Hello, survivors! This is Eddy, with a peek into Dystopia Rising: Evolution, as well as the design process. After the Kickstarter, I added the concept of Flaws. If you’re a Storyteller / Storytelling veteran, these aren’t what you think. In DR:E, Flaws are effectively the same as Conditions, but they apply to Gear instead of characters.
See, one of the things I felt was important to DR:E was to keep the aesthetic that salvaged equipment is generally quirky and unreliable. The more I dug into the design, the more I realized that Gear should have Conditions all their own. That’s where Flaws came from. It also allowed me to rewrite some weird one-off rules and put them nicely into one space. So, here are the current (pre-edited) Flaw rules, to give you an idea of how this will look.
Once all the Milestones are completed, choose one additional Flaw. This is the item’s Fatal Flaw, and it is persistent — it can never be removed unless the item is completely destroyed and rebuilt. But if you do that, it’s a whole new set of crafting Milestones, and at the end you’ll have to choose another Fatal Flaw. In the end, most folks just accept an item’s quirks.
Not every item in the Wastelands has a Fatal Flaw, mind you. It’s entirely possible to find a gun that’ll work just fine after you take it apart and clean it. It’s only when you’re trying to rebuild something out of whatever odds and ends you can scrape together that things get dicey. In the end, it’s up to the Storyguide to decide if a particular crafting roll mandates a Fatal Flaw or not. But when in doubt, assume that if it’s complicated enough to warrant some Milestones, it’s probably going to end up with a special quirk.
Flaws
Every item has a flaw. Here are a few examples.
Broken
It’s busted. Gummed up. Trashed. The item doesn’t work, and won’t until it’s fixed.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character wants to attempt an action with the piece of gear in question, but must fail or otherwise get into worse trouble because the item won’t work.
Resolution: Fixing the item, either with a Tier 1 crafting roll (p. XX) or through some other means, like finding a particular part.
Contaminated
The gear has so many rads that it’s functionally useless. The gear also gains the Broken Flaw (if it doesn’t have it already), and the Broken Flaw cannot be resolved until the Contaminated Flaw is.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character fails in an action using the Contaminated gear.
Resolution: The gear is decontaminated (p. XX) using a Decontamination Kit.
Fuel/Ammo Hog
The item requires more fuel or ammo than usual. Whenever a roll using the item is a botch, it stops working until more fuel or ammo can be found.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character botches and the item runs out of fuel or ammo.
Resolution: The gear is given more fuel or ammo (temporarily removing the effects) or the Flaw is removed through repair.
Irradiated
The gear has taken on too much radiation, and it don’t work so good. It loses 1 Enhancement (down to 0) while it has this Flaw.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character fails in an action using the Irradiated gear.
Resolution: The gear is decontaminated (p. XX) or gains the Contaminated Flaw.
Noxious
The item in question tastes or smells disgusting. Every time the item is used successfully (granting effects and/or Enhancement), the user must roll Survival + Stamina, difficulty 1, or take a Stress Condition due to nausea.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character takes a Stress Condition from the item’s use.
Resolution: The Flaw is removed through repair.
On the Blink
The gear randomly loses effectiveness. On a successful roll using this item, roll a single die. If the die is even, the item generates one less Enhancement than normal.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character loses Enhancement at a critical moment.
Resolution: The Flaw is removed through repair.
Sticky
The gear gets caught on things easily. When the item is used on another target (such as putting a sword into a zed), the item is stuck until the user succeeds in an Athletics + Might roll, difficulty 1, to remove the item.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character loses the object at a critical moment.
Resolution: The Flaw is removed through repair.
Weather-Worn
The gear has been battered by the elements, losing some effectiveness. It loses 1 Enhancement (down to 0) while it has this Flaw.
Momentum Trigger: Whenever the character fails in an action using the Weather-Worn gear.
Resolution: The gear is dried out (p. XX).