Roleplaying in a nation gone mad. Coming Q4 2021
“What right do these people have to demand a share of property or even in administration?” — Adolf Hitler, May 1930
--------------------------------
One event.
That’s all it took.
When it happened, everything changed. And not for the better.
Especially if you were a woman.
--------------------------------
Fear and uncertainty are terrible and hideous things, for those who are inundated by them are prone to manipulation of the highest magnitude. The fearful and uncertain are desperate souls looking for a way out of the shadows, scrabbling to find their way back to normalcy, stability and security. Many of them will cling to ideas and notions that—no matter how despicable—might put them back on the path to get there.
Few things have the capacity to sew fear and uncertainty like the threat of losing everything. That threat came in the form of a disastrous Presidential administration that brought the United States to the brink of total economic collapse through a perfect storm of greed, hubris and incompetence.
It just so happened that the President of that administration was a woman — former movie star turned politician Marlowe Hall. While Hall was indeed woefully unprepared for the task, the Second Great Depression was hardly her fault alone. The rest of her administration, composed of both men and women, played just as critical a role in the catastrophe as she did.
It was just the opportunity a new political movement known as the Patriarchs was waiting for. Until this point in history, the Patriarchs had largely been scoffed at, even though their members had maneuvered themselves into positions of great influence. Using this influence, they spearheaded a campaign based on fear mongering that placed the blame solely on President Hall and the other females in her administration, all the while exonerating the male members and lauding them as heroes who fought against the bills and executive orders that nearly ruined the nation.
Women became the scapegoat.
Propaganda — often employing the use of 1950s-era “nuclear family” imagery — circulated at a frightening pace. It was a media blitz, the likes of which had never been seen before. Memes flooded social media. News programs trotted out scientists extolling the inferiority of females and the superiority of males. Religious leaders encouraged their congregations to return to “traditional gender roles”. Psychologists claimed that women were too emotional and childlike to inhabit important positions of leadership.
Amidst all this, Lucas Whitlock—one of the founding members of the Patriarchs—rode the wave of propaganda all the way to the Oval Office during the following election. He wasted no time surrounding himself with those of similar beliefs.
And so the stage was set.
The first barrage was a series of unprecedented executive orders that barred women from politics, restricted them to certain jobs, forced them to wear overtly feminine clothes, and gave men—particularly husbands—a small measure of authority over them. This, as it turned out, would be a case of simply dipping their toes in the water.
The worst was yet to come. Laws were enacted, seemingly one after the other, that lessened the freedom of women while granting more power to men. Each law was more drastic than the next.
Then it happened.
One event.
One event that changed the nation forever.
That event was a bill that turned women into little more than property for men. According to the bill, a woman was under the “guardianship” of her father or oldest brother until she was married, at which point, the guardianship would pass to the husband. A guardian was free to set rules and even discipline the woman if they thought it necessary. There were some protections put in place, but they were vague and easily worked around by those who took a mind to do so.
Despite rabid protests from both men and women, the bill passed by a narrow margin.
Almost immediately, several resistance groups formed, each with its own approach and methods. The Women’s Emancipation Force is the most radical of the lot, taking the fight directly to those who oppress women. They aren’t afraid to utilize violence and terror if it means ending the madness of the new laws. The opposite end of the spectrum is occupied by Women Against Subjugation and Tyranny. Its members live in accordance with the laws while attempting to make changes using legal methods. Somewhere in between the two groups lies The Network, a clandestine organization that stays deep in the shadows, implementing stealth, manipulation and technology as their weapons of war.
The aforementioned groups consisted of men and women from all walks of life, from the destitute to the wealthy, bound together by the goal of restoring sanity to a nation that desperately needs it. The government has done its best to squash their efforts, but have been unsuccessful in their attempts thus far.
As it stands, the United States of America is a land of inequality, a country plagued by dissonance. This is not the nation’s proudest moment.
--------------------------------
One event.
That’s all it took.
When it happened, everything changed. And not for the better.
Especially if you were a woman.
--------------------------------
Fear and uncertainty are terrible and hideous things, for those who are inundated by them are prone to manipulation of the highest magnitude. The fearful and uncertain are desperate souls looking for a way out of the shadows, scrabbling to find their way back to normalcy, stability and security. Many of them will cling to ideas and notions that—no matter how despicable—might put them back on the path to get there.
Few things have the capacity to sew fear and uncertainty like the threat of losing everything. That threat came in the form of a disastrous Presidential administration that brought the United States to the brink of total economic collapse through a perfect storm of greed, hubris and incompetence.
It just so happened that the President of that administration was a woman — former movie star turned politician Marlowe Hall. While Hall was indeed woefully unprepared for the task, the Second Great Depression was hardly her fault alone. The rest of her administration, composed of both men and women, played just as critical a role in the catastrophe as she did.
