, decide together where your community is. It can be in a village or a neighborhood in the the town of Hor·l. This will also determine which faction your community is currently controlled by. Your community begins with a pool of three Wealth - note this with three coins or by listing it out on your map. You can persuade your community to spend Wealth in an emergency but once it's gone, it's gone forever. Each player decides who they are, and who they were. Who you are not is a healthy young person. You will either play as children, the disabled, working adults, or the elderly. Pick a name: Womal, éento, Grev, Comit, Wass, Jonek, Joselina, Mirina What was your profession before the government collapsed? What do you Want? You Want Peace plus one of the following: Freedom, Security, Closure, Justice Why do you Want that and how will you try to get it? How do you live? What do you do? Where does your food and water come from? If you are a working adult, you will earn one Wealth every turn through employment if you stay in your community that turn. If you are a male, start the game with one additional Wealth. If you are a female, start the game with two additional Wealth. If you are playing a child, subtrace one Wealth. Throughout the game, Wealth can be spent to satisfy the Demands of the faction who's territory you are in, or in place of a Water or Food resource if you are at a town or village and have run out of these commodities. Each player will also start with one Water, and one Food resource. Water and Food are essential for survival. ***Make a Connection*** Pick another name that belongs to someone alive that you care about: Karolathi, Jara, Plava, Komjai, Coman, äkr˝, Pokola, Nathi Tie this person to one of the six factions and your personal Wants. Explain the connection. They could be a soldier, or a prisoner, or work in a cafeteria. They could be a parent or child or neighbor. They might be anywhere on the map (Your connection will never leave the borders of the map). ***Play*** Now you should have a strong sense of location, character, and hopefully some implied tension. Every turn a player must satisfy Demands, and Whatever faction controls the territory you are in will demand things from you. Every turn each player will need to satisfy all Demands listed under their faction. If you cannot (or do not) wish to comply with a Demand, you may spend one Wealth instead. Every other turn have a player flip a coin. If it lands on heads, Partisans also show up and their Demands must be met as well by that one player. Groups with Discipline will demand order and obedience, imposing harsh curfews and bureaucratic entanglements. Chaotic groups will arrive unannounced and make ill-considered demands, give unexpected gifts, or otherwise behave erratically. Paranoid groups assume all civilians are in league with the enemy, whoever the enemy happens to be. Savage groups delight in unrestrained cruelty, destruction, and killing. Groups with good equipment are eager to use it, oblivious to collateral damage. Groups with poor equipment are eager to collect Wealth to upgrade their arsenals, or to steal from their enemies. Groups that demand Intelligence are eager to know the movements and plans of their enemies, as observed or assisted by the local civilians. They may use severe methods to extract it. Groups that demand Support are always looking for 'contributions' - Wealth - which can also be used as a resource to bribe officials, fend off advances, or secure needed supplies. Groups that demand Loyalty are interested in the political and ideological purity of the population, demanding proof and display of same, winning hearts and minds or possibly destroying villages to save them. Groups that demand Religion make sure that civilians are following doctrines and traditions as interpreted by their holy leader. If not, a swift death is the penalty to heathens. Begin by roleplaying that. Is it military officers looking for information on extremist activity? Is it partisans shaking you down for Wealth? Does the local militia demand a display of loyalty (or disloyalty?) Remember that they are fighting each other, and the player characters are, to them, of little significance. Apply pressure until the situation is impossible. Eventually all six groups should be looking to the characters for things they are reluctant or unable to provide. Jobs are scarce and fragile. Homes can be demolished. War brings out the worst in everyone. ***Where is there to go*** Any player can decide (or perhaps the government has decided for you) to travel each turn in order to collect (or steal) Food or Water, gather Intelligence on enemy factions, sabotage enemy weapons, or flee from a bad situation. Every turn characters can move the length of your thumb across the map in order to reach a goal. Can you get water from the Natin River for your community without the faction that controls that area demanding you pay for it? Has a faction demanded you bring them information or weapons across the map or else your Connection will be killed? ***War is hell*** Every fifth turn, a major event will occur. Choose a faction and decide what will happen: Does the Self Defense Militia poison the Natin River removing it as a source of Food and Water for everyone? Did the Hailstone forces decide it's time to eliminate their current greatest threat, The Army of National Salvation, by setting fire to the forests? Is their an infectious plague sweeping through the village of Pracha caused by The Holy Gandan Militia?