Red Markets: A Game of Economic Horror

Description

Red Markets is a tabletop RPG about economic horror. In Red Markets, characters risk their lives trading between the massive quarantine zones containing a zombie outbreak and the remains of civilization. They are Takers: mercenary entrepreneurs unwilling to accept their abandonment. Bound together into competing crews, each seeks to profit from mankind’s near-extinction before it claims them. They must hustle, scheme, and scam as hard as they fight if they hope to survive the competing factions and undead hordes the GM throws at them. Takers that are quick, clever, or brutal enough might live to see retirement in a safe zone, but many discover too late that the cycle of poverty proves harder to escape than the hordes of undead. Red Markets uses the traditional zombie genre to tell a story about surviving on the wrong end of the economy. It’s cut-throat capitalism with its knife on your neck. Table of Contents Red Markets What Is Red Markets? Game Terminology Setting Terminology The (Un)Death of History The Failed State Desperate Innovation The Crash The What: The Blight The When The Why: Explanations The Where: Emergence Events The How: The Romero Effect Reaction and Policy Retreat Becomes Recession Gnat’s Whisper Transcript The Result The Homo Sacer Policy Writing Off The Loss Rise of Carrion Economy Foundation of the DHQS The Immunity Announcement Highbury v. USA The Taker’s Role The Relative Positions The Loss A Guide Banhammer Lost Places Lost People Lost Things Playing the Market Profit System Criticals Market Dice Checks Character Creation Spots Potentials Skills Dependents References Buying Gear Character Advancement Premade Takers Upkeep: Paying the Bills Maintenance Incidentals Splitting the Take Materialism: Bounty, Gear, and Vehicles Refresh Scavanging and Crafting Selling Gear Designing New Gear Gear List Weapons Drugs and Healthcare Armor and Accessories Tools Pets Advanced Electronics Haul Vehicle Rules Vehicle List Combat The Economy of Actions The Combat Round Movement Hit Locations and Damage Combat Maneuvers and Special Cases Example Combat Round Looting The Dead Market Forces Blight: Casualties and Vectors Casualty Placement Casualty Stats Casualties In Combat Frenzy Damaging Casualties Casualty Specific Maneuvers Looting The Undead Stampedes Vectors Infection That One Picture Humanity Self-Control Checks Regrets Regaining Humanity Dependents Negotiation Negotiation At-A-Glance Prep Work (Before Negotiation) The Sway Tracker Explained The Sway Tracker Leadership Opens (Starting Negotiations) The Task of the Negotiator (During Rounds) Scams (Inbetween Rounds) Leadership Closes (After Negotiations) Undercutting Example Negotiation Running the Market Shades of Red Market vs. GM Boom vs. Bust Signs of a Healthy Market Job Creator Creating Contracts Goods Table Services Table Economy Table Client Table Competition Table Complication Table Scores Mr. JOLS: A Special Case Long-Term Investments Example Enclave Structure of a Campaign Structure At-a-Glance Vignettes MBA Rules Trouble Table Investments and Speculation Loss Encounters Four Encounter Themes D10 Encounter Prompts D10 Aberrants and Mechanics D100 Loss Encounters Character Sheets Combat Summary Cheat Sheet Index