DramaSystem: The Root of All

INTRO

“Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21, St. Paul).

Nutshell

Assessors work through a backlog of unsolved cases for the church that challenge reason and faith while dealing with a growing doom in the city.

Characters

You play assessors from vastly different backgrounds hired by the church to investigate unsolved mysteries while attempting to live your life in the shadow of powerful forces at play at work and home. Here are some backgrounds.

• contractor: computer, legal, technical

• priest: in training, recently ordained, cynical, non-believer, spy

• psychologist: counseling, forensic 

• security: ex-military, police officer or detective, private

• touched: blessed or cursed to see or know beyond

• vow-takers: brothers, sisters, outsiders

Setting

Modern day life, pros and cons where science and religion are often at odds in a politically and culturally charged world that has defined morality and roles.

In this urban fantasy steeped in Hollywood Christian themes, a quiet cold holy war continues between the waning Catholic Church and the rising corporate oligarchy of cursed bloodlines, also known as the Maledictus. Each member is heir to a demonic house, bent on completing their plans to control and harm humanity as they see fit.

The church operates on a need to know basis claiming that it helps to protect the innocent and believers from the real horrors. In part, it maintains deniability and latitude to act when and how it believes it must fight to save the world.

As part of this fight, the church partners with people and organizations with resources and capabilities it does not possess, including those who do the work as assessors, probing at the edge of the threats thought forgotten or lost that may lead to the Maledictus or force them to reveal more of their plans.

Note on Mechanics

This game will use a variation on the procedural rules found in Hillfolk/DramaSystem, and it will also include a version of Downtime Actions inspired by Forged in the Dark games.

REVIEW

• SCHEDULE: Take 10-min break every hour; agenda: select and modify characters (if possible beforehand using a character keeper, otherwise 20-30 min), character intros (10 min), review situation in media res (10 min), gameplay (1.5 hrs+), cliffhanger/epilogues (10-min), stars & wishes (10 min); debrief (remaining 30 min)

• SAFETY: This game will be held under the Open Hearth Community Code of Conduct. Safety tools available are [List the safety tools you are using: OH players usually default to X-card, Open Door policy, and Lines and Veils - if you need more resources, check out the TTRPG Safety Toolkit here https://i.4pcdn.org/tg/1583202183294.pdf]

• XP: No experience necessary, rules will be taught in game. A character keeper will be provided, and an online dice roller will be available [or whatever you will provide ahead of time for info, like reference sheets]

• PLATFORM/RECORDING: We will most likely use StreamYard, and I will be recording sessions for facilitator improvement and as a memory tool, with consent to be requested for posting on YouTube. The link will be shared by Discord beforehand.

• CHARACTER KEEPER: The link will be shared by Discord beforehand.

CATS

• Content: It's a game of moral dilemmas and supernatural drama — MATURE, ages 18+. There may be PC vs PC conflict as characters are working to get what they want from others who may not want to give it (respect, trust, love).

• Aim: To run through the game as far as we get with a cliffhanger and/or epilogues as needed. Priorities of Focus for the GM: 1 Fun, 2 characters, 3 sharing narration and GMing, 4 mechanics.

• Tone: The tone can range from more serious to semi-serious; avoiding slapstick. Romance/seduction/flirting is possible.

• Subject Matter: Faith, morality, Good and Evil and the mess between it all, including violence, threats, torture, sin, sanity, religion, politics, and more.