RED MARKETS

Preview DRAFT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guidelines 2
Abridged Setting Description 3
Terminology 17
Playing Red Markets 21
Profit System 22
Character Creation 32
Upkeep: Paying the Bills 79
Materialism: Gear, Haul, and Bounty 89
Gear List 101
Combat 133
Quick Reference 153
Blight: Casualties, Vectors, and Abberants 159
Humanity 176
Negotiation 185
Running the Market 218
Shades of Red 219
Job Creator 225
Workplace Essentials 226
Contracts 247
Scores 263
Long-term Investments 274
MBA Rules 293
Loss Encounters 315
Player Handouts 347

*Player surveys and pre-generated contracts are found in the Playtest Packet. This
.docx file should be easier to overwrite and save comments on than the PDF you are
currently reading.
 GUIDELINES
Project: Red Markets: A Game of Economic Horror

Thank you for backing the Red Markets Kickstarter! Please read this document carefully.

GROUND RULES AND GUIDELINES

This manuscript is confidential and under copyright. Do not distribute it to anyone
outside your playtest group by email or photocopy. Do not upload without permission.
THIS IS NOT A REVIEW COPY. This is a draft that may change substantially before
reaching print. Cursory public comments to the effect of "I'm playtesting this and it looks great!" or “I
was wondering how people were using X in the rules?” are acceptable and welcome, but criticisms would be
better sent to Hebanon Games so they can be addressed. A private criticism helps make a better
game, whereas a public complaint hurts the sales and perception of a game that doesn’t even exist
yet. What comes out the door in a year or so could look very different from the draft in front you
now.
I will not ask anyone to sign an NDA. This is the honor system. Hebanon Games has always
been very well treated by its fans, and I see no reason to expect anything less now. Personally, I’ve
already invested years of my life into Red Markets, not to mention the dedication of the RPPR crew. I
trust you not to screw this up for us.
Please forgive typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. This draft has only been lightly
edited. The final copy will undergo professional treatment.

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 Abridged Setting Description

Note from the Author:

This is a section of the setting chapter planned for the book. The “History of the Crash”
chapter will be told using in-setting POVs.
The purpose of this excerpt is to give play-testers just enough knowledge of the setting to
get underway. Please to not judge the book in its entirety from this incomplete and in-process
glimpse.

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The Blight

Here’s everything we know about it, or have been allowed to know:

1: Classification:
We don’t know what it is. It behaves like a virus or bacteria for large portions of its life cycle,
but develops complex physical structures given a long enough timeline, suggesting some sort of
asexually reproducing parasite. Unlike anything else in the animal kingdom, the damn thing seems to
violate the Conservation of Energy, producing kinetic force even in cases where the infected hasn’t
ingested protein or any other food source. This happens, of course, after the Blight itself appears to
die, according to every understood law of microbiology Nonetheless, it keeps functioning in its
undead state, piloting its host towards new sources of protein, then resurrecting into the most fertile
cellular expansion ever seen. Many researchers have gone mad just staring at this shit under a
microscope, unable to cope with the near-death of civilization and the invalidation of all scientific
progress crashing down on their brains simultaneously.
It’s either the most remarkably efficient organism ever – converting energy from
photosynthesis, heat absorption, and a number of other sources simultaneously – or a man-made
substance and yet to be understood. People are throwing around the word nanotechnology a lot
lately…
Then there are the Aberrants, which, if they actually exist, imply everything from alien
fungus to supernatural plague to a new stage of human evolution.
Like I said, WE DON’T KNOW. Or, in an even more unsettling possibility, someone
knows and doesn’t want to tell.

2: Infection:
Infection occurs from direct contact with infected fluids: spit, blood, saliva, sexual fluids, or
pure Blight (that black stuff they bleed). Not every bite or exposure is enough; five years of
hindsight has produced documented cases of exposure without infection, which were later proven
not to be Latency or Immunity when a second exposure caused a full-transformation.
Immunity complicates things immensely, as we know it exists but have no idea why. Certain
individuals can’t be infected no matter how many exposures occur. Scientists have used bone
marrow from such individuals to develop the drug Supressin K-7864. Designed for direct injection,
Supressin causes Blight in the midst of the initial viral amplification to go into its dormant, or
undead, state. But, for some reason, injection of the drug only prevents resurrection, whereas the
truly immune purge the contaminant entirely from their system. It’s not as if their systems actually
fight against the thing. I’m told the Blight just sort of…quits under the microscope.
Other than being able to take a bite and not turn, the Immune share no known
commonality: they have no common sex, upbringing, diet, race, age, blood type, or ancestry. Medical
science is racing to find the magic factor…usually by cutting it out of the poor bastards with
documented Immunity. A lot of doctors regret the thousands of potential golden guinea pigs shot
during the initial outbreak for harmless wounds.
For everyone else, an injection of Supressin K-7864 directly after exposure can prevent the
development of the worst symptoms, but Latency then occurs inexplicably and spontaneously.
Latents are infection carriers, able to spread the Blight by all the same means as a Casualty, but they
retain their mental faculties and life. The Blight begins parasitically copting tissue in the system to
make it’s own nervous system in the same manner of resurrected cadavers, but it appears incapable

4
of co-opting the brain without resurrecting into it’s live state. without attacking the brain,
transferring to its dormant state too early. Despite being riddling the host with infectious sinews, the
Blight is left mindless without a hijacked brainstem. This allows the infected to recover, continue
living, and remain in control of their faculties…so long as they can survive the agony of having a
alien organ system forcibly wound over the top of their own.
The sure sign of Latency is persistent necrosis around the bite area and a web of black
“veins” coursing under the skin. The pain of having a redundant nervous system hacked into one’s
flesh is extreme, but those that survive remain immune from secondary infections. Even hot Blight,
once injected into a Latent host, reverts to the undead state and joins the Blight sinew already in the
system. This fluke in the diseases operation system doesn’t carry over to others. The “cold” Blight in
a Latent system, once transferred to a fresh host, will eventually resurrect into the hot strain just as it
does with Casualty exposure. A single kiss from a Latent loved one has been the cause of many an
outbreak. Worse, the continual reproduction of the Blight, even in its dormant states, means that
after the death of a Latent, the parasitic nervous system goes live within seconds, faster than in any
other recorded instance of infection.
The death of a Latent creates a vector, which is the fate of 95% of the population after
receiving a hot bite.

3: Vectors:
Upon infection, Blight cells (or whatever they are) resurrect from their dormant state and
amplify in the bloodstream at a speed unprecedented in the history of viruses, bacteria, or fungi. If
the exposure came from another vector, the live cells continue their exponential growth curve and
speed transmission even faster. Whereas documented cases of casualty infection report as many as a
couple of days passing before full transformation, the most those infected by Vectors can expect is
minutes. The process is so fast that many victims, torn limb-from-limb by other vectors, are
reanimated into casualties without ever betraying their species, but hot Blight needs only a partial
journey through the circulatory system before reanimation becomes inevitable.
In cases where the body is infected but escapes violent death, the cells of the victim serve as
fuel for the Blight as it attacks and converts blood vessels first. This leads to the hemorrhaging and
bloody vomit typical of the freshly infected.
Once distributed throughout the circulatory system, the primary activity occurs in the brain.
Dilation of pupils become irregular, followed by a sense of euphoria, then confusion, muscle
tremors, and slurred speech. The hormonal dump follows – a pituitary explosion of stress chemicals
– and leads to the first violent tendencies. Predatory instincts develop around the time all higher
brain functions begin to completely break down. This causes the unfortunate, psychologically
scarring “apologies” commonly reported as being screamed by some vectors when they first begin
to infect, kill, and eat loved ones.
Vectors are extremely fast and very infectious. Due to the production of a foreign anti-
coagulant theorized to be an evolutionary adaptation used by the disease to maximize infection, the
afflicted bleed from every orifice and wound, and their fluids are in the midst of a frenzy of Blight
reproduction that can carry over to victims easily. All governors of physical exertion are destroyed in
the corruption of the brain, meaning that even physically weak individuals can move with
uncharacteristic speed and ignore mortal trauma for disturbing amounts of time.
Vectors remain dependent on human biological systems to remain alive. Though their
resistance to damage and pain is nigh-superhuman, they can eventually be brought down by
conventional wounds. However, without destruction of the brain case, the Blight inside slain vectors
merely transitions into the undead state, or “torpor.” Left alone, the cadaver will transform into a
Casualty in a matter of days.

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4: Death:
Due to the combination of internal hemorrhaging, trauma, overexertion, exposure,
dehydration, and starvation, all vectors qualify under the medical definition of death within a matter
of hours or days after transformation. The actual time of death is difficult to pinpoint since the
corpse reanimates. Signs include slowed hemorrhaging, stiffness due to rigor, gastrointestinal
bloating, and a pallid skin tone.
In all but the most robust individuals, the transition from Vector to Casualty involves a
period of torpor where the corpse appears inanimate and still. Twitching may occur as the Blight
sinew cannibalizes host tissue to expand throughout the body, but the overwhelming predatory
instinct that defines Blight infection relax for a number of hours as the victim enters the so-called
“puppet” stage. Most people call them zombies, or – as a dark joke – Casualties.

5: Casualties:
According to pre-Recession science, dead things cannot move. The dead have no way to
metabolize energy into electrical impulses to trigger muscle twitch. Even if they did, they have no
way of repairing or preserving cell walls damaged by exertion. Technically, that logic holds even
though the dead now walk and consume the living. Or at least that’s the narrative we’re trying to
cram the Blight into, though it refuses to cooperate.
The Blight uses its torpor to focus on metabolizing dead flesh, either consumed during the
vector phase or from the victim’s own tissues, into “sinews.” These black, fibrous filaments
duplicate throughout the body rampantly, occasionally even bursting from the flesh in the form of
black spines or bulbous tumors. The purpose, near as we can tell, is to form a redundant nervous
and musculature system on top of the wasted anatomy of the human’s. These strands originate in
the stomach, quickly metabolizing consumed proteins and the victims own intestines (thus the gaunt
look typical of most Casualties). A separate clutch develops in the cortex, mirroring human
neurophysiology with eerie similarity.
When the strands have infiltrated all muscle tissues, they begin to excrete a viscous, liquefied
form of the Blight known colloquially as “juice.” This substance has remarkable preservative
properties unseen in other organic compounds and serves to pickle the dead flesh rotting around it.
While not a perfect chemical, the black juice preserves the tissues of the dead victims for many years
beyond the human norm and makes consuming the dead flesh toxic to all carrion eaters, even those
not directly susceptible to Blight infection. A secondary characteristic of widespread infection is
mass die-offs in the local necrophage biosphere.
When the torpor ends, the Blight has essentially become a multiple-cellular parasite
composes of multiple organic systems, sending nerve impulses down its sinews to trigger
unsophisticated muscle twitch reactions in the juice-saturated tissue of the host body. It’s suggested
that the drive to consume flesh arises from the metabolic need to fuel these electrical impulses, but
if this is the case, the Blight has the most remarkably efficient metabolism imaginable, approaching
the 1-to-1 energy transfer ratio of a hypothetical perfect system. Other theories posit that starving
Casualties supplement their energy needs through some sort of photosynthesis located in the
breeches of Blight strands, or that the creature operates off a form of heat absorption.
Regardless, the durable strands “puppet” the corpse around, now typically referred to as a
Casualty or “C”, and repeat the cannibalistic behavior of a vector, albeit slower and less coordinated.
The strands are so redundant and resistant to damage that only total body destruction can render the
body immobile. Thankfully, the impulses that drive the creature forward are routed through the
central location of the brain, meaning that destruction of the brain stem or separation of the head
will render a body inert.

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6: The Aberrant:
The existence of Aberrant types is widely debated in the medical community. No active
specimens have ever been recovered, but supposed witnesses account this to the remarkable danger
posed by these creatures. Stories vary wildly and smack of urban legend, but enough reports occur
simultaneously in geographically distinct areas to suggest at least some validity to these claims.
If the Aberrant do exist, they suggest that the Blight is entering a new evolutionary stage or
has some even more complex period of its lifecycle. As the existence of run-of-the-mill Casualties is
problematic enough and reported sightings are rarely reputable, the scientific community has done
very little work trying to categorize these or even confirm the existence of Aberrants. Or, if they
have, they haven’t told us about it.
That’s what we know about the Blight so far: five years and a mountain range of corpses
later.

The Crash
Back when it started, the only thing certain was that people were eating each other. And we
knew what that reminded us of.
Honestly, the zombie movies killed as many of us as they saved. It’s a hell of trip to scroll
through the old news archives and watch the transition. In the first week, the article titles were
enthusiastic click-bait, almost gleeful to report acts of “supposed” cannibalism. But then they
devolve to skeptical disbelief, earnest pleading, and, finally, direly clinical evacuation orders.
When they didn’t inspire deadly skepticism, the films initially caused overconfidence. In the
early days, certain fools treated the outbreaks like sport, confidently leaving their homes with
nothing but a hunting rifle and getting run down by sprinting, screaming vectors. The slowness
wasn't there yet; not enough time had passed to enter torpor. It took days for the infection to kill its
host and more after that for the rigor to set in. Once it became impossible to disbelieve, we thought
they'd never slow down, that they would run the whole race down inside a few weeks. We were
almost right.
And we couldn't figure out how it had come from every direction at once. The only
explanation was a God-ordered apocalypse (it still might be). None of us considered latency. None
of us considered that a few people might be immune, or that the infection might not take hold with
every exposure. After all, what self-respecting pandemic advertises the second it hits a host? Better
to let some run, go home, give their family sloppy kisses, and then eat the neighbors. We know this
now, a few years and a lot of dead relatives too late. The few statistics gathered in the fallback in the
Recession suggest that humans killed more Latent and Immune than the monsters did. A bite meant
a bullet back then, regardless. In many places, it still does.
“The Romero Effect” was responsible for the insane paranoia and overreaction: the terror of
a cultural nightmare suddenly realized. Entire towns were wiped out without a single confirmed
report of infection. Hoarding and looting started almost immediately, when there was still plenty
left. It wasn't like now, where morality is for dead men and legends, and the rest of us are trapped in
the math of the Loss. Back then, a lot of people went out of their way to act like monsters because
some dumb fiction taught them that’s how you were supposed to survive.
But we knew to aim for the head. We knew that quarantine would lead to hard choices –
ruthless betrayals necessary for the survival of a species. We knew that a virus that behaves like a
fungus, and a bacteria, and a parasite, AND an animal was too far beyond our scope to cure, and we
didn't waste time trying. We eventually understood what we were seeing in those news reports, and
we aimed for the head. That’s probably the only reason anyone is left alive.
At least the movies provided some advice, which is more than could be said for every other

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form of existent media. Early panic led to the suppression of the news outlets, outright censorship
and government lies meant to “protect us” from ourselves. Thus came our ironic term for the
zombies: Casualties, the bloodless alternative to the word we were all thinking. “LA took Casualties”
or “St. Louis lists Casualties” or your hometown “has Casualties to report.” And by report, they
meant scream helplessly into a webcam as they were eaten alive. So now we had our name, because
you couldn’t just call the fucking things zombies. The movies taught us that, too.
I think it was Zisek who said that we can all imagine the end of the world, but nobody can
imagine an end to capitalism. Turns out he was dead on. Before long, our leaders were using the
term “need to know” more for profit than protection, trying to get rich from the war before
ensuring it could be won. They told everyone to get underground. Hole-up. The cavalry was on its
way.
But then LifeLines came online and the Gnat set us straight. We learned that the new reality
was just more of the old. Death remained a constant...but so did Taxes.

