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The Dead Flag Blues (based on the song) • 2018 rpg
MJT • no link
These are truly the last days.
Your group may be all that is left.
More is better. Less is lonely.
The rubble of six-sided dice is Death.
Roll one. Place it in the middle. This is Salvation.
Everyone takes two dice from Death and rolls one to get that many more.
Hide what you wish. Nobody can make you show. This is Life.
Should you lose all your Life, go unto Death.
Take turns exploring. Scavenge, scout.
No volunteers? Discuss. Vote.
Or, draw straws. Everyone rolls. Lowest goes. Reroll ties.
More than one wants to go?
Discuss. Vote. Or, draw straws.
Go into the belly of this horrible machine.
Roll one die from Life. This is now Providence.
Describe everything.
If Providence surpasses Salvation, the others lose Providence in Life unto Death.
Distribute as you wish. Those who cannot pay perish.
Why did you fail?
If Salvation surpasses Providence, the others gain Providence in Life from Death.
Distribute as you wish.
What did you find?
If Salvation is Providence, nothing changes.
What was your daydream?
Salvation goes unto Death. Perhaps you too.
Providence is now Salvation.
Build on what happened.
Decide who goes next.
Fall further down.
Godspeed you.
Author Comments
This game is based primarily on the song The Dead Flag Blues by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but inspired by the entire album F♯ A♯ ∞. It has been designed to be a social game of chance built into a roleplaying game about a group of survivors’ futile and vain attempt to negotiate the death of the world around them. There is no frame of reference of time for this. Each turn could be an hour in the outbreak of a pathogen, a day in a nuclear apocalypse, or a month in a global socioeconomic collapse. Zombies, robots, aliens. It is up to the group and (probably) the player who goes first.
This game cannot be “won” and (statistically) everyone will die eventually. Over time, players will lose more dice than they gain. When the group is reduced to tbe last player, they will effectively simply lose one Life every turn (as there is no longer “others” from whom to give/take Life) until they die, too. This may be fun to play out anyway, for dramatic effect.
