Fact Sheet:

Distemper is a tabletop RPG for 1-6 players about survivors in a world where more than six billion people died from the Dog Flu. What's left isn't very nice and is in a state of distemper - chaos and uncertainty. 

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Those that remain are going to have to deal with the basics of finding food and shelter while staying safe in a world where everything is in short supply - particularly trust​.

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THE PITCH

• STORY FIRST: By combining robust, simple to learn game mechanics with collaborative storytelling elements that puts the focus firmly on building a compelling shared narrative, Distemper keeps the player firmly at the center of the story without sacrificing any of the crunch.

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• FLEXIBLE CORE MECHANIC: Distemper leverages a 2d6 dice roll, with modifiers  for attributes, skills, and circumstances. Although 9 or above is a Success, there are multiple gradations of success and failure that can drive the narrative in unexpected ways.

 

• IT'S A TOUGH WORLD OUT THERE: With success requiring a 9 or above on 2d6, the odds are inherently stacked against the characters. The players must employ narrative tools like Making The Case and Filling In The Gaps to improve their chances of success. 

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• A YEAR FROM TOMORROW: Distemper takes place very much in the the here and now. There are no zombies, no mutants, no vampires, no alien invaders, no lasers, no magic potions, and no fantastic creatures. There is just the gnawing cold, constant hunger and, scariest of all, other, desperate survivors to contend with.​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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• ORDINARY PEOPLE IN EXTRAORDINARY TIMES: Distemper is a classless system where characters are more likely to be a plumber, an uber driver, or a teacher than the the hero of an action movie, or a super spy.

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• BACKGROUND GENERATION: Characters can be created via the Backstory Generation life-pathing system where players spend points to raise their 5 attributes and pick from a selection of 36 skills while outlining their character's development during the various stages of their life.​

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• READY TO GO OUT OF THE BOX: Players can also pick from one of 15 Paradigms which provide a thematic set of skills and equipment, requiring them to just give the character a name, slap on an attitude and start rolling dice. Distemper also includes dozens of Pregenerated Characters (Pregens) for you to run with.

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• NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Sometimes, just surviving isn't enough. For those groups wishing to create something greater than just their handful of players, there is the option of recruiting NPCs to start their own Community, and establish a Homestead. ​Whether the players decide to recruit Cohorts to work with, Convert NPCs to their cause, or Conscripts for their army is up to them and will be driven their end goals. 

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• NO PLACE LIKE HOME: In addition to recruiting NPCs, player characters can take an Apprentice and train them in specific skills and use them as a proxy for tasks such as farming, while the mentor undertakes other tasks.

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• BUILDING SOMETHING BIGGER: SoIn addition to recruiting NPCs, player characters can take an Apprentice and train them in specific skills and use them as a proxy for tasks such as farming, while the mentor undertakes other tasks.  ​

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• DONT LET THEM CATCH YOU SLIPPING: Although 90% of humanity died, that's still a billion people left, and they all need to eat. 

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