Ubiq and LifeLines

Austin Palbicke grew up in a rural Texas trailer with no internet and even less opportunity.
He didn't see his first functioning Wifi connection until he switched schools at 14, but he was
instantly hooked. By the time he grew into a multi-billionaire through his software start-ups, he had
already planned the Ubiq system in his head. "Nobody, no matter how poor," he said at the launch,
"has to be cut-off anymore." If we Takers could still believe in anything, we'd inscribe that under a
stained glass window in the church built for the poor dead bastard.
Ubiq utilizes thousands of high altitude weather balloons composed of carbon-nanotubes
and prototype synthetic fabrics, each carrying a solar-powered, self-sustaining satellite transmitter
and server. Solar winds shift the balloon cloud at all points around the globe, an ever-shifting pattern
of coverage that is unbreakable for more than a few minutes at a time. The signal was meant to be
everywhere, and everything could be managed from the Ubiq compound built in the Colorado
mountains: an entirely green tech start- up city powered by an experimental geo-thermal reactor that
cost more to build than the GDP of most developed nations. Nearly every dime Palbicke made
through monopolizing the wearable computing market went towards his dream project. It was in
beta when the Crash started, and as Ubiq programmers transmitted desperate pleas for help over the
snarls of their cannibalistic coworkers outside, it looked like it was never going to get beyond the
testing phase.
But then, after weeks with the power out, after starving in pitch-black basements under the
government orders, the signal came back on. What few laptops could be charged suddenly had
email. Cellphones, long since abandoned, had reception. All survivors needed was a hand crank or a
solar panel...
One of the programmers had survived and, somehow, gotten Ubiq online. She called herself
Gnat. Her forum was the LifeLines. She whispered the truth in all our ears.
The army had made sure the Ubiq reactor and servers did not fall. With their own forces in
disarray all over the world, it was the only way to coordinate efforts. Any civilian employees saved
were put to work, making sure the signals kept running for the grunt.
Gnat was one of those civilians, and she’d been keeping an eye on everything while the rest
of us huddled inside. The government blackout, the destruction of the United States, was just a stall
tactic. They were marshaling forces, pulling back to beyond the Mississippi in preparation for the
establishment of the safe zones. Seizing the Ubiq HQ in Colorado was just a logistical necessity.
Every other government resource was being pulled east of the river.
Gnat had read their traffic as the NSA wormed into the Ubiq signal. She didn’t like what she
saw, and neither did many of the soldiers she showed the plans too. After a brief civil war amongst

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the hallways of the tech startup, the surviving mutineers put Gnat in front of a keyboard and told
her to tell the world.
The government planned to fall back. Order everyone to stay inside at all costs. Use the
entirety of the armed forces to secure the Mississippi and cordon off infected Eastern cities. And
wait. Wait until the infected died and their puppeteer-ed corpses got dry, brittle, and slow. Wait for
torpor and rigor to set in... then clear them out of the Eastern states using every round in the armory
and every soldier that had ever enlisted. Launch a full-scale assault to take back the country.
Half of the country.
Everything west of the Mississippi was to be cut off like a gangrenous limb. Everything and
everyone.
Gnat posted the proof. She told us to run.
Those months of uncertainty, where you didn’t know which towns were clean and which
were decimated, the weeks of hiding away from the screams outside, unsure whether you wanted to
meet the monsters or starve alone? That’s part of the Crash, but it’s not what most people think of
when they hear the term. No, when survivors talk about the Crash, they’re talking about the space of
a few days. They’re talking about the insane rush to the bridges over the Mississippi.
People thronged. Fresh outbreaks occurred as caravans of survivors flooded east. The
Blight’s body count paled in comparison to those desperate fools that tried to swim across the river.
Realizing they’d never keep them all from crossing the cordon, the government backpedaled and set
up checkpoints, stripping all comers and checking for infection. They'd never meant to abandon us,
they claimed. This was all part of a plan. They called it the Recession.
But even when all the power was out, before they knew Gnat had their number, they never
wrote down their plans to nuke the Eastern Canadian cities. Pre-preemptive genocide, it was called it
later. But one night, the sun rose in the North once, then again, and again. That’s when those of us
still waiting to cross the bridges knew that they were done making concessions. Most of the bridges
were blown by fighter attacks during the Canadian offensive. Those that remained intact were mined
and walled off a few hours later; the border shut down. The West was closed off by a mighty river
and a 500 mile long manned wall, stretching from its mouth to the Great Lakes. And there was no
one left in the North to become infected. Even the Blight didn’t survive that much radiation.
The country was now divided: those of us safe in the Recession...and those of us written off
as the Loss.

The Recession
The American tactic was copied around the world in every country with enough life in them
still to try. Everywhere, people retreated over rivers and behind mountains. Brazil retreated behind
the Pa Rana and Amazon. Chile hid behind the Andes. The Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New
Guinea became a war zone as the Chinese diaspora fought to gain control of infection free-islands.
The Australians joined the struggle after cleansing the infection from their own borders, forming the
never-ending three way naval war called Kumatakok. Japan sealed their borders, though they slaver
for the landmass of South Korea, kept safe from the Casualties by their insane northern neighbors.
England recovered and became a giant hodge-podge of European refuges. Other countries were
forced into diversity the same way, as Scandinavia ended up protected by extreme cold and Sweden
by its mountains. The remains of Russia retreated to the Urals. Alaska – long since thought dead in
the death throes of Canadian military retaliation – somehow survived, opened the strategic oil
reserve, and promptly rejoined the Union. It’s again being painted as “the promised land” by the US
propaganda machine to encourage settlers. The Middle East’s militarized regimes and the natural
fortifications provided by the Suez and fertile-crescent rivers meant the area fared quite well and
continued to supply the world with oil at a substantially increased price.

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 Collectively, these truncated and surviving states became known as The Recession.
Everything else was The Loss, as in "written off as" ... including the hundreds-of-thousands left alive
on the wrong side of the line.
The nations didn't have time to mourn, or perhaps didn't care to. In the United States, the
availability of natural resources, international trade, and farmland was reduced by over 50%, yet the
population those markets were meant to support grew exponentially larger than the government had
planned to evacuate. Famine and plague were rampant. Outbreaks still occurred in the safe zones
and had to be put down quickly, with extreme prejudice. Whole cities had to be reclaimed and
gutted of their infrastructure, redesigned into easily cut-off blocks according to the new aesthetic of
Quarintechture. The currency collapsed. Entire industries had to be rebuilt or be abandoned entirely.
With much to do, the government didn't even have time for revenge. Ubiq was declared a
terrorist network, access punishable with the forced-labor and slavery of the newly simplified penal
system. Their crime was treason. How dare Gnat tell the world there were people left alive in the
Loss? Threaten the safety of her countrymen with those damnable mutineers? They were all
casualties now, infected now and forever. Anything else was a poisonous lie and punishable by
death.
It's not like the Feds could actually do anything about it. Anyone with a battery and a phone
could access Ubiq, and the feds needed the digital stratostructure as much as everyone else. Those
still arguing for retribution were ultimately shut-down by the realization that missiles sent to blow up
weather balloons still use fuel that no one could afford. A DOS attack would deny the government
access to Ubiq too, meaning that they’d have to rely solely on their half-destroyed fiberoptic
network structure.
They did attempt to retake Ubiq City once with a special operations squadron. Gnat told us
about it. The ones still left alive work for her now.
The feds had better luck enforcing the other new laws. Like outlawing all Latents, corralling
their infection risk into camps or prisons or mass graves. Or conscripting everyone with a
demonstrated immunity into "medical service," testing them like animals for a cure and farming out
their bone marrow to produce Supressin K-7864. Any male between the ages 16 and 22 got thrown
into 2 years of compulsory military service or shot for “desertion of duty” under the new, perfectly-
legal mandates. And it’s not like they could have been going to school anyway, as the Department of
Education dissolved overnight. Between the misery, depression, and overwhelming need of the
Recession population, a new golden age of crime dawned, captained by men and women too hungry
for power to worry about the forced labor or street execution if anyone bothered to catch them.
Hardly anyone escaped the pain of the Recession. If you lived in the East, you probably lost
your job, or had soldiers take over your home, or were forced to live with 3 refugee families
crammed into your living room. If you fled before the borders closed, you had almost no
possessions and were likely living out of your dead car in the massive parking lots of the new refugee
camps. Food and clean water became the only worthwhile currency, so the military issued ration
vouchers all but replaced the dollar.
But the 1% still did fine. Those with enough money and power always found themselves
stocked, and nobody was turning their mansions into factories anytime soon.
Career military did well too. They certainly were in demand more than ever. Armed forces
were the only ones assured ammo, food, and fuel. They needed it all to start establishing settlements
in the Loss, retaking fracking facilities and factories to produce the drone farming equipment needed
to get the Midwest feeding people again. The risk certainly justified their rewards, but it’s hard not to
suspect corruption when generals start driving around in Lamborghini’s instead of jeeps.
The new order became clear: work, die, or get rich enough to leave your own humanity
behind.

10
Homo sacer
What about all the people left behind in the Loss? They were dead. Mourn them and move
on. Try to jump the fence to “save” one of the already dead people? A border guard would ensure
you joined them forever. The government declared it, so it must be true.
Declared dead is a bit of an oversimplification. As a legal concept, people in the Loss are
considered homo sacer by the US government (latin for "the accursed man"). It's the most extreme
form of "civil death," which refers to a loss of previously held rights due to criminal action or
change in status, such as losing one's right to vote upon being convicted of a felony, and, though
more rare in the modern day, there are examples of populations being deemed homo sacer
throughout human history (pirates, Romany, too many refugee populations to count, etc).
As a legal concept, homo sacer meant that the people so labeled as "accursed" are afforded no
legal rights by the laws of any nation. Legally, the person isn't even considered a human for the
purposes of "human rights." Perhaps the clearest example of this concept occurred in the 16th - 18th
centuries with the rise of navel mercantilism. Major state powers operating on the high seas declared
certain peoples “Hostis Humani Generis.” This meant they were literally "out-laws" beyond the
protection of any nation's laws. Basically, you could do whatever you wanted to a pirate, no matter
what nation you were from or they were from, and those operating under a national flag had no legal
responsibilities whatsoever to any victims or their family. It wasn't an act of war. It wasn't a crime.
Losing your ship to pirates was an act of God, but killing an entire pirate crew was no more, on
paper, than a spot of luck.
The flip side of homo sacer, however, is that you have no legal recourse against such persons
beyond what you personally have the physical power to enforce: military and law enforcement
officers have no more obligation to protect you from homo sacer than, say, from an animal attack.
Suing someone so thoroughly disenfranchised would be akin to suing a dog that bit you or a
raccoon that overturned your trash. You either shoot the thing or it gets away with it.
So why did the US revive this archaic concept? There’s the real reasons and the stated
reasons. Where the truth lies depends on where the political battle lines are drawn at that particular
moment and which gun barrel you’re staring down.
During the evacuation to the Recession, the government did not have the resources to save
everyone. Only 2 out of 100 people in the United States have any military experience at all, and the
number of active duty personnel was way, WAY smaller. Using the entirety of the country's military,
security services, and natural borders could still only purge and secure less than half the land mass.
Thus, the "evacuation" notice was not public. Not everyone could be saved. In fact, the
more people left behind in the West, the better the chances of survival. The decision to abandon us
was rational…sociopathic, but rational
Of course, there was Gnat’s leaks. The ensuing rush for the border almost destroyed the
whole nation, and the Recession struggles as a Great-Depression-on-crack state to this day as a
result, coping with massive overcrowding, widespread unemployment, and the increased infection
risk constantly threatened by both.
Additionally, the leaks revealing major sections of the government essentially left more than
half of all Americans to die did not inspire confidence in the rule of law at a time when it was
needed most. Most of the politicians and military leadership at the time of the Crash have since been
arrested or disgraced. But that doesn't mean their predecessors have any desire to correct the sins of
the past, especially as they are deemed necessary to the continued survival of the US.
So, though they will say otherwise at every opportunity, no one in the federal government
expects anyone to believe that absolutely everyone over the border is actually dead. But they are all
declared dead. According to the Recession government, the refusal to heed the evacuation orders

11
jeopardized security operations and threatened national security. In so doing, they forfeited all rights
as US citizens, and their insistence on staying behind has doomed them all to infection, since the
Loss is so obviously completely uninhabitable (else we would have taken it back already, obviously)
What do you mean the government didn't issue evacuation orders? Of course they did; or
rather, they planned to before leaks and terrorist misinformation sabotaged the plan that would have
kept the nation together. Those still alive over the border don't deserve your pity; their anti-
government obstructionism is the reason we couldn't secure the whole country.
And maybe someone over there is your loved one...but not anymore. Even if they're
somehow still alive, they risk infection every day, and infection means Vectors. Sprinting, river-
swimming, fence-climbing Vectors that threaten the border every day. Every so-called "survivor" in
the Loss threatens to bring the outbreak back, carrying the Blight over the Mississippi line and
starting a second Crash from whence no one will escape.
So hop the border at your own risk. Deal with those poor, "left behind" survivors. But if
anyone finds out, you will join them for your treason. No one will be forgiven for selfish flirtation
with a potentially world-destroying infection, regardless of whether or not they're motivated by
"legitimate sentiment." Sentiment means nothing when the extinction of the United States and,
possible, the entire human race, remains on the line.
Anyone caught over the border is no longer a citizen; they are no longer even human. The
homo sacer is a Casualty waiting to happen, and each must be exterminated for the sake of national
security.
Of course, not everyone ascribes to the official story. Of course, many see through the
facade and recognize propaganda meant to prop up an ailing administration. Many more, caught in
the crushing poverty of the Recession, simply don't have the luxury to believe such precepts. But,
until EVERYONE believes the homo sacer policy is bullshit, the story still provides plausible
deniability (if not outright justification for) for the crimes of the Recession government, and it
provides citizens a rationalization for the continued fear and detachment that allow them to survive.
Recession citizens can choose to believe that their situation is a result of desperation,
mismanagement, and poorly thought out policies, but the cost of that truth is the subsequent
realization that those very same forces are in charge of security even now. Being "awake" means
acknowledging (with your every. waking. thought) that the most terrifying event in human history
could repeat itself at any moment.
Or, as an alternative, citizens can believe the governmental narrative. That it's those people's
own fault. That they could have evacuated if they wanted to. That their refusal caused all this to get
worse. That their refusal might even indicate they caused the Blight and the Crash in the first place:
intentionally. They can believe that there's someone to blame for all their nightmares. They can
believe that when a border guard blows up some family's raft trying to run the border, it was an act
of heroism instead of a despicable war crime.
No one believes everyone over the border is dead. But big sections of the Recession
population have a psychological need to believe that everyone over there should be dead, and they
hope it will happen very soon. As for everybody else in the safe zones, they've got to deal with that
segment of the population every day, meaning that their interactions with the Loss — whether
motivated by necessity, compassion, or profit — need to remain plausibly deniable if they don't
want to piss off the ideologically brainwashed masses and join the dispossessed.

The Department of Homeland Quarantine and Stewardship

A couple years into the hell of Recession America, the government formed a new
organization: The Department of Homeland Quarantine and Stewardship. The DHQS was a blanket
operation charged with coordinating military branches maintaining the quarantine, taking over for

12
the CDC researching the Blight, secretly supplying strategic enclaves to lure dead off the Recession
borders, establishing forward staging in reclamation settlements, and, most importantly, assessing
the Loss.
In short, it was an organization spread so thin that it was doomed to fail before it existed. Its
power was so extreme and leaky that cheating the system became easier than fooling an online age-
restriction prompt.
The DHQS, aside from having the most “don’t-fuck-with-us” soldiers ever to rape the Loss,
is really known for creating the Bounty system. See, even with the Blight’s unnatural preservation of
dead flesh, the Casualties weren't completely impervious to the elements. In studies (that the public
never got to see), it was predicted that the infection couldn't keep anything moving and biting for
more than twenty years, even in the best of conditions. So, if the government could go twenty years
without a new infection out in the Loss, the Blight would burn itself out completely, and mankind
would be set to reclaim the world with ease.
Yeah…right. But people bought into it. Even false hope is better than none, I guess.
A futures exchange emerged, quite literally. People began speculating on the possible
reclamation of the Loss. And why not? After all, who would claim all that unclaimed property? Was
it subject to probate and inheritance? Can a corpse, if it is moving and has a partial neural imprint
surviving in the form of a monstrous infection, still own property? What about all that abandoned
real estate?
Vast tracts of valuable land and oil rights were now up for grab. Who gets control of Ubiq
when they finally find a way to blast Gnat and her boys out of the mountain fortress?
But exactly how much could be looted and how much was still legally owned by survivors?
Who made it into the Recession? They didn’t exactly have time to take a census during the
evacuation. How many have been born since and what are the lines of inheritance? Who owns
business property when the corporate entity is, for all intents and purposes, dead? Do you have to
pay property and income tax on holdings that can’t be physically accessed without being shot for
violating quarantine?
Early attempts by the DHQS to establish legal precedent for answering every question with
“the government gets it” caused a huge backlash. The markets, still depressed from a quasi-
apocalypse, dipped even lower as the US appeared to be lurching towards complete totalitarianism.
Productivity plummeted. Riots spread faster than outbreaks, and the military was loathe to help. The
generals and other power players wanted to get rich off reclamation too. They wanted to retire with
their loot, not hand it over and spend the golden years in a mobile home.
So the DHQS backpedaled. Income and property tax west of the line would be suspended
until proof of ownership could be established, and then reinstituted at a reduced rate in exchange for
personal salvage rights. All other property without proof of ownership would revert to the
government.
The next outrage was the obvious risk of corruption such a system presented. What was
required for proof? No attempt had been made to quantify the number of survivors. No one knew
who was next in line of inheritance with so many families shattered and scattered. And, the truth
everyone knew but wasn’t allowed to say, what about the survivors still left alive out in the Loss?
Thus, the bounty system was implemented. Forms of ID would be collected from living
survivors in the Recession to establish proof of life: driver’s licenses, birth certificates, anything
issued before the Blight. The government knew that a lot of these documents were moldering in safe
deposit boxes behind the Mississippi. Still more had been burned for heat. But still, if you could
prove you were alive and owned it, it was yours when the mythical twenty years rolled around.
The real money was in proving who had died. Fencemen, the militia police force charged
with clearing Casualties that managed to get across the river, found that most people evacuated their

13
homes carrying a wallet before they got bitten. Fish around in a decapitated zombie’s pocket, find
their ID, and you’ve either got instant proof of property the government can now seize, or a ticket
to a fat inheritance for some lucky refugee.
The DHQS announced a bounty system: any ID recovered off a dead Casualty was now
worth a standardized number of ration dollars, adjusted for inflation and equivalent to the average
property holdings of a pre-Crash adult male. The idiots had accidently established a new defacto
currency that the government and the people wanted in equal measure… and the abandoned,
supposedly-dead bastards stuck in the Loss had access to the majority of it.
The Red Markets had already been long established by the time Bounty was announced, but
they were barter only affairs dedicated solely to survival. Now there was an exchange rate between
the Recession and the Loss. Abandoned documents, reclaimable property, and all the dead man’s
IDs you could kill for – it finally became possible to not only survive in the wastelands, but thrive
there as well.
The Takers were born.

The Red Markets

Food canned on day one of the Crash had, at best, two years before expiration. MRE’s have
five years if kept in the best possible storage conditions. The hardiest antibiotics and over-the-
counter medicines lost effectiveness or became toxic after four years. Bottled water evaporated by
the end of the first summer.
All this is to say that, while a lot of people managed to live in the Loss after the borders
closed, a great many of them died in ways that had nothing to do with casualties. There was this idea
of self-sufficiency left over from the Romero effect; this wet-dream fantasy held by former
corporate drones that said a hardened person could survive the apocalypse with nothing but a
personal garden, some defensible walls, and hard work. But for the majority of human existence, a
septic paper-cut could send a person to the grave, and that same unforgiving bullshit had returned to
the world in a big way.
A lot of people were ripped apart and eaten alive, but even more starved when their local
grocery store went sour or ran out of loot. Thousands died of dysentery from bad water. Hardened
soldiers got killed because they ran out of ammo, and doctors froze to death because they couldn’t
find a proper coat.
Self-sufficiency has always been a myth. At best, it’s an ideal to strive for, but humanity
broke off into specializations and castes for reasons of survival. There are only so many hours in a
day and so many calories available, which meant that those that tried to do it all often ended up dead
or undead.
Those that survived did so by setting up trade almost immediately. People held up in
bookstores sold survival manuals for the food they couldn’t grow in concrete floors. Survivalist nuts
in control of gunsmiths sold ammo for the raw materials to make...more ammo. Even the drug
cartels plied their narcotic recreation for vital resources like water. Everybody needed something
survive, and Gnat opened up the LifeLines forums so we could all find out who had it.
Sure, there were still psychos and loners: raiders, cultists, living cannibals, and rogue military
elements. But they were just another need to be met. Purchase protection with gas. Provide shelter
in exchange for those rifles. It was a story as old as human civilization.
Within months of the evacuation, the most defensible locations solidified their power
struggles and became enclaves. Chain-store distribution centers and industrial zones became the new
cities of the Loss, hot spots for bartering goods and services. Everyone may have been half-insane
with fear and under constant threat, but they still needed to eat. The few brave enough to venture
outside the walls to facilitate trade or fetch resources for the enclaves became known as

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Undertakers: those who deal with the dead. Those who shoulder the burden for others.
By the time the bounty system came online, Gnat had already distributed underground
documentaries online about all those still-not-dead folks the governments had left to die. She used
Ubiq’s satellite imagery to prove that the settlements of these non-citizens were the only thing
keeping the Mississippi line from being overrun by Casualties. We were already the open secret
everybody in the Recession tried to forget, and then the bumblers at DHQS gave us a way to
communicate.
Things in the Recession were far from rosy too. Nobody was in much danger of getting
eaten, but most of the Free Parking ghettos dotted down the Eastern line were in worse shape than
the enclaves, denied basic resources the scavenger cities could just pick up off the ground. People
needed food, water, and documents they could sell to the government for better housing, healthcare,
and other amenities. Oligarchs wanted to lay early claim to salvage and data stores to build their
future empires. Even the government needed “contractors” familiar enough with the terrain to do
jobs their military units were getting slaughtered trying.
Meanwhile, the Loss needed things our barter infrastructure couldn’t produce: birth control,
vehicles, specialized ammo, Supressin K-7864, and, most of all, safety. Enough bounty could buy a
new identity and the services of a border smuggler; an actual home on a real city street; a job that
didn’t involve the ability to score headshots on the run.
Ask your average denizen of the Loss what they think about the Recession and you’re bound
to learn about all those new curse words we’ve invented since the Crash. But while those assholes
may have left us to die, nothing can bring people together like the universal impulse to fuck over
and rob our fellow man. Thus the Red Markets were born, an extra-legal, underground economy
between the Loss and the Recession, where being declared dead was as often a strength as a
weakness. The safe zoners began calling Undertakers by the pejorative Takers: profiteers using the
misery of their fellow man to get rich. We didn’t mind; it was shorter. Time is bounty.
Things are far from easy. Ubiq and the LifeLines make remotely finding jobs simple so long
as you can find somewhere to charge your batteries, but delivery sure is a bitch. Performing any kind
of service sucks when things are trying to eat you and goods have to be smuggled across vast tracts
of zombie-infested wasteland. Getting goods into the Recession is even worse and requires dodging
mined waters, bridges, and fence lines, all whilst getting shot at by the military for violating
quarantine. If you’re lucky, the poor border guard has family back home benefitting from the trade
and lets your crew by with nothing but a blood test and a bribe.
Once over the river, it’s pretty easy to blend into a tent city and avoid getting detected. Then
all there is to worry about is your Latent infecting someone and causing a massive outbreak, or your
Immune buddy getting snatched up for medical experiments, or your client ditching out before
paying, or your “comrade” Takers killing you to snag a contract, or…
Well, you get the picture.
But survive long enough, and there’s a shiny new life waiting on the shelf just for you, or at
least that’s what they keep telling me…

One Taker’s Perspective

“The fuck you say? Why we doin’ this?! Don’t get it bent, citizen.
Y’all took our lives. You stole our chance and left us to die. But now you want some of that
sweet old life so you can…what? Understand why? Appease your ‘survivor’s’ guilt? As if you even
know what that fucking means.
Well, we got a rhyme out here: asking why’s a good way to die, figuring how matters right
now. The Loss is ours now. How y’all planning on getting it back?
I’ma say this once, and make sure all your citizen buddies sitting at home hear it too: we

15
done took all your shit long enough. Now we fixin’ to take ALL yo’ shit?. We gonna take care of the
dead, take back the world, and take care of our own. And if you soft-handed, fence-watching bitches
try and stop us? We gonna take you out.
Why we out here doing this? Because we’re Takers. Pay up.”

— Casual-Tee of the D-Town Takers, from the documentary The Great Repression: Life in the Loss

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 Game Terminology

“Buy a Roll”: Some actions are only possible with the use of gear and spent resources. Buying a roll
means spending a charge to allow a skill check.
Black: the die that represents the player’s chance of success. This can be modified by skills and
charges spent on gear.
Boom: a rules variant that makes the game easier and more action-packed
Bust: a rules variant that makes the game more challenging and grim
Charges: expendable resources that abstractly measures a piece of gear’s remaining usefulness.
Charges can be spent to buy a roll or to provide a bonus
Check: rolling the dice to determine the success or failure of a character’s actions
Default: checking a skill with a rating of zero is called defaulting. The Market has the right to veto
any default check, or all of them. If the check is allowed, the player must roll a single die (the Black).
If the result is equal to or lower than the skills associated Potential, the check succeeds. Anything
above the associated Potential is a failure. Even default checks must buy a roll using charges or the
one-and-done rule.
Dependents: non-player characters in the Taker’s life that must be supported financially, but who
heal Humanity when maintained. These characters can be portrayed in the game by the Market or
another player.
Gassed: a character that is out of rations is considered gassed and may not take rigorous physical
action until recovered.
Gear: objects or tools that make certain actions possible and/or easier to achieve
Haul: the measure of how much a character can carry. Each unit of Haul represents a unit of supply
the Taker can carry, unless the Market dictates otherwise.
Health: a Taker’s general fortitude and resistance to disease. Health is added to the Black on rolls
checking to see if a character can stay conscious or resist infection.
Initiative: a measurement of the Taker’s reflexes. When rolling for who goes first in a combat, add
SPD to the Black.
Market: the person who runs the game and writes the story of each job; the game-master. The
Market is responsible for playing NPCs in the story, determining encounters, and setting prices.
Market forces: any enemy NPC intent on harming the player characters. In combat, the Market
declares what actions the forces are taking but does not roll for them.
Non-player Characters (NPCs): secondary characters played by the Market or temporarily by
another character at the table.
One-and-Done: some skill checks cannot be attempted more than once. For instance, failing to
research a client can’t be fixed by just trying again; the Taker doesn’t know how to find it and more
time will not change that. One-and-Done rolls are mostly social or mental actions. Failed one-and-
done rolls can be made successful if the player chooses to succeed at cost.
Player Characters (PCs): the protagonist characters controlled by players at the table.
Potential: natural aptitudes that can only be improved through rigorous, disciplined practice.
Potentials serve as the limit of skills.
Red: the die that represents the variable difficulty of performing an action in a cold, random, and
uncaring universe.
References: professional contacts in the setting with access to goods, services, and expertise.
References perform favors for Takers but must be paid back with bounty or other favors. These
non-player characters can be played by the Market or another player.
Refresh: the term used for replacing spent charges on a single piece of gear. Takers can refresh gear
a number of times equal to their ADP Potential.

17
Skills: training and practice in performing a specific task. A Taker’s skill cannot exceed the Potential
associated with it.
Succeed at Cost: If a player fails a one-and-done roll and doesn’t want to spend Will, they can
choose to succeed at cost. The cost of the success is determined by the Market, but it often involves
tapping a Reference or otherwise learning the truth through a painful mistake.
Support: the network of relationships that keep a Taker sane and healthy. The support rating
determines how many Dependents and References the Taker starts the game with. A character with
a Support of 1 has one Dependent and one Reference. Support equals a Taker’s CHA Potential
Upkeep: the cost, in bounty, it takes to stay alive, retain shelter, and keep tools in working order
between sessions.

Setting Terminology

The setting of Red Markets is very different from our own. Below you’ll find some jargon used to
describe the world of the game.

Aberrant: blanket term for a number of Casualty sub-types with special abilities
Bait: nickname for a citizen of the Recession that left for financial, political, or religious reasons to
live out in the Loss
Believers: collective term for the rash of religious sects and philosophies that sprang up after the
Crash. Each specific cult has unique beliefs that can range from benignly comforting to terrifyingly
fanatical.
Blight: the mysterious infection responsible for the Crash and all its terrors, so called due to its
anomalous medical classification. Like its victims, Blight has two stages: living and undead. Living
Blight is the single most infectious disease ever encountered by mankind. It creates Vectors in a
matter of minutes, and its exponential growth rate can bring conversion time down to seconds.
After a victim succumbs, the Blight pathology changes completely, becoming more fungal/parasitic
and building unearthly black sinews that puppet dead flesh and slow cadaver decay.
Bounty: the currency between the Loss and the Recession. Bounty is provided by the DHQS for
the retrieval of identity and property documentation dating before the Crash. As the processing and
verification time for the documents is quite long, bounty is rewarded on delivery. The amount is
based on the average value of a pre-Crash adult’s total property and financial holdings, which has the
side effect of locking value in place.
Carrion Economy: generalized term for the world economy. While new goods and services are still
in production, worldwide trade is largely focused on looting the corpse of the Loss to recover value
and infrastructure.
Casualty: A zombie; a cadaver puppeted by the parasitic nervous system characteristic of “cold”
Blight. The term hails from bloodless, sanitized news reports during the early days of the Crash used
to prevent panic. The term is now used ironically by Takers. “Taking Casualties” can now mean
killing zombies for money or being infected with zombies.
Chasing Mr. JOLS: a term that refers for the tendency for Takers to risk their lives in last-ditch
efforts to get rich quick in the Loss. JOLS stands for Just One Last Score.
Citizen: pejorative term for a person living safely in the Recession or one of its settlements
Client: any person or entity seeking goods or services from Takers with the promise of bounty
Contract: a service agreement between a group of Takers and a client (in game terms, a job designed
by the Market and offered to the players)
Crash: the initial emergence of the Blight and the resulting panic, chaos, and death
Crew: the collective noun form of Takers. Crews assemble to bid on jobs and brand their services.

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Crypt: slang for electronic crypto-currency. With the collapse of most national currencies and the
prevalence of provincial currencies like ration dollars, crypt is the primary exchange method between
the Recession and the Loss. Most crypt value is still expressed in terms of equivalent bounty, as
bounty is one of the few guaranteed and stable currency units in existence.
DHQS: short for the Department of Homeland Quarantine and Stewardship, the new agency in
charge of maintaining the United State’s borders and eventually reclaiming the Loss. They are
responsible for the bounty system and the inept enforcement of the underground economy resulting
from it.
Enclaves: pockets of surviving civilization not officially recognized by any of the surviving state
powers, but large enough to have some economic impact. Allowed to survive because they draw
Casualties away from the borders of safe zones or maintain vital infrastructure points.
Enclavist: someone that hails from an enclave
Free Parking: derogatory term for the shantytowns that developed in the wake of the evacuations
to the Recession, so named because of the numerous derelict cars that make up their dwellings.
Humanity: the blanket term for all the things that keep a survivor from becoming a monster far
worse than any zombie.
Homo Sacor: Latin for “the accursed man,” the term refers to a person banned from civilized
society and not afforded protection under the law. In the wake of the drawback into the Recession,
many nations disavowed, denied, or criminalized survival in the Loss in an attempt to stem attempts
to break quarantine. Anyone outside the Recession’s borders without expressed federal consent is
considered Homo Sacor.
Immune: a rare person that, for reasons unknown, is completely immune to the Blight’s infection.
Immune people are subject to “conscription into medical service” (read: kidnapping, medical
torture, and bone marrow harvesting) in the Recession and its settlements. Takers and certain
enclaves often attempt to kidnap the immune for a sizable reward. The bone marrow of the Immune
is used to produce Supressin K-7864.
LALA: Acronym for “Last Asshole Left Alive.” This is the Taker name for unhinged single or small
group survivors gone mad with isolation and grief after surviving the Crash. It’s used to refer to the
person as a noun (“he’s a lala”), but also as an adjective (“he’s gone lala” or “we’re trapped in lala
land”).
Latent: a carrier of the Blight that remains somehow in good health and free of cannibalistic urges.
It occurs when the virus infects a host but transfers too quickly into its undead state. Blight sinews
wind painfully through the victim’s tissues, but dead virus cannot affect living brain tissue. Latency
can be natural or achieved by injecting Supressin K-7864 shortly after infection. Latents can be
identified by the necrotic sinews winding through the flesh. Those infected by a Latent become
Vectors as if bitten by a Casualty, as the Blight reanimates itself without the intervention of drugs.
Due to this danger, enclaves, settlements, and nations shoot Latents on sight or detain them in
special, isolated camps.
LifeLines: the secured forum launched by Gnat to coordinate evacuation and survival for civilians
during the Crash. It’s now an invite-only community for Takers and other inhabitants of the Loss
for networking and shop talk.
“Living Darwin:” slang phrase used to describe the murderous, animalistic lifestyle of raiders in the
Loss. Living Darwin is the only ideal to which their “society” can be said to aspire.
Settlements: government-run communities out in the Loss meant to recapture and defend vital
infrastructure during the quarantine. Settlements are under the authority of the DHQS and are the
only “recognized” inhabitants of the Loss.
Raiders: groups of thugs surviving in the Loss exclusively by stealing or extorting what they need
from others, making no other attempts to retreat to safety or become self-sufficient.

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Rebels: scattered groups of deserting, abandoned, or routed military forces attempting to destroy
the Recession government for crimes committed during the Crash. Many rebel groups have
sympathetic causes and understandable grievances, but even the more reasonable amongst them
have been known to utilize inhumane tactics to support their never-ending war.
Respites: secret safe houses and cleared zones used by Takers as campsites as they move across the
Loss.
T-minus Never: slang for the day of reclamation, generalized to mean false hope or foolish wishes.
Derives from the fact that DHQS has claimed reclamation would begin in 20 years from the date of
announcement…for five years running.
Takers: name for the outcasts, smugglers, and survivors that work the Red Markets. Simultaneously
references “undertakers” and a reputation for theft.
The Loss: everything outside a safe zone (as in “written off as a Loss”) surrendered to the dead and
the home of the Red Markets for 5 years.
Lost: anybody left behind as the remainder of civilization pulled back in the Recession
The Moths: the world’s largest Taker crew, made up of the survivors of the Operation Utility
mutiny and a series of former Ubiq employees. The Moths are based out of the Ubiq campus in the
Colorado mountains.
The Recession: The term for humanity’s retreat behind natural borders and the resulting safe
zones. If someone is “from the Recession,” they live in a safe zone marked by geographical
fortification and run by a surviving national government. Early government communications used
this term exclusively to refer to symptoms of the Crash because everything except economic news
was being censored to avoid panic. It stuck largely in part due to its ironic inadequacy after the
American government attempted to abandon many of its citizens and “recede” to the East coast.
The Red Markets: the underground economy exploiting the Loss as a resource and trading
between enclaves and the Recession. The market is “red” because it is not legal, but as nearly
everyone participating is considered legally dead already, the trade isn’t technically illegal either
(which would be a black market).
Supressin K-7864: a drug cocktail derived from the bone marrow of an Immune human, extremely
powerful antibiotics, and dangerously caustic antiseptics. Though it cannot kill infection, injection
within a few minutes after a bite can cause the Blight to enter its dormant state and reduce a Vector
into a Latent human. Supressin is worth its weight in gold out in the Loss…if gold were worth
anything.
Ubiq: Massive internet start-up responsible for the free global Wi-Fi network exploited by the Red
Markets. Ubiq servers both enabled and sabotaged the Recession by providing a stable
communications network during the Crash. The mutiny of Operation Utility commandeered the
compound and threatened the system with destruction if any attempt was ever made to retake it. As
Ubiq remains the only reliable from of communication upon which the global economy can rely, the
government entered a de facto truce and allows Ubiq to operate autonomously in exchange for
continued access.
Valet: slang for a powerful crime boss or war profiteer operating out of the Recession. The term
derives from their exploitation of refugees in the Free Parking slums they control. Each slum on the
border of the Recession has multiple Valets vying for control and hiring Takers.
Vector: a recently infected human unhindered by decay or rigor mortis. They are fast, infectious,
and deadly.

20
 Z0. PLAYING RED MARKETS

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Z1. Profit System
The Profit System uses two dice – Black and Red – to determine a wide range of effects.
Players use the dice to determine the success or failure of their characters' actions. Similarly, the
Market uses the same dice to generate much of the game world randomly, simulating the capricious
and unpredictable forces at work in the setting.
When there's a chance a character might fail an important task, the player makes a dice check
to determine what happens next. The Profit System follows the same rule as all business; success
means being "in the Black." If the Black die is higher than the Red, either naturally or after being
modified by skills or spent charges, the check succeeds. If Red is higher or equals Black, the
combination of uncontrollable, moment-to-moment variables, and the character's inexperience leads
to failure.

Z2. Materials Needed

What do you need to play? It’s pretty simple. Every player needs the following:

◦ One black and one red ten-sided dice (they don’t have to be black and red so long as the two
can be told apart)
◦ Pencil and Eraser
◦ Character Sheet (included)

As a group, you need…

◦ A table or surface to play on

◦ Crew Sheet (included)
◦ A copy of the Red Markets rules

Z2. The Dice: Black and Red

To play Red Markets, each player needs a set of two, ten-sided dice. It's preferable to have
one Black and one Red because that is how the dice are named in the rules, but any pair of d10s will
do, so long as the player can keep them separate with either size, font, or color.
The Black represents the best attempt of the player to succeed at that moment. This number
is modified by a combination of skills and charges. The number the Black lands on is abbreviated as
B# in the text. A result of 10 on the Black die would be written B10. Since the Black can be
modified by choices the player makes, it can go above ten. For instance, that B10 would actually be
B10+2 if the player had a skill of +2 that applied to that check.
The Red represents the obstacles threatening success. It accounts for all the variables affecting
the check at any given moment – windage, lighting, fatigue, mood, etc. – and can vary wildly. The
number a Red die lands on is abbreviated as R# in the text. For instance, a roll of 5 on the Red die
would be written R5.

Z2. Boom and Bust

The terms Boom and Bust are used to describe branching choice points in the rules.
Sometimes, there is more than one way to perform some mechanic in Red Markets. These choices
fall to two extremes on a spectrum.
Boom rules are variants that make the game easier and more action-packed. Characters are
tougher, more capable, and generally bigger badasses than might be seen in bleaker horror stories.

22
Boom games are about taking big gambles for big rewards; if the characters die, they'll look good
doing it.
Bust rules are variants that make the game more difficult and grim. Characters have more
responsibilities, flaws, and weaknesses than the protagonists of more escapist zombie fiction. Bust
games are about the weight of the supernatural and the mundane conspiring to crush and grind souls
into dust. If a character makes it out of a Bust game whole, it'll be as ugly as it is impressive.
The principles of Boom and Bust aren't absolutes; groups can pick one or the other
according to their tastes for that particular aspect of the game. The labels are merely included for
reference so readers can find variants that cater to their tastes.

Z2. Procedure
The Profit System is all about representing the cost of character's actions. Dice checks are
rarely free and, if a charge doesn't need to be spent, the check is “one-and-done” (can only be
attempted once). Every other check of the dice must be purchased using game resources. Put
simply, characters that invest in the development of their skills and the care of their gear can add
more to the Black, increasing their probability of success. If the Black is higher, success is achieved.
If Red is equal or higher, the character fails.
What follows is the procedure for making dice checks in the Profit System. Indentations
mark where special rules and equipment can affect the process. Always remember: no matter what
modifiers are in play, the question of a dice check is always "Is Black higher than Red?"

• The Market calls for a skill check

• Determine if the skill requires the player to “buy-a-roll.”
o Purely mental actions are free (such as Foresight, Sensitivity, or Self-Control), but they are
“one-and-done” rolls. If failed, Will must be spent or a Reference must provide a
favor if the check is to succeed. Takers can’t just try again, even if there is time.
o Purely social actions are free, but they are “one-and-done.” If failed, Will must be spent, a
Reference must be tapped, or a different approach must be used.
o Spend a charge to buy-a-roll if using gear (something requiring ammunition, batteries, or
other disposable parts).
! For charged tools, determine any extra charges the player wants to spend on
success. Spend those charges before the dice are rolled. The most common
instance of this is increasing the chance of a hit by firing more ammo. Every
charge adds a +1 to the roll, unless otherwise stated (see p.XX)
o Spend a charge of rations for intense physical actions, such as using a melee weapon or
running. Spend additional charges for +1 to the roll, representing overexertion
supported by a high-calorie diet.
• Roll the Black and Red together.
o If Red is a natural match to the Black, it’s a critical success on even numbers, a
critical failure on odds (see p. XX). Criticals negate the effects of any spent charges,
but those charges are still spent and gone.
o If results don’t naturally match, add the character’s skill rating and any bonuses from
charges to the Black.
! If the modified Black is higher, the character succeeds.
! If Red is higher or equal, the character fails. Ties always go to the Market.
• After the roll…
o If the dice check is mental or social and can’t be rerolled, the player can choose to

23
 tap References for an automatic success if they have time and resources.
o If the character has a Will point, it can be spent to flip Red and Black numbers,
negate a critical failure, or upgrade a success to a critical success.
o Certain gear allows players to spend charges after a success to gain additional
benefits.
• Both player and Market work to describe the result of the dice check in the game’s narrative
and move on.

Z3. When to Roll

The Market only calls for a dice check when three conditions are met.

1. There is a reasonable chance for failure.

2. Failure has consequences.
3. The story can continue if there is a failure.

Let's consider each of these requirements in depth, looking at instances where a dice check
would and would not be appropriate.

There is a reasonable chance for failure.

For example, let's say an adult character wants to drive a well-maintained car down an
empty, straight highway. It's the middle of the day and the character maintains safe speeds. It's not
reasonable to assume that this perfectly capable person would suddenly forget how the steering
wheel works and drive into a tree. The Market would not call for a skill check in such an instance.
However, if it's raining, night, and the character is racing to warn the enclave about an
impending attack, a dice check is needed because the nasty conditions make failure understandable.

Failure has consequences.

A character is curious how many breeds of dog exist. They spend a charge on the laptop to
buy-a-roll, make a Research check, and fail. What's to stop them from trying again? They are at their
home base; they have access to solar panels to refresh charges. Why can't they just keep searching?
There's no reason, so the Market shouldn't call for a skill check in the first place.
If, on the other hand, the character is out on a job and trying to figure out why the client
needs so many salvaged bicycles, the crew doesn't have all day to wait around. A failed check would
mean the information couldn't be found fast enough to have a use in negotiations. The consequence
is a loss of precious time in a sensitive situation. Even if a Reference is tapped to provide the
information as a favor, favors cost. The failure of the Research check would, in this instance, have
consequences, so the Market would be right to call for a check.

The story can continue if there is a failure.

The only available contract is posted on a bulletin board in the enclave where the characters
currently reside. The Market calls for everyone to make an Awareness check. Everyone fails. The
characters don't know about the job and the game grinds to a halt. The Market should have never
called for a check because failure means stopping play.
If, on the other hand, that contract is one of many available, an Awareness check would
make sense; anything can be reasonably overlooked, and the consequence of failure would be less
profit. To up the stakes even more, failing a Mechanics check to hotwire a car and flee the zombie
hordes would be another justified check. The character in the car might die, but the story has "gone

24
on" to a tragic conclusion rather than an abrupt anticlimax.

Z3. Simple Success

Leaving aside criticals (see p.XX), when the Black exceeds the Red – either naturally or after
skills and charges are added – a simple success has occurred. The player gets to see the character
achieve the goal.

Z3. Success at Cost

If a skill check is failed but the player really wants to make it, they can petition to succeed at
a cost. This means it's up to the Market to set a price on what it would take to overcome the Taker's
inability to succeed. This is why a lot of rolls in Red Markets are one-and-done rolls; success isn't a
matter of trying again so much as it is about wearing the problem down with extra resources.
The most common method of succeeding at a cost is the use of References. A failed
Medicine check doesn't have to mean the patient instantly dies on the surgery table; it could just
mean the character has to call in a favor from a fellow doctor and pay it back later. Will is another
option: it's the only Potential that doubles as a resource and thus can be extremely powerful as a
result.
Other options are available at the Market's discretion. Players can ask to succeed at cost even
on some more intense, action-oriented rolls. Say, for instance, a Taker really needs to hack a security
door so everyone can escape being eaten. If the character fails the check, it's up to the player to
request to succeed at cost, especially if the character is out of Will. So long as Markets can think of a
reasonable way for additional resources to solve the problem, they should always try to offer players
a choice to succeed in this instance. In this case, it might mean the Taker had to rush the job and
leave behind the valuable electronics kit, or maybe the character selflessly uses their body as a
conductor and takes damage from electrical shock.
Always remember that succeeding at cost is still a consequence of failure; it just allows
players some choice in which consequence they want to suffer. If there is no reason the dice check
couldn't just be performed again normally, the Market shouldn't have called for the dice check in the
first place.

Z3. Failure
Sometimes there is no reasonable way for resources to compensate for a lack of skill, or the
Taker doesn't have any References or Will to call upon. In these instances, a higher Red means the
check failed and the character suffers the consequences. The fallout varies depending on the context
of the skill checked, but death is a possibility. One of the main themes of Red Markets is that no
amount of preparedness, luck, or training can hold out forever against the crushing tide of history.
Failure should always be a possibility when a check is called for, either due to sudden misfortune or
a slow draining of resources.

Z2. Criticals
A "natural" double means that the Black and Red land on the same number. This is before
any modifiers from skills or spent charges are added. Natural doubles are called "criticals" – these
indicate that the check was exceptional in some way. Critical successes are impressive displays of
skill; critical failures are disastrous mistakes.
“Modified” doubles occur when, for instance, a B2/R4 becomes a B2+2/R4 due to
modifiers being added after the dice land. Modified doubles are always failures; ties always go to the
Market.

25
Z3. Critical Success
Critical successes occur on natural, even doubles: 2's, 4's, 6's, 8's, and 10's. Critical successes
have varying effects depending upon the context of the skill check. Players can pick which effect
they want, but the Market gets final say.

◦ Double damage or effectiveness

◦ Switch damage to a hit location of the player's choice
◦ Bypass armor
◦ Dictate a status effect or other narrative benefit of the test (such as knockback)

Z3. Critical Failure

Critical failures occur on natural, odd doubles: 1's, 3's, 5's, 7's, and 9's. Critical failures have
varying effects depending upon the context of the check. The Market always chooses which occurs.

◦ Double damage or effectiveness against the PC

◦ Bypass armor
◦ Breaks a tool with a malfunction
◦ Brings about an unfortunate status effect or other narrative obstacle
◦ Eliminates the rest of a tool's charges until it can be refreshed

Z2. Market Dice Checks

In the Profit System, dice checks are the sole responsibility of the players. The only time the
Market makes a check is to determine aspects of the setting and narrative that are randomized to
represent the capricious nature of economic forces. Markets roll to:

◦ Generate new mobs of Casualties

◦ See if a PC is infected by the Blight
◦ Select a random encounter to occur on a Leg of the journey
◦ Set the mood for an Interlude
◦ Set the supply/demand equilibrium for a certain good or service
◦ Combine a number of elements into a randomly generated contract
◦ Find the damage and hit location of an unpreventable attack (a failed dodge uses the same
numbers of the failed skill check to determine damage)
◦ Roll for all damage if using Bust: Random Damage (p.XX)

Z2. Difficulty Requirements

Many RPGs represent the difficulty of different tasks with numbers that have to be "beaten"
by the dice and a character's skill. The difficulty number of every check in the Profit System is the
randomized by the result of the Red, representing the shifting, unpredictable legion of variables
affecting every choice in a survival situation.

However, the Market may wish to represent the difficulty of certain tasks more intentionally.
What follows is an explanation of the game's probability curve and rules for making skill checks
exceptionally difficult.

26
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 CRIT

2 CRIT

3 CRIT

4 CRIT

5 CRIT

6 CRIT

7 CRIT

8 CRIT

9 CRIT

10 CRIT

Key +1:50% +2:59% +3:67% +4:74% +5:80% +6: 85% +7: 89% +8: 92% +9: 94% 10: 95%

Z3. Bust: +1 or It Can't Be Done

At base, there is already a 45% chance of any check succeeding, without the use of a skill or
any charged equipment. That's awfully high for a horror game about costs and consequences.
If there is a way for a character with no skill whatsoever in the task to succeed, then the
Market should just allow them to succeed and move on without the dice. Conversely, if someone
with a lifetime of experience could reasonably fail the task, then it is certain someone without
experience will fail. For example, no amount of extra gauze and disinfectant is going to help
someone perform First Aid if they haven't the slightest notion of where to even start, but a person
with the basics (+1) might be able to put those medical resources to good use, albeit sloppily.
Similarly, if someone with no idea how to throw a punch tries to cave in the skull of a charging
zombie, even beginner's luck isn't going to let them generate enough force to crush a brain. But
someone that knows to plant their feet and strike from the hips (+1) might get lucky enough to kill
the beast and break a hand.
Characters should be rewarded consistently for their skills and preparation; a player's blind
luck in dice rolling should be rewarded rarely. Allowing every untrained skill to be reduced to a coin
toss achieves the opposite. It's much more interesting to force a character without a certain skill to
find another tactic than to foist the responsibility of narrative choice onto a player's ability to flip a
coin.
But as it makes planning a character and keeping him/her alive more difficult, +1 or It Can't
Be Done is a Bust rule.

Z3. Boom: Default Checks

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 Groups that really want a default method can allow checks of untrained skills, but the
Market always has veto power if the request is deemed ridiculous. For instance, if players insist their
characters can bioengineer a curative retrovirus based off nothing but can-do attitude, the person
running the game always has the right to say, "+1 or it can't be done."
Default rolls work off the nonexistent skill's associated Potential. The Red isn't rolled in a
default check. In order to succeed, the Black result must be equal or under the Potential.
Let's say Malleus really wants to punch an attacker to death but Malleus's player hasn't put
anything in his Unarmed skill. The player asks to default. The Market allows it so long as Malleus
spends at least one charge on rations to buy-a-roll. Spending more does nothing to improve the
chance of success.
Malleus's has 5 STR (he works out... a lot). That means Malleus has a 50% chance of success:
Black 5,4,3,2, or 1 sees him succeed. While this is high probability for someone completely unskilled,
Malleus only started as a 2 STR character. The player spent a lot of bounty (30, to be exact) to grow
a character strong enough to pull this off. That much lost capital undoubtedly was to the detriment
of the character's other abilities, retirement plan, and family. Had the investment been put in some
other Potential, the character would have a paltry 20% chance of success – much lower than rolling
the base Black and Red with a +1.
What Malleus may not do is spend extra rations for a bonus chance of success. Correctly
applying such force would require discipline beyond the wild haymaker he's going to throw. No
extra charges can be spent on a default: once the check is purchased, the Black must be equal or less
than the Potential to be a success.
As defaulting gives Takers more (suboptimal) options for dealing with situations, it is a
Boom rule.

Z3. Precision
The Profit System is designed with a materialist focus. Objects are very powerful and can
often assure success by spending charges before a check. However, sometimes no amount of spray-
n-pray or excessive spending can fix a situation. Sometimes, a trained professional is the only option.
If the Market calls for a precision roll, charged tools that could normally increase the chance of
success can't spend extra charges. A sniper making a head shot a kilometer away can't spray more
rounds downrange for a greater chance for success; one shot has to strike true or none will. The
charge is spent for the Shoot check, but no more spends are allowed.

Z3. Difficult
Another name for this check might be "ill-advised." Save this difficulty modifier for tasks so
risky that to attempt them is lunacy, even for trained professionals. In order attempt a difficult roll, a
character must succeed a precision skill check with a critical success. Will can be spent to upgrade
regular successes to criticals, but the precision requirement remains the same.
For instance, if Sticky the freerunner wants to jump off the roof, through the hovering
military helicopter's gun-doors, drop the explosives, crash through the window of the office building
on the other side of the street, and roll to safety as the aircraft explodes, that's going to be difficult.
Sticky is one of the most Athletic people in the Loss (+4 Athletics), so success is feasible, if unlikely.

Z2. Opposed Checks

When two or more players at the table are competing in a fight, race, or other contest, they
might wish to resort to the dice to see who wins. This rare instance is called an opposed check.
Players and the Market determine the skills being used. Both parties make a skill check normally and

28
add their modifiers. If both players fail (higher Red), a stalemate ensues. If one succeeds and the
other fails, the successful character wins the contest. If both players are successful, the player with
the higher modified Black gains an advantage, though the other's player action still has some effect.
Players are never competing against the Market. It's the Market's task to narrate the story,
provide interesting choices, and simulate the uncaring, relentless economic forces affecting the
characters' lives. It is not the Market's job to "fight" the players. It generates elements of the setting
and characters overcome or fall to those elements according to their fitness.

Z2. Market Forces

In fact, the Market cannot be opposed. Non-player characters and events determined by the
person running the game are called "Market forces." Market forces always succeed if the players let them.
What does that mean? If making a skill check to see if a character is struck by an attack, the
Market does not roll any dice. The player under attack makes an Athletics check to dodge. On a
success, the attack misses. If the dodge fails, the attack, by definition, hits and the numbers on the
failed Athletics check determine the damage (see Combat p. XX). If the character doesn't have the
speed to even try to get out of the way, the Market rolls to determine the damage done, but there's
no chance of the attack missing.
In the Profit System, the outcomes of character actions are determined entirely by their
players. Every check is player facing. The Market only rolls to randomly generate large-scale events
beyond the characters' control, such as the number of zombies at a certain location or the
supply/demand equilibrium of a certain good. If the Market declares an action for one of its forces,
it always succeeds unless the character makes a check to stop it. There are no opposed checks
against the Market in the Profit System. The players either hold it at bay for that turn, or they don't.

Z2. Will
Will is explained in more depth on p.XX. In general, Will is the meta-game mechanic in the
Profit System. The Will rating is the number of Will points that refresh once per game session.
Players spend Will to make the story go a character's way and negate the capriciousness of the dice.
The uses of Will are as follows:

• Switch Red and Black numbers (B4/R9 becomes B9/R4)

• Upgrade a success to a Critical Success
• Buy another narrative benefit to add onto an existing Critical Success
• Negate an opponent's Critical Success
• Turn a critical failure into a regular failure
• Shift the damage from the last round of combat to a piece of gear or hit location
• Jump to the front of initiative order (see p.XX)

Will points gain be gained and refreshed in the following ways:

• Buy a point of Will in character advancement

• Follow a weak spot into trouble
• Fulfill a personal obligation to a soft spot
• Suffer because of a tough spot
• Rest in-between jobs/game sessions

Z2. Charges

29
 Nearly all equipment in the Profit System is described in terms of charges: abstract units
(typically ten per piece of gear) that measure the equipment's remaining usefulness. Depending on
the gear, charges might represent fuel, ammunition, batteries, general maintenance, or any other
conceivable measure of utility. It doesn't matter what the narrative specifics the group decides are;
charges remain mechanical representations of usefulness.
The specifics of charges and how they are used in play are described in more detail later (see
"Materialism: Gear, Haul, and Bounty" p. XX). For now, here's a basic rundown of the mechanical
impact of charges.

Z3. The Use of Charges

Charges have three uses:

1. Tracking a character's inventory

2. Buying skill checks that require equipment
3. Providing bonuses to certain checks in addition to the skill rating

Using most equipment requires spending at least one charge to make a skill check. For
instance, no one can make a Drive check without a vehicle and, to make the check, at least one
charge off of the vehicle must be spent. The use of the resource buys a dice check.
The combination of certain resources and certain skills can benefit from overspending
resources; spending above the minimum charge required to buy-a-roll adds a +1 to the Black for
each additional spend.
Finally, charges on equipment can be "refreshed" by repairing or reinforcing the gear. The
number of refreshes a character has access to depends on their ADP Potential: their aptitude for
sourcing, purchasing, and hustling for supplies in-between jobs.

Z3. Types of Gear Utilizing Charges

An in-depth explanation of gear and its charges can be found in "Materialism" on p. XX.
For now, it's enough to know that the Profit System uses charges in four distinct ways.

Capped
Capped gear requires a charge to use in a skill check, but no extra charges may be spent to
add to the check. For instance, using a laptop would require a charge as the battery drains, but
spending extra charges is not going to make an attempt to hack someone's email more successful.
Capped charges enable use, but excessive use does nothing to increase effectiveness.

Charged
Charged gear requires a charge to use in a skill check, and additional charges can be spent to
add a bonus to the skill check. If each bullet represents a chance to score a hit, shooting more at the
target increases the chance of success. Most firearms are considered charged gear for this reason;
more charges equals greater probability.

Manpower (Rations)
Gear utilizing manpower requires the human operator to fuel the gear's effect. You never have
to reload a machete, for instance, but your arm can get tired. Manpower gear is charged but spends the
Taker's rations rather than any charges on the item itself. Spending more rations adds +1 per charge,
just like charged gear. But calories are costly in a food scarce environment like the Loss and energy

30
wasted eventually translates into bounty lost.

Static
Static gear doesn't require a charge to use. Binoculars are largely unaffected by eyes looking
through them. As long as the binoculars aren't broken, they continue to work as designed. That's the
definition of static gear.
Since the Profit System is meant to emphasize the very serious consequences economic costs
have on people, static gear is rare. Most equipment in the game is meant to bleed utility until fed
again by some form of capital. The player must budget between maintaining the health of a
character and the material goods that protect that character's existence.

31
Z1. Character Creation
Takers are interesting people. They're bold enough to fight monsters, but careful enough to
live through it. They're strong enough to survive, but too weak to abandon memories of a better
time and resign themselves to the Loss. Heroic opportunists. Brutal saviors. Disillusioned dreamers.
The best part of RPGs is making your own protagonists and seeing how they fair against the
challenges of the world. A copy of the character sheet and the "At-a-Glance" section is enough to
start making characters right away. A more thorough explanation of the process follows, along with
explanations of rules players should be familiar with.

Z2. At-A-Glance
1. Pick your Taker’s name
2. Write a soft and weak spot
3. Pick a tough spot or roll for it
a. Lost
+Adapt: +2 skill points at Char. Gen
-And Die: Legally dead and must stay in the Loss or forge a new identity (+1
retirement milestone)
b. Bait
+Citizen: One less milestone required for retirement
-Migrant: Dependents cost upkeep x2, and communication with them must be
electronic
c. Latent
+Once Bitten: Can’t be infected
-Twice Hated: Becomes a Vector upon death; remains infectious and persecuted in life
d. Immune
+Genetic Lottery: Can’t be infected
-Meal Ticket: Living body is worth 5 bounty per permanently “harvested” hit box
e. Believer
+Faith: +2 to all Self-control checks that confirm faith
-Doubt: start off cracked in a Humanity threat; Self-Control checks required for
violations of faith
f. Steward
+Undercover: Once per game, may ask organization for help. Market says yes or no.
-In Too Deep: May only have other Takers as Dependents; Whole crew must make
Self-Control checks if cover is blown; Sponsoring organization may give orders to
the Taker
g. Hustler
+I Know a Guy: Automatically succeeds Networking checks, even without skill points
-I Owe a Guy: Once per game, Market can call in a marker of 1d10 bounty
h. Fenceman
+Headshots: +1 on any attack check against Casualties
-In my Sleep: Starts cracked on a Humanity threat from nightmarish memories
i. Scavenger
+Salvage, salvage everywhere…: Start the game with 20 bounty
-…Not a screw that fits: permanently at -1 Refresh
j. Roach

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 +Survivor: Damage Humanity to assist any skill check: +1 per point
-Sole: Start cracked in all three Humanity threats
4. Assign 1 free Potential to every category: STR, SPD, ADP, INT, CHA, WILL
a. Assign 5 more Potential as you see fit
b. Potential is capped at 3 during Character Creation
5. Assign 20 skill points
a. Skill points trade at a one-to-one ratio at character generation. Advancement
works differently
b. The first Profession X skill trades at one-to-one, but a second trades at 2-to-
1, a third at 3-to-1, etc.
c. Specializations are limited by the Potential AND skill they are under, and
each point of specialization costs skill points. Melee: Sword 2 costs four skill
points – 2 for Melee and 2 for Melee: Sword
6. Ensure no skills exceed their associated Potential. Reallocate excess skill points.
7. List as many Dependents as the Taker’s CHA
8. Buy and upgrade gear with starting 10 bounty. Cost is upkeep only at Char. Gen
– Cost to purchase gear in game is upkeep x2.
9. Campaign only: Come up with your Taker’s retirement plan and milestones.
10. Campaign only: As a group, design your enclave and name your crew.

GRAPHIC: Picture of the character sheet, with numbers cooresponding to the At-a-Glance
creation and arrows pointing to the area.

Z2. Taker's Name

Takers rarely use real names. They adopt "handles" more suited to their new lifestyle. Ever
since DHQS instituted the bounty system, names have real power. It's a lot easier to retire from the
life if you've got an old identity to fall into. Getting forged documents sufficient to fool the ration
system is really expensive, not to mention all the lost property that could have been claimed by an
old identity. Couple this with the fact that, just by being accused of breaking quarantine, a person
can be legally declared dead by the DHQS and have all their salvage entitlement seized, it makes
sense to operate under a pseudonym
It'd be a lie to say that's the only purpose new names serve, though. The handle is
psychological survival mechanism. Steve might have seen everyone he loves murdered before his
eyes, but "Ven" is just a guy that does what's necessary. That's why they're called handles; it's what
Takers use to carry the baggage.

Z3. Example: Morgan and Mal

Morgan thinks about the kind of character she wants to play. She recently finished a novel
with a no-nonsense mechanic that solved mysteries using the same diagnostic methods used to
troubleshoot technology. Morgan decides to model her protagonist after that. She envisions a squat
woman in coveralls, decorated with patches for a dozen bands stitched into the fabric. She's wearing
a toolbelt, pistol, and too much make-up; she likes the way it makes folks out in the Loss gawk.
Morgan thinks her character's name is Patricia, but she doesn't tell any of the other players
that. It's a secret. She figures Patricia didn't like her name much, and she disliked her job before the
Crash even more. She figures that her character is happier now that she can work with her hands
without convincing some asshole garage owner she knows her way around an engine. But Patricia
was never much with words, so Morgan figured her character tried to call herself Malfunction but

33
her crew shortened it down to Mal.

Z2. Spots
Spots are descriptive tags that define a Taker's personality and past. They draw characters
into conflict and drama while rewarding their players mechanically. The true personality of a Taker is
going to be as nuanced and detailed as the player in control, but spots are contact points by which
they interact with the setting.

Z3. Weak Spots

A weak spot is a character flaw that tenaciously defines the character's personality despite
any awareness they might have of the shortcoming. When others complain about it, people that
know the Taker best can only say "That's just X" or "You know how X is." It's a central fault that
defines a person's place in the social hierarchy and can only be overcome temporarily.
Weak spots should be vague to remain applicable to a wide variety of situations. Following a
weak spot into trouble means gaining a point of Will, even if it temporarily puts the character over
their Potential. Weak spots can also be used by NPCs during contract negotiations to try to gain
Sway. Some example weak spots might be...

• Vengeful
• Arrogant
• Pedantic
• Pollyanna
• Cowardly
• Easily angered
• Dismissive
• Napoleon Complex
• Head in the Clouds
• Obsessed with ________________

Z3. Soft Spots

A soft spot is a deep passion, belief, or sentiment that the character holds in spite of the
dangers presented by affection in the Loss. It's a virtue, or it would be if the character lived in a
place where selfishness wasn't a necessity to survival. In the sociopathic logic of postapocolyptic
capitalism, situations and people can manipulate character behavior by appealing to old sentiments.
A soft spot should be vague to remain applicable to a wide variety of situations. Fulfilling a
character's obligation to a soft spot financially, spiritually, or physically means gaining a point of
Will, even if it temporarily puts the character over their Potential. Soft spots can also be used by
NPCs during contract negotiations to try to gain Sway. Some examples of soft spots might be...

• Protecting the weak

• From each according to ability, to each according to need
• Social justice
• Freedom
• Karma is its own reward
• Waste not, want not
• Providing solace
• Can't we all be friends?

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 • Women and children first
• Puppies deserve protection too!

Z3. Tough spots

A tough spot is an association with a group of people or background with a sordid
reputation (your relationship with the label puts you in a "tough spot"). This should have something
to do with the Taker's past and how they came to survive this long in the Loss. Tough spots firmly
place Takers in the setting, suggesting a rich life before the game started and implying that the world
will keep spinning without them.
Mechanically, tough spots break the rules of Red Markets in the favor of the player. Limits
can be raised, vulnerabilities removed, bonuses accrued. No Taker survives long without a special
edge – the tough spot is that edge.
But everything has its price. Tough spots double as handles the Market can use to jerk the
characters around. Everyone has a drawback that triggers as frequently as the benefit. Characters
earn a point of Will when the Market uses the drawback of their tough spot to put them in a "tough
spot."
Weak and soft spots have no bright side. They exist only to be resisted until the player
chooses to give in, making the story more interesting and banking some Will for the effort. Tough
spots are different because the Taker receives a persistant bonus from the tough spot. Furthermore,
since they engage directly with the lore of Red Markets, there's an established list of tough spots to
choose from, whereas players are encouraged to write their own weak and soft spots.
When tough spots are used for the character's benefit, the Market shapes the narrative and
mechanics to fit if the case is clear. But the rule of thumb is tough spots are never only benefits; they
can easily cause a Taker as much harm as good.
Short descriptions can be found on the At-a-Glance page for character creation. More in-
depth descriptions of tough spots and the rationale behind their various benefits and drawbacks are
found below.

Z4. Lost
The Lost make up the majority of people that survived the Crash. They either missed the
orders to evacuate, decided such orders were bullshit, or managed to get to shelter after a military
convey abandoned them. The Lost, as a class, were the first people to realize no help was coming.
They were the first to discover LifeLines and organize. Everybody either helped establish an enclave
or migrated to the closest one available.

+ Adapt: The Taker gets +2 skill points at Character Creation

In the early days, those that failed to contribute didn't make it. There were too many things
to do, too many Casualties to fight, and too many mouths to feed. Anyone surviving the whole five
years had to learn a whole lot of new skills in a hurry. Some gravitated towards areas of natural
aptitude, but for most, their new career depended on whatever the enclave happened to need that
day. The rut of poverty resulting from most enclave work is all most Lost have to look forward to,
but an unlucky few were conscripted into Taker work.

- And Die: The Taker is considered legally dead and must stay in the Loss or forge a
new identity
Those that find a way to live in the Loss must find a way to die there. The government's
homo sacor policy declares anyone caught or assumed left behind is legally dead. Millions of names

35
crowd the DHQS rolls, each one denied the right the vote, the right to fair trial, the right to own
property, etc. The sin of survival can never be forgiven least the government admit what it had to do
to establish the Recession. Five years after the Crash, most Lost have already cashed-in their own
bounty out of desperation, or those that haven't usually find the job done for them by some distant
relative of the citizen. For original Takers, there's no escaping to the old world. They either have to
make some corner of hell safe enough to retire, or they have to bribe their way into a whole new
identity. In the case of the latter, that requires one more retirement milestone than any member of
the crew not declared Lost.

Z4. Bait
Bait is the name for someone lucky enough to escape but dumb enough to come back. For
most Takers, that's all such ungrateful bastards are good for: as Bait.
But the nickname stems solely from resentment. In reality, risking a return to the Blight is an
act of total desperation. Life in the Recession can sometimes be even worse than the risk posed by
the undead. Free Parking ghettos burning tires for heat and stacking humanity in scrapyeard favelas.
Disease and rats swarming around open latrines gouged into the parking lots of former big-box
retailers. Ration riots and DHQS suppression squads beating the desperate masses into submission.
StopLoss Immune hunters and Latent chain gangs disappearing people in the middle of the night.
Valets pimping out the desperate and dealing poison to the mad.
Life on the wrong side of the Recession's class system is as deadly as any zombie. A few
desperate souls see the self-reliance of the Loss as an improvement. Still fewer see Taker work as an
opportunity to gamble their lives on an escape from poverty.

+Citizen: One less milestone is required for the Taker to retire.

Though the wealth gap in the Recession is far more extreme than the Loss, the remainders
of civilization still offer more upwards mobility. Clean clothes, an address, a shower – that's all it
takes to get someone into a job interview and limping towards middle class (or what's left of it). Bait
find this process easier for having registered in the post-Crash census. Bait can still use their given
names and old records. This means that, for most fence-jumpers, the infusion of bounty needed to
lift them out of Taker work is smaller than usual.

-Migrant: Dependents cost upkeep x2 and communication must be electronic

Only family motivates inviting the risk promised by jumping quarantine. Bait have loved
ones in need of support like everyone else, but the family remains in the Recession. Getting bounty
to them requires converting it into crypt currency and back into the ration dollars accepted in the car
camps. All these middlemen and fees double the cost of upkeep for Dependents. To make matters
worse, the psychological benefits of keeping a family healthy are reduced by distance. Humanity
heals require an Ubiq call to even have a chance, which further eats into resources.
Bait can assign other Taker's as Dependents, but not at character creation.

Z4. Latent
Latents occur when people are infected by the undead strain of the Blight without ever
suffering from its living state. This process typically occurs as the result of injecting Suppressin K-
7864 shortly after infection, but it's been known to occur naturally, owing either to some fault in the
Blight's genetic code or the victim's partial immunity. Whatever the cause, the victim's brain remains
unaffected by the Blight: the hemoragic rage typical of Vectors never occurs and the body doesn't
die from the resulting strain. However, Blight sinew winds its way through the subject's nervous
system, just as if the victim were a cadaver in torpor. The process is agonizing, killing many with the

36
pain alone. Those that survive retain their humanity, albeit covered head-to-toe in the black veins
typical of latency. They're infectious, but the retention of living brain tissue short-circuits the
parasitic connection of Blight sinews with the brain stem, leaving Latents in control of their mental
faculties.

+Once Bitten: The Taker can't be infected

Or, rather, can't be infected again. The damage is done. Any "hot" cells entering the blood
stream revert to their undead state in the presence of sinew, and the "cold" bites of Casualties
merely add to Blight structures already in the body. Aside from the trauma, Latents are unaffected
by bites and scratches from the undead. The ability to go hands-on with Casualties without special
equipment makes Latents sought after employees for Taker crews.

-Twice Hated: The Taker becomes a Vector upon death, remains infectious while alive,
and suffers from persecution
The Blight sinews that puppet the dead flesh of zombies wait poised to strike the second
brain death occurs in a Latent. Once the living brain ceases its interference with the Blight's signals,
the disease takes over in mere moments. For most Casualties, the danger is mitigated by the decay
and rigor of the body. But with the wiring "pre-installed," Latents become sprinting Vectors
immediately upon death.
As if that weren't enough, all Latent bodily fluids carry the Blight. The potential to become
an extreme danger upon death, combined with a general sanitation risk, means most enclaves either
segregate or outright imprison Latents. Some won't accept anyone infected within their walls and a
few execute the "black veins" on sight. The vital service Latents provide a crew is balanced against
the constant threat they pose and the prejudice that follows them everywhere they go.
It's possible to add the Latent tough spot in addition to another tough spot, but only if the
character gets bitten and rolls a critical failure on an infection check (see "Infection" p. XX) or takes
Suppressin K-7864 during play. At character creation, only one tough spot is allowed.

Z4. Immune
Something in certain types of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) is capable of shutting down
the Blight's reproductive capabilities and expelling it from the bloodstream. In the five years since
the Crash, medical science has yet to figure out how this works, nor do they know what factor in the
bone marrow is responsible for the affect. Cases of immunity are dotted across all ages, genders,
blood types, and races. To this day, the only way to test for immunity is exposing the patient's blood
to the Blight and observing the effect. All that's understood is that some people can't be infected,
and injecting the HSC of those people into the recently infected, while not a cure, can revert live
Blight into the undead state prematurely, resulting in latency. Immune, or "moony," is used to refer
to those too lucky to become zombies.

+Genetic Lottery: The Taker can't be infected

Blight, in all its forms, dies in the bloodstream. Beyond the wounds that would normally
cause infection, an Immune has nothing to fear from Casualties. This qualifies them for the same
up-close tactics typically reserved for the Latent.

-Meal Ticket: The Taker's living body is worth 5 bounty per permanently destroyed hit
box.
Suppressin K-7864 is the single most valuable commodity in the world, and it's derived
solely from the bone marrow of the Immune. Though some production lines farm Immunes for

37
years – subjecting them to endless cycles of harvest and regrowth – many choose short-term profit
over sustainability and debone the Immune like cattle. Whether into slavery or slaughter, the value
of Suppressin is so high that each Immune is a walking retirement plan. Thus, the Immune remain
desperate to hide their diagnosis from everyone, in the Loss and the Recession, least they be
"medically conscripted" and tortured for the remainder of their lives.
It's possible to add the Immune tough spot in addition to another tough spot, but only if the
character gets bitten and rolls a critical success on an infection check (see "Infection" p. XX). At
character creation, only one tough spot is allowed.

Z4. Believer
The Crash wasn't just any apocalypse: it was the apocalypse we saw coming. When the end
came, it came as a monster we'd been imagining for half a century. It was a disaster that everyone
secretly thought they could handle until it very publicly slaughtered them. And when the pop-culture
iconography failed, it did so alongside the government, science, religion, and every other narrative
humanity had ever relied upon. Many escaped the undead only to find themselves wrestling with the
death of reality. All in all, the Crash probably broke as many people as it killed.
Or, rather, it opened their eyes. It depends on who you ask. Whether people retreated into
delusion or revelation, many couldn't survive with the old ways of seeing. Groups of the like-minded
seekers coalesced into cults, creeds, schools, and movements of every imaginable stripe. Ravings
transformed into ideologies and vice versa. Differences in dogmas grew ever finer and split survivors
into more and more fractured worldviews, theologies shifting like lines drawn in a sandstorm. Soon,
amidst the few zealot holdouts of pre-Crash belief and the nihilistic majority, the Loss was
populated by hundreds of apocalyptic sects, each offering a different answer to the end.
The general term for those that use a new faith to survive the post-Crash world is Believers.
A list of the major groups can be found in "The Loss" chapter (p.XX). Players are encouraged to
pick one of the beliefs described in the setting, or they can design their own with the Market. Either
way, selecting this tough spot means the character's world is defined by the new faith: for good or ill.

+Faith: The Taker receives +2 to all Self-control checks that confirm faith
This benefit depends on the defining characteristics of the Taker's new faith. For instance,
since Archivists believe mankind is already doomed and that they must record its final days, the
death of a friend would be easier to handle so long as the believer recorded it. A member of the
zealous Black Math cult could very well revel at the sight of a casualty horde. Self-Control checks
that confirm the Taker's worldview are easier to succeed.

-Doubt: The Taker starts off cracked in a Humanity threat, and Self-Control checks
are required for violations of faith
One doesn't invent new gods and commandments without some mental strain. The same
madness that provides revelation permanently unbalances the mind. Thus, believers might be asked
to make Self-Control checks only a member of the faith would suffer from. An Archivist might have
a panic attack as the enclave burns books for heat or overwrites old hard drives. A medical Crusader,
driven mad in the quest for cure, might weep as others cheer the burning of a Vector, mourning the
loss of a fresh sample.

Z4. Steward
Some in the Recession – staring across the border on a drone feed or from the high-rise
window of a quarintechture office complex – see the Loss as an opportunity. There is much profit
to be gained from the partial extinction of humanity. Blueprints and prototypes lay wasted within

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the bowels of extinct corporations. Infrastructure and territory begs to be reclaimed and ransomed
off to the highest bidder. Utopias of progress wait only to be built, free from all governmental and
ethical intrusion, beholden solely to the vision of great men.
The treasure is out there, gathering dust and ripe for the picking... were it not for all the
desperate squatters calling it home. Rescuing the Loss from the Lost requires subtlety until the true
reclamation can begin. Staking claim to opportunities requires agents, capable and skilled enough to
secure an enclave's cooperation, but loyal to their true masters. The DHQS calls these operators
stewards: undercover agents dedicated to manipulating the homo sacor into behaving (or dying)
according to the Recession's whims. But corporations field just as many Stewards of their own as the
DHQS, each with their own competing agenda. The tangle of private/public partnerships the
resulted from the Crash blurred the last line between democracy and oligarchy, and every faction has
its own pawns on the board.
A player that picks the Steward tough spot owe allegiances to a major Recession power:
typically either the DHQS or a major corporation. Like other Takers, the character risks death over
the fence to survive, but their desperation is ultimately no more than method acting. Stewards have
loved ones living comfortably in the Recession and, as long as the spy maintains cover and follows
orders, the family stays safe. Or the Steward could be a complete loner, recruited for a dangerous
mission in infected territory precisely because they don't have attachments. Either way, a steward's
duty is to observe, report, and wait for activation. Once the mission is complete, Stewards get to go
home to a fat bonus check.
Stewards are sleeper agents, meaning they're mostly left to their own devices. But no matter
how many times fellow Takers may save their lives or help them out, stewards can never be wholly
loyal to a crew or enclave. The continued safety of their real loved ones depends upon a willingness
to betray people to the Recession's financial interests. When picking this tough spot, the Steward
player announces the spot normally, but all characters regard that PC as just another member of the
Lost until something in game reveals the truth.

+Undercover: Once per game, the character may ask their organization for help. The
Market says yes or no.
If a steward is in a "mission critical" situation – one that threatens the character's life or
cover – headquarters can be contacted once per job and asked to assist. The Market roleplays the
steward's handler and ultimately decides what qualifies as mission critical. Players should know that
the Market can say "no" to almost any request. Perhaps the character is too deep in the Loss to
receive help, or maybe the death of an entire enclave is deemed an "acceptable loss." But, ultimately,
the steward wouldn't be there if there wasn't a job to do. If the character can make it seem in the
organization's best interest, superior resources can directed to the steward's aide: everything ranging
from job recommendations to air strikes. Of course, the bigger the favor, the harder it will be to
explain such fortuitous gifts.

-In Too Deep: The character may only have other Takers in the Crew as Dependents,
and the whole crew must make breaking Self-Control checks if the cover is blown.
The sponsoring organization may also make orders from time-to-time, according to
the Market's wishes.
Humans are social animals. No matter how detached a steward tries to be, risking death with
fellow Takers forms bonds. In the short term, this is a good thing. The horrors of the Loss affect
spies same as everyone else, and having a friend or lover in the crew makes things more bearable.
But seeing a friend eaten alive is bad for mental health, as is have having a lover discover your sole
purpose in existence is betrayal. Lastly, the sponsoring organization will call in its marker one day.

39
The steward eventually must complete their mission, as determined by the Market. At that point, it's
up to the player whether the character executes the mission or comes clean, dealing with the
subsequent fallout of refusing orders.

Z4. Hustler
No one survived the Crash alone. Cooperation and coordination were all that separated the
living from the dead. It took the long scarcity of the carrion economy to turn the survivors against
each other, each enclave preying on its neighbor's bounty like Casualties on flesh.
That is to say, it took most people awhile to get back in the exploitative swing of things. Some
never stopped. Just because the dead rose, it didn't stop the almighty dollar. Characters with the
hustler tough spot had to fight for every scrap even before the Crash, and they were smart enough
to know that the apocalypse wouldn't make anything easier. Those with a surplus of charisma and a
deficit of shame hustled their way through the dark days, begging and borrowing what others risked
death to obtain. Five years on, the ability to survive through charm alone is a useful skill set for any
crew. But a lifetime of scams and loans racks up debt – a debt more tireless in its pursuit than any
zombie.

+I Know a Guy: The Taker automatically succeeds Networking test, even without skill
points
Hustlers know everyone because everyone has something they want. This means that all
Networking checks automatically succeed. A hustler has no need to "find" new References; there's
always somebody else the Taker knows. There's no problem sourcing gear or finding out about jobs;
the hustler always has the connection. Players should note that this ability doesn't forgive a hustler
of any responsibilities except rolling the dice. Finding a new Reference may carry no risk of failure,
but favors already used still need to be paid back. The hustler can automatically know the price,
contract type, or the competition before starting negotiations, but they don't know all three (see
"One-and-done" p. XX). The main benefit of the hustler tough spot is freeing up points for other
skills on the character sheet. Once the right NPC is found, all roleplaying requirements and bounty
costs remain the same.