It was just the opportunity a new political movement known as the Patriarchs was waiting for. Until this point in history, the Patriarchs had largely been scoffed at, even though their members had maneuvered themselves into positions of great influence. Using this influence, they spearheaded a campaign based on fear mongering that placed the blame solely on President Hall and the other females in her administration, all the while exonerating the male members and lauding them as heroes who fought against the bills and executive orders that nearly ruined the nation.
Women became the scapegoat.
Propaganda — often employing the use of 1950s-era “nuclear family” imagery — circulated at a frightening pace. It was a media blitz, the likes of which had never been seen before. Memes flooded social media. News programs trotted out scientists extolling the inferiority of females and the superiority of males. Religious leaders encouraged their congregations to return to “traditional gender roles”. Psychologists claimed that women were too emotional and childlike to inhabit important positions of leadership.
Amidst all this, Lucas Whitlock—one of the founding members of the Patriarchs—rode the wave of propaganda all the way to the Oval Office during the following election. He wasted no time surrounding himself with those of similar beliefs.
And so the stage was set.
The first barrage was a series of unprecedented executive orders that barred women from politics, restricted them to certain jobs, forced them to wear overtly feminine clothes, and gave men—particularly husbands—a small measure of authority over them. This, as it turned out, would be a case of simply dipping their toes in the water.
The worst was yet to come. Laws were enacted, seemingly one after the other, that lessened the freedom of women while granting more power to men. Each law was more drastic than the next.
Then it happened.
One event.
One event that changed the nation forever.
That event was a bill that turned women into little more than property for men. According to the bill, a woman was under the “guardianship” of her father or oldest brother until she was married, at which point, the guardianship would pass to the husband. A guardian was free to set rules and even discipline the woman if they thought it necessary. There were some protections put in place, but they were vague and easily worked around by those who took a mind to do so.
Despite rabid protests from both men and women, the bill passed by a narrow margin.
Almost immediately, several resistance groups formed, each with its own approach and methods. The Women’s Emancipation Force is the most radical of the lot, taking the fight directly to those who oppress women. They aren’t afraid to utilize violence and terror if it means ending the madness of the new laws. The opposite end of the spectrum is occupied by Women Against Subjugation and Tyranny. Its members live in accordance with the laws while attempting to make changes using legal methods. Somewhere in between the two groups lies The Network, a clandestine organization that stays deep in the shadows, implementing stealth, manipulation and technology as their weapons of war.
The aforementioned groups consisted of men and women from all walks of life, from the destitute to the wealthy, bound together by the goal of restoring sanity to a nation that desperately needs it. The government has done its best to squash their efforts, but have been unsuccessful in their attempts thus far.
As it stands, the United States of America is a land of inequality, a country plagued by dissonance. This is not the nation’s proudest moment.
Downtrodden is not a “feel good” game. It’s not a game you play if you want some light, breezy fun with lots of laughs and an ending that’s perfectly wrapped up with a nice, pretty bow on top. It just isn’t that game. Instead, Downtrodden is meant to be an exploration of what it would be like to have your rights taken away and viewed as mere property after a lifetime of being treated as an equal. It’s ugly and it’s cruel and it’s heart wrenching. Most importantly, it’s a cautionary tale.
The first game session takes place before the laws were passed, allowing us to peer into what her life was like back then, when the nation was still relatively sane. We get to see their hopes and dreams prior to having them ripped away and stomped into the mud. This session is called The Before and the character’s initial game stats will be created as it progresses.
The After is what the rest of the campaign is called, as it brings us up to speed on what has happened to her since the Patriarchs took control of the government. Further development of each character’s game stats will occur early in these sessions, defining how they’ve been changed by the terrifying events that have plagued the nation.
How will your character handle this world gone mad? Will they try to adjust to the way things are now, just to survive? Will they become an outlaw and try to take back her pride by force? Will they try to work toward changing the new laws by playing by their rules and enacting change in a legal fashion?
This is a story of dark, personal horror. The future may seem bleak, but perhaps something better is around the corner. Will your character play a part in that? Or will they be lost in the chaos?
The first game session takes place before the laws were passed, allowing us to peer into what her life was like back then, when the nation was still relatively sane. We get to see their hopes and dreams prior to having them ripped away and stomped into the mud. This session is called The Before and the character’s initial game stats will be created as it progresses.
The After is what the rest of the campaign is called, as it brings us up to speed on what has happened to her since the Patriarchs took control of the government. Further development of each character’s game stats will occur early in these sessions, defining how they’ve been changed by the terrifying events that have plagued the nation.
How will your character handle this world gone mad? Will they try to adjust to the way things are now, just to survive? Will they become an outlaw and try to take back her pride by force? Will they try to work toward changing the new laws by playing by their rules and enacting change in a legal fashion?
This is a story of dark, personal horror. The future may seem bleak, but perhaps something better is around the corner. Will your character play a part in that? Or will they be lost in the chaos?
