GAMES
In the wake of nearly two centuries of famine and decay, America endures as a loosely-connected smattering of shattered cities linked only by old rail lines and the efforts of the dubiously-benevolent Church of Oruvos. While various groups fight for control of the hearts and minds of its inhabitants, the citizens therein simply struggle to survive in a world run by the ruthless and unkind to the weak.
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In short? It’s all gone to hell.
A NEW AMERICA IS BORN
FIND YOUR FRIENDS, FOLLOW YOUR GODS
In America's theocratic landscape of warring religions, your best bet for survival is to pick one to rally behind. Religion is the blood of the city and its people, and your primary supplier of resources and body modifications. Powered by kinetic energy and an infinitely malleable data known as Source, these mods can take almost any form you can conceive of.
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And you’ve certainly seen some…creative mods around the city.
AN IMPROV STORY GENERATOR
Harsh Generation is part card game, part narrative romp that takes players through a variety of improvisational, self-generating challenges and crises as they try and heal a world torn apart by centuries of strife while maintaining shaky allegiances between friends, foes, and America's variety of gods. Play through a set campaign or off the cuff - there's always something waiting in the shadows, someone ready to sell, or a community in need of saving in post-Blackout Delphia.
GAME SETTING
Set in a broken Philadelphia 300 years from now, Harsh is best described as an alternative-future, post-apocalyptic narrative survival game. Players will be forced to choose between the constraints of their religion, the expectations of their companions, and the reality of their situation when determining the best way forward. It can be serious or silly - it all depends on how you and your players want to tell your story.
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GAME OBJECTIVE
Harsh Generation is a self-generating storytelling game where players navigate a series of narrative prompts and hurdles to satisfy their goals. Players will travel through Philadelphia (referred to as Delphia), fulfilling the terms of large Crises by exploring other communities on the map and gathering resources and notoriety.
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In addition to these large Crises, characters will need to balance their own personal motivations with those of the group, determining where they align and diverge and deciding if going against the wishes of their companions is a smart move - or one that might lose them the trust of the people helping them to survive.
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MECHANICS
Harsh is a game built on a framework of guided narration and storytelling. Multiple Storytellers create personal characters that they take with them through the adventure, while one Moderator acts as the environment and the embodiment of chance. Players can control their scenes and anything in them, while Moderators help resolve rolls and add Twists in to shake up the story and keep things interesting.
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All in all, Harsh is an improvisational story generator with enough mechanics to keep the action moving without putting player narratives on rails. Tell any story type of story you want!