-I Owe a Guy: For a price of one Will point, the Market can call in a marker of 1d10
bounty. The Taker must pay up to the NPC debtor... or else
Hustlers craft enormous social circles in order to escape from old enemies and into new
acquaintances. Like capitalism, the character's network must constantly expand to survive because all
bridges into the past get burned. Occasionally, outstanding debts and bad faith deals catch up with
the hustler. Once per game, the Market can call in one a marker of 1d10 bounty. The exact reason
for the debt is role-played collaboratively by the player or the Market (like any Reference scene), but
the price must be paid by the end of the session... or else. What's "...or else"? That's for the Market
to decide. Failure to pay could saddle the crew with a - Rep spot, or it could send a hit squad after
the hustler's family. It depends on what the hustler did to weasel out of payment in the first place
and where the Market wants to take the story. Regardless, the full debt can never be completely
repaid. There's always somebody else the character screwed over.

Z4. Fenceman
Vectors can climb. Fast. Letting a fresh one over the gate spelled the end of many an
enclave. Even the relative stiffness of Casualties can't be trusted to keep them out. They can
shamble up slowly accumulated ramps of their decapitated brethren and the sheer weight of their
numbers can collapse defenses.

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 No. A wall is not enough. Successful enclaves established brigades of Fencement on the very
first night. It could be called the carrion economy's first occupation. Fencemen can be fencewomen,
of course. Since the name was coined as the cannibal hordes descended, no one can be blamed too
harshly if gender equality wasn't the foremost concern. It's a simple name for a simple task: guard
the fence.
Initially, this meant firing and stabbing down into an endless tide of screaming death,
relearning siege warfare in what veterans have come to call "the Crash course." After the torpor, it
meant meticulously cleaning the fence of Casualties and the occasional excursion outside the wall to
remove the Blight-infested remains. Now, most enclaves have thinned the Casualties around their
borders to negligible levels, and maintaining the border has become a sleepy profession. Most
Fencement now supplement their income with whatever amounts for police work in their enclave; a
job inherited due more in part to armament than ability.
Experienced Fencement are uniquely qualified for warfare in the Loss, but as demand wanes,
many of the enclave's best warriors have migrated to Taker work. For some, joining a crew means a
return to the intoxicating terror of the early days. For others, it's a deadly lesson in how much
difference a fortification can make.

+Headshots: The Taker receives +1 on any attack check against Casualties or Vectors
Punching tickets, popping pimples, whack a C – Fencement come up with cutesy names to
use around polite company, but the job ultimately amounts to shooting or stabbing people in the
head. All day. Every day. In 12-hour shifts. Anyone that's worked the fence has a hard time hiding it.
Their gaze tracks the head of everyone they see, affixed right between the eyes as their hands twitch,
involuntarily guiding invisible weapons to a kill shot. After a few years, the muscle memory doesn't
leave. While most people view these reflexes as unwelcome reminders of the hell waiting outside,
Takers see a recruitment opportunity.

-In my Sleep: The Taker starts cracked on threat from nightmarish memories
Underneath the battlement, or on the other side of some chainlink, it's hard not to feel bad
for Casualties. They come to the gates in whatever clothes they died in, like refugees seeking shelter.
They gnaw their teeth off on the metal, hungry eyes blindly spinning in their sockets, too dumb for
pain or solace. Fencemen see the undead, and the elderly undead, and the infant undead. They see
former neighbors, friends, spouses shamble past the fence, an endless parade of ghosts. And
Fencement are expected to execute and burn every one of them. All day. Every day. In 12-hour
shifts. Eventually, desensitization sets in, but no one working the fence comes away whole. The
same twitch that makes Fencement good Takers makes them equally unreliable.

Z4. Scavenger
Any idiot can play keep away with the dead for a few minutes. It takes a specialist to do the
same for days on end, in strange territory. In the earliest days, there was no need for Takers.
Fencemen would distract the Casualties while scavengers raided the surrounding ruins. They had few
weapons and no promise of payment. The only currency was speed and a keen eye. They found
what they needed or starved. And if they got bit? That was one less mouth to feed.
As the carrion economy established itself and pickings grew slimmer, Takers came to
prominence. Most of the early scavengers found safer work within the fence or specialized, forming
a businesses around copper wiring or canned goods or whatever else they were best at finding. But a
few never lost a taste for the hunt. They kept raiding the Loss, delving deeper, recycling greater
value from the wastes than was thought possible. As the rest of their ilk succumbed to wage slavery
or went out of business, true scavengers became tinkerer-gods, constantly hacking, dismantling, or

41
repairing the next piece of life-saving equipment. But the treasure troves get further away every day.
Most scavengers eventually find themselves joining a crew, if only to watch their backs as they
continue picking through the entrails of the old world.

+Salvage, salvage everywhere: The Taker starts the game with 20 bounty
A Taker with the scavenger tough spot is better off than most. Either they got lucky with a
big find shortly after the Crash, or a keen eye keeps them in better-than-average scrap. Whatever the
reason, the scavenger has 10 more bounty to use at character creation. The additional ten can be
spent however the player wishes. It can be banked for retirement, spent on a fancy gadget, or saved
for an emergency. But once the surplus is gone, it's gone for good. Pickings are getting slim in the
Loss, and Taker work is the only way to get ahead as the game progresses.

-Not a screw that fits: The Taker is permanently at -1 Refresh

The same mindset that finds the best stuff damages the ability to prioritize it. Scavengers
may or may not be poor, but, either way, their homes still look like a collection of pre-Crash trash
and stray cats. One may have recovered a spool of HDMI cables larger than a bull, but he forgot to
buy ammo for his gun. Another may have sourced new batteries for her specs, but she didn't spend
that time restocking her rations. The fetishization of objects that saved the character permanently
damages the ability to tell the difference between useful and might eventually be useful. Thus, a
scavenger's Refresh rate is ADP - 1.

Z4. Roach
The renewal of economic activity in no way implies stability. Enclaves regularly fall to
raiders, sabotage, believer death cults, Blight outbreak, civil war, and common disease. These
disasters peculiar to the Loss reward the perseverance of survivors with a repeat viewing of the
apocalypse. Even among those lucky enough to emerge from two holocausts unscathed, very few
can continue on. Watching the death of two worlds is enough to shatter the minds of most. Most.
Sometimes, after a tragedy so horrific even the jaded people of the Loss refuse to speak of it,
someone will emerge from the wreckage ready to start over yet again. They journey to the next
enclave over, knocking at the gates like any other dead man. Most enclaves let in these poor souls
out of pity. Nearly as many come to regret it.
The Lost call these super-survivors "roaches:" creature destined to inherit the earth. The
name is far from a compliment. No one can guess the shameful, sickening things the roach had to
do to survive and the survivor's wild, haunted eyes discourage anyone from asking. About the only
people willing to associate with such cursed souls are Takers. As messed up as a roach may be, they
don't die easy, and that's all the average crew can afford to care about.
It's up to the player and Market to decide what exactly happened before the character joined
the current crew. It can be part of the setting's past that comes to play a big role in the future of the
campaign, or it could be a personal tragedy that the PC never speaks about.

+Survivor: The Taker may damage Humanity to assist any skill check at +1 per point
lost.
Some ancient, animal instinct won't let the roach go down. Past the point where life seems
anything but a torturous burden, some ancient reflex keeps a roach fighting when others would
succumb. Roaches literally fuel their survival with Humanity. In a fire-fight, points in Detachment
can be spent like charges from a gun to add to a check. If injured, a roach burns through sanity to
keep going. The fearsome, primordial refusal to die kept the character going through the Crash,
helped them survive the fall of an enclave and keeps the PC moving on even now, living a life that

42
long ago lost hope of recovery.

-Lone: The Taker's past experience leaves them cracked in all three threats at the start
of the game.
A roach no doubt possessed exceptional mental fortitude at one point, but the Loss's
merciless string of cruelties has filed the survivor's mind into a jagged, brittle point aimed only at
survival. Yet survival is not the same as living. Though retirement and recovery remains possible, the
character perpetually teeters on the edge of a slippery slope. The price of being able to burn through
rational thought to survive is having less of it to work with later.

Z3. Picking Spots Example

Morgan imagines Mal had a lot of resentment at the pre-Crash world. But demure, silent
anger isn't her style; Mal would have externalized that frustration. Morgan picks the weak spot:
"Shock and Awe." Mal earns a point of Will any time she pisses on the sensibilities of a possible ally,
especially if she doesn't like them. NPCs that read her weak spot might antagonize Mal until she
embarrasses herself with crass behavior.
Mal was told all her life that her obsession with mechanics was too manly. It caused her a lot
of pain as she was growing up. The character has a lot of sympathy for people still trapped in
oppressive systems, so Morgan gives her the soft spot: "Round Pegs in Square Holes." Any time Mal
can help someone that doesn't quite fit in, she does so. But her sympathy for the oddballs can also
be used in negotiations to lead her by the nose.
Morgan figures that a hands-on learner like Mal probably found her niche quick after the
Crash. She picks the Scavenger tough spot and decides to bank the extra bounty it provides. The
permanent reduction of her Refresh is going to hurt, but Morgan figures it will be strong motivation
to keep Mal frugal in the field. The nest egg will come in handy if the crew falls into debt, and the
spot best explains the skills Mal has to offer her crew.

Z2. Potentials
Mechanically, Potentials determine the maximum skill points a character can have in the
associated skills.
Narratively, Potentials represent the peak of a person's abilities. For instance, lifting weights
a couple times of week would increase the Resistance skill, but not the Strength Potential. Lifting
practices muscle memory, endurance, and efficiency in a specific type of exertion. Lifting weights,
doing pylometrics, stretching properly, eating a strict diet, and studying the anatomy of bodybuilding
would gain a point of Strength Potential. Potential measures the degree to which the character's
lifestyle supports certain expertise, which is why nobody with a pack-a-day smoking habit (Speed 1)
holds a marathon record (Athletics 5).
Before the Crash, there were people with 0's in their Potentials that got along just fine. Hell,
there might still be a few alive in the Recession. But out here in the Loss, those people are dead or
worse. The Blight has had a selective effect on human survival, Takers especially. Only the peak
performers live long enough to enter the game, so put one point in every Potential and assign the other five
points from there.
At character creation, no Potential can be above a three. Buying Potential after character
creation costs bounty (see p.XX)

Z3. Strength (STR)

Strength (STR) measures general physical prowess: muscle mass, memory, weight, and

43
distribution. Strength is used to drive melee weapons through bone and barricade doors against the
undead. It's used punch competition in bar brawls and wrestle Casualties to the ground.

Z4. Other Uses for STR

STR also determines Haul rating. A Taker can carry Haul equal to STR and still perform the intense
physical exercise demanded of the job.
The concept is explained more in depth on p. XX, but for now, understand that, rather than
an exact measurement of weight, Haul abstracts to bounty per unit. Whatever the Market price for a
unit of supply is, Haul represents how many units the Taker can carry.
The Market never tells how much treasure is located at a job site, but the Market does have a
responsibility to tell the crew how much each unit of treasure is worth. Haul informs the player how
many units their Taker can carry.
STR also determines the modifier for when the Market calls for a Health or Infection check.
Health checks occur when the character is trying to resist common disease, exposure, or some other
more traditional threat. Infection checks occur when the character are exposed to Blight. Either way,
STR is added to the Black when the Market calls for these checks.
Finally, if the Market is running a Boom game that allows default rolls to STR, the Taker
must roll a Black result equal to or under the STR to succeed. Remember that the STR Potential
represents raw power: not the ability to apply it effectively. If a Market allows defaulting to STR, it
should be reserved to checks where panicked, adrenaline-fueled thrashing has a chance of success.

Z3. Speed (SPD)

Speed (SPD) measures a Taker's overall quickness over a sustained period of time,
abstracting a combination of cardiovascular fitness, reflexes, and grace. SPD is required of skills like
Shooting, Athletics, and anything else involving precision movement under time constraints.

Z4. Other Uses for SPD

SPD serves multiple purposes beyond capping skills.
The distance Casualties have to travel before they can attack is measured in Shambles.
Characters within range of their teeth and nails want to move away fast. How far they get to retreat
on a successful Athletics check depends on the SPD rating. For instance, if the mob of dead Amuu
is fighting closes within 1 Shamble, she's going to want to get away. The player buys-a-roll with a
charge of rations, checks Athletics, and succeeds. Now, if Amuu's SPD is 3, the character is now 4
Shambles away, or, to put it another way, Amuu now has an additional 3 turns (turns equalling her
SPD) to headshot the monsters before they get close enough to attack. Were the character's SPD 1,
there would be only 1 more turn of breathing room before the mob struck again. More details on
how SPD relates to Casualties can be found on p.XX.
In combat against living foes, players only roll one Black to determine initiative order, but
they can add their SPD to the result. More information on determining initiative can be found in the
Combat chapter (p. XX).
When Takers become gassed (see p. XX), rations can be refreshed by metabolizing the
character's inner reserves. The maximum number of charges that can be refreshed this way equals
the SPD rating. So, if a Taker with a SPD of 2 runs out of rations, two charges can be earned after
taking a turn to rest, but never more than two charges worth.

Sidebar: Ration Use

Rations are the charges players use to buy rolls in most STR and SPD skills. Rations are

44
spent in the moment; combat does not need to stop while the characters eat protein bars. Spending
rations represents eating a sufficient amount of calories before physical exertion and enough to
recover afterword. If your group wants to roleplay every time the team sits down to eat some beans,
go for it. Just know that rations don't have a mechanical benefit until people start buying physical
rolls, so for simplicity's sake, that's when rations are used.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Adaptablity (ADP)

Adaptability (ADP) represents an overall aptitude for situational awareness, quick thinking,
and self-discipline. If a skill check must be made to see how a character performs an intellectual
action on the fly or copes under extreme pressure, the skill is probably attached to Adaptability.

Z4. Other Uses for ADP

ADP determines Refresh. Refresh represents the Taker's ability to plan ahead, source, and
efficiently pack extra supplies in-between jobs.
Refresh is spent in the moment to refill charges on gear. If a gun goes empty, spend a
Refresh and slap in a new clip. If the first aid kit runs empty, spend a Refresh and pull a new roll of
gauze out of the backpack. If the flashlight dies, Refresh is new batteries. If food runs out, Refresh is
a new MRE.
Refresh is explained more in-depth in the Materialism chapter (see p.XX). For now, suffice it
to say that ADP determines Refresh as an abstract measure of the character's preparedness. It's not
that a character out of Refresh forgot to bring ammo into a zombie wasteland. Of course they need
ammo. They need everything. Everyone in the Loss needs everything and there's not enough to go
around. ADP and Refresh represent the ability to source goods in an environment of constant
scarcity. Running out of Refresh doesn't indicate absentmindedness; the character knows what they
have and don't have in their backpack, but staying at home is never an option when enclave rent is
due.
Refresh...well, refreshes...at the end of every job, no matter how much was or wasn't spent.
The game always starts with Refresh equal to ADP, and it can be spent recharging items from there.

Z3. Intelligence (INT)

Intelligence (INT) should probably be called "Intelligences." It measures the total mental
capacity of a Taker. It differs from the cognitive functions attached to Adaptability in that INT-
based skills take time. For instance, it's difficult to Research the price of grain while zombies are
trying to break down the door. This doesn't mean that INT skills can't be used in high-pressure
situations (shit happens), but INT skills were as useful pre-Crash as they are today.

Z4. Other Uses for INT

The guidelines for when to make dice checks (p.XX) are never so important as when
considering whether to default on an INT check. If the player wants to know something about the
setting, the Market should tell them whenever possible. After all, the characters live there: they are
the real experts. If the player wants to know something about the setting the Market doesn't know
either, let the player dictate the truth of the matter. Build the world collaboratively, not against each
other.
If the player wants to know some bit of financial information for negotiations – something
normally revealed by a Networking, Research, or Foresight – this is the only situation where
defaulting to INT might be acceptable (and even then only in a Boom game). Failure must have

45
consequences (ignorance is usually cured painfully), but if the information can possibly be known as
a piece of random Loss gossip or trivia, allow a default INT check. Failure falls under the one-and-
done rule, but players desperate to know everything can succeed-at-cost by tapping a Reference.

Z3. Charm (CHA)

Charm (CHA) is the blanket term for social acumen and empathy. Related CHA skills have
simple uses in game – such as using Deception to lie to a guard – and more complex uses in the
negotiation mechanics (see p. XX). While CHA might not be very useful when surrounded by
hungry Casualties, it's essential for making trips out into the Loss financially worthwhile.

Z4. Other Uses for CHA

CHA determines the number of Dependents and the number of References a Taker can
have. For instance, a character with CHA 1 has one Dependent and one Reference available.
Dependents should be integral to the character concept; it's a loved one for whom the Taker risks
life and sanity. References can be assigned mid-game and hold any kind of relationship the player
wishes. As the relationship is financial, a wide variety of emotional relationships are encouraged (i.e.
you do not have to like everyone you work with). A high CHA means that the character can recover
quickly from emotional trauma and utilize many favors from their References. However, healthy
relationships are based off mutual exchange, and even time spent chatting costs money. The same
CHA that heals Humanity damage and fixes failed dice rolls adds more financial burden to the
Taker.

Z3. Will
Will is the only Potential not attached to any skills because it is, by nature, difficult to
quantify. It's the stuff survivor's guilt is made of, the X factor that lets one person live and the next
person die. The impact of Will is as often ascribed to divine providence as it is to stoic
determination. It's a bastardized confluence of unbelievable luck, unbreakable resolve, absurd
optimism, and grim realism.
Will is the only Potential that can be spent. However many Will points are purchased at
character creation, that's the number of Will points the player refreshes at the start of a new game
session. Spending a point of Will is very powerful and can achieve many effects.

• Switch Red and Black numbers (B4/R9 becomes B9/R4)

• Upgrade a success to a Critical Success
• Buy another narrative benefit to add onto an existing Critical Success
• Negate an opponent's Critical Success
• Turn a critical failure into a regular failure
• Shift the damage from the last round of combat to a piece of gear or hit location
• Jump to the front of initiative order (see p.XX)

Will points gain be gained and refreshed in the following ways:

• Buy a point of Will in character advancement
• Follow a weak spot into trouble
• Fulfill a personal obligation to a soft spot
• Suffer because of a tough spot
• Rest in-between jobs/game sessions

46
Z3. Assigning Potentials Example
Mal gets one point in every Potential for free. Morgan wants a smart, practical character. Mal
has gotten strong handling engine parts and building fortifications over the last five years, so she
goes up to STR 2. She's always been practical and known for her common sense, so she gets ADP 2.
Morgan wants Mal to be very useful to her crew and gives her INT 3. Finally, nobody gets through
the Crash without determination and luck, so Mal buys another point of WILL. Her final Potentials
are STR 2, SPD 1, ADP 2, INT 3, CHA 1, WILL 2.

Z2. Skills
Characters start with 20 skill points.
Potentials are good for describing a character, but they're minimally active in gameplay. They
describe maximum performance, not actual performance. Nearly every dice check players make in Red
Markets is modified by skills and it is these specific abilities that define a Taker's success.
In character creation, skill points trade at a one-to-one ratio. The number of points in a skill
is the modifier that gets added to Black when rolling for that skill. So, if someone were trying to lift
a grate off a manhole cover, they would make a Resistance check. They would NOT make an STR
check, because without skill in Resistance, they don't know how to use that Strength well (lifting
with the back, for instance). If a piece of gear would modify the roll, charges are spent and the
bonus is added to skill. Basically, the benefits of using tools can stack with associated skills, but skills
never stack with Potentials.
Skills may not exceed their associated Potential. Additional skill points are purchased with
bounty after character creation (see p. XX)

SIDEBAR: "But a +1 is useless!"

Since criticals are always triggered on natural doubles and ties go to the Market, playtesters
have argued that having a +1 in a skill is essentially useless. This isn't entirely true. For example, if
the dice for a Shoot check fall B2/R3 and the Taker spent an extra charge of ammunition
beforehand, the check is a success (B2+2/R3) where it would have failed with only the +1 skill or
the extra charge separately.
More importantly, the Taker had the ability to aim that gun at all. Defaulting to Potentials
isn't allowed in a Bust game. In most situations, characters that don't have at least a +1 in a skill
don't have enough expertise to even hope for success. If the check is such that even a total layman
might pull it off, the Market shouldn't have the player make skill checks in such low stakes
situations.
If using Boom defaults, a +1 skill, as opposed to a +1 Potential, increases the probability of
success by 35%, allows extra spending on charged gear, and permits the use of Will. Even default
checks to a Potential of 4 have worse odds than that.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. "Full Potential"

A skill rating that is equal to its associated Potential is at "full potential." This means that
though a character might possess some of the abilities required to increase a skill, some other
aspects of their physiology or education is holding them back from further advancement. For
example, a character might want to take their Mechanics to the next level (Mechanics 3) but they
need a better understanding of physics before that's possible (INT 2). They might know enough
about archery to improve their accuracy (Shoot: Bow 2), but they need a deeper familiarity with the
way windage affects ballistics in general (Shoot 1) and better hand-eye coordination (SPD 1) in order

47
to apply that knowledge.
The narrative description of how Potential caps a skill's development is up to the player. Just
remember that, in real life, you probably haven't rated your skill set according to any consistent
system, and even if you did, performance would still vary widely from day-to-day. The Taker is
going to think of their development in terms of specific talents and frustrations. In Red Markets,
Potential stops skill development and costs a lot of bounty to improve so as to emphasize a single
economic truth: education is as much a commodity as anything else. Increasing human capital
requires actual capital. No one learns computer programming by decapitating zombies.

Z3. Specializations
It's possible to be a great driver and have no idea how to even start an airplane. Many world-
class snipers would be stymied when asked to operate a catapult. Certain situations and tools require
expert knowledge. If a player wants to be skilled in one of these areas, it requires a specialization.
Specializations are built on the foundation of a skill, just as skills are built off a Potential.
Specializations are required for some pieces of unique gear (see p. XX) and cost additional skill
points. Let's say the player wants to use an archaic weapon like a sword. The skill they would buy
first would be "Melee." And because wielding a katana is nothing like batting practice, the player
would then have to spend another point in "Melee: Sword." A pilot would need to spend points in
both Drive and Drive: Plane. Specializations can exceed neither the skill rating nor the associated
Potential.
The only mechanical benefit of specializations is the ability to succeed with equipment and
in situations that would otherwise be impossible. It wouldn't make sense to add a specialization to a
skill like Research. It's broad and flexible already. Looking up recipes with the skill Research: Recipes
can only provide the same or a lesser bonus as the base skill. However, if a zombie is closing in on a
crippled character and the only weapon available is a slingshot, Shoot: Slingshot is a useful
specialization indeed.

Z3. List of Skills

The following list of skills is expressed on the character sheet and essential to playing Red
Markets. Players and Markets are encouraged to collaborate when constructing additional skills and
specialization they desire to see in their particular campaign.

SIDEBAR: What do I really need?

If a skill weren't useful, it wouldn't be on the character sheet. However, this doesn't mean all
skills are created equal. Red Markets has a few skills that are safe bets for maximizing a Taker's
chance for survival. These skills aren't essential (and I'd argue a story of the asthmatic, neurotic IT
professional that survives the zombie hordes is damned interesting) but going over the fence
without them is more dangerous and challenging.
Athletics is used to dodge attacks and run from danger. Cardio is rule number one.
Shoot is important if you're not Latent or Immune. Melee combat with Casualties when
your character is susceptible to infection is extremely dangerous. One bad check and the whole party
could become Vectors. Melee and Unarmed skills aren't bad to have as well, but keeping distance is
a priority in combat.
Self-Control is vital for keeping a character effective. Lose your mind and it won't matter
how healthy and well equipped you are.
Someone needs Research or the group is going to be at a disadvantage in negotiations.
Similarly, a lot of players think of scams that involve Criminality.

48
 Someone with a high Scavenging skill can be surprisingly profitable.
A group without a CHA skill specialist is going to be hurting for bounty all the time.
Alternately, groups that don't want to specialize too much and/or want to take turns negotiating can
utilize the Fixer Rules (see p.XX)

END SIDEBAR

Z4. STR Skills

All dice rolls for STR skills must be bought with a charge of rations. Unless the Market calls
for a precision check, all STR skills can spend extra rations before the check to "overexert" and
increase chances of success. Takers that are gassed cannot use any STR skills until refreshed.

Unarmed
Hand-to-hand combat, martial arts, and any other knowledge that factors into a brawl –
Unarmed is great for knocking out other humans, but it won't do much against the undead beside
push them away. All Unarmed attacks do Stun damage save for two exceptions. On a critical
success, the player can choose to double Stun damage or convert to Kill damage. Certain gear, such
as spiked gloves, can also turn Unarmed attacks into Kill damage. Specializations may be useful if
the player wants to focus on specific contexts where a generalist might otherwise receive a penalty:
grappling, blind-fighting, "peeling" (knocking Casualties out of mob), fighting with a prosthetic limb,
etc.

Melee
The same considerations of Unarmed combat are complicated by wielding a blade or
bludgeon. The weapon used determines the damage type of a melee attack. Specializations in the
Melee skill focus around unusual or archaic weapons: swords, spears, nunchaku, etc. If a weapon can
be thrown due to buying the weighted upgrade, the Melee skill is still used.

Resistance
The ability to move heavy weight and resist enormous pressure. Resistance is not used for in
combat because it emphasizes raw strength rather than strength and speed. Grappling a casualty
would be an Unarmed check, but holding on to the thrashing corpse would be Resistance. Use this
when barricading doors against a mob or blocking a hallway by tipping a vending machine. There
are no specializations in this skill.

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Accuracy Counts

In this rules variant, rations used for STR skills are only charged when spent on Resistance.
For Unarmed and Melee checks, the rolls must always be made at precision difficulty. It doesn't
matter how hard you swing if you don't hit anything.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. SPD Skills

SPD skills require power with precision. Dodging out of the way of where that goon is
aiming his machine gun is certainly something a Taker would put a lot of effort into, but going too
far could just as easily mean jumping into the path of some bullets. Only one SPD skill requires
rations to buy-a-roll (Athletics), but none of them are available if the Taker is gassed.

Shoot

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 It does what it says on the tin. The Shoot skill is added to Black in addition to whatever extra
charges a player might spend to ensure success. Specializations are needed to operate military grade
weapons (e.g. mortars) or archaic projectile weapons such as bows or muskets.

Athletics
Check Athletics to see if the character can get somewhere quickly. Athletics can also be used
to dodge any incoming attack, so long as the Taker has a twitch to spend in that combat round (see
p.XX). Need to climb a tree to escape the undead? Athletics. Need to reach that cover to flank the
sniper? Athletics. Need to run to the next enclave and warn of the raider attack? Athletics.
Characters missing a leg need to specialize in this skill to move effectively with the prosthesis.

Stealth
Hiding, belly crawling, and staying quiet all require the muscle memory and grace
represented by the Stealth skill. Stealth can be used to flank in combat without provoking an attack.
Stealth doesn't cost rations to use, but if the situation calls for speedy sneaking, the Market might
rule that charges need to be spent.

Z4. ADP Skills

ADP skills are a grab bag of traits prevalent in survivors of a zombie apocalypse. These skills
are one-and-done checks. If the Taker fails, they can succeed at cost (according to the Market's
discretion), spend a point of Will, or accept the consequences. They can't just keep trying until
success comes. In situations that allow for such leisure, they shouldn't be rolling in the first place.

Awareness
Awareness goes beyond sharp eyes. Taker's need to have the maps of an area memorized,
noses sniffing for the stench of dead flesh, and ears open of the click-clack of a rifle bolt. If the Taker
has the opportunity to notice something that might help them out in the future, check Awareness to
see if they pick up on it. If the story can't continue without the clue or information, the Market just
tells the players what they see. Awareness determines whether the Taker gets information that will
be of benefit in a future; it does not determine whether the player gets to hear the game's story.
There are no specializations in this skill.

Self-Control
The ability to control one's emotions, or at least defer them long enough to finish the job, is
vital for a Taker's survival. The Market calls for Self-control checks whenever characters witness
something horrific, depressing, or otherwise stressful. Success means that damage to the Taker's
Humanity is minimized or negated; failure means one of the character's threats to Humanity
increases. There are no specializations in this skill.

Scavenging
The ability to find useful things out in the Loss is what the business is all about. It's an
essential survival skill, as well as an effective method of controlling overhead and keeping a crew
profitable. Scavenging is used to find materials to repair existing gear or build new tools. It's used to
loot the backpacks of slain enemies and find the best salvage at a job site. Most commonly,
Scavenging determines just how much bounty can be found amongst the disgusting rags of slain
Casualties. There are no specializations in this skill.

Driving

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 Driving a car is something every character can do. Driving a car down a wreck-strewn,
abandoned country road with a Vector trying to punch through the windshield is not something
every character could do. Drive checks are only called for in this latter instance. If there is no danger
in failure, assume the character knows which one is the gas and keep the dice in the bag.
Specializations in Drive can be taken for unusual vehicles that require extensive training to operate:
tanks, planes, boats, etc.

Criminality
A character's general knowledge of bad behavior, ranging from how much weed is in a dime
bag to the best place to hide a body. If someone needs to pick a lock, spot a pickpocket, or figure
out which one is the gang leader, those are all Criminality checks. There are other skills for more
high-tech crimes like computer hacking or insider trading. Criminality specifically measures the
analog bad behavior only mastered in the slums of society. There are no specializations in this skill,
as any specific forms of larceny (spying, pyramid schemes, etc) would best be represented by a
Profession (see p.XX).

Z4. INT Skills

INT skills are one-and-done checks. The Taker either knows how to do it or they don't.
Failing INT skill checks should never hold up the story, though. Tapping References (p. XX) is the
primary way to succeed at cost while still getting the desired information. As mental actions, INT
skills don't require spends to buy a skill check. However, since INT skills are widely applicable, the
Market may call for charges to be spent on associated gear. For instance, using Research to find
some juicy gossip on Ubiq Wi-Fi would require a charge from a laptop's battery life.

Foresight
Thinking that's been done beforehand is often mistaken for quick thinking. The Loss
demands preparation for every possible contingency. The Market can call for Foresight rolls to see if
a player is allowed to Refresh an item if using the High-Stakes Refresh rules (p.XX). More
commonly, Foresight is used to get tactical information "on the ground." For instance, no one is
going to know for certain if there are Causalities roaming around in that coal mine or not, but a
successful Foresight roll can guess which tunnel they would likely congregate in. Want to know what
the weather is going to do? Well, unless the character has Profession: Meteorologist, that's going to
be a Foresight check to see if the character remembers to check the forecast. There are no
specializations in this skill.

Research
Research is essential for getting the scoop on lucrative contracts and arriving to negotiations
prepared. It's also useful for scanning networks for any intel that could save lives out in the Loss.
Research is only rolled when learning a bit of information might help characters succeed or profit.
Clues essential for moving the job forward are just given to the players without a skill check. Players
that want to know some unrelated bit of knowledge can simply narrate that bit of the setting.
Research is unique as a mental action in that it will likely require some electronic gear (or at the very
least a library). There are no specializations in this skill.

Mechanics
You find a device that runs on electricity: can you fix it, hack it, build it, and power it? Make
a Mechanics check to find out. This also includes a general understanding of physics and
construction techniques required to make, repair, and repurpose items with moving parts or

51
construct tools capable of withstanding repeated stress. A high score in this skill means you can
carve a war club, take apart an engine, or build a chair with enough materials and time. Mechanics is
a measure of general handiness, so there are no specializations in this skill. Any devices sufficiently
advanced to need a specialization should be covered by a Profession skill instead (p. XX).

First Aid
First Aid refers exclusively to battlefield medicine. If you want to nurse someone back to
health over a period of months or stop the enclave's dysentery epidemic, take Profession: Doctor. If
you want to keep your gutshot friend from bleeding out, invest in First Aid. First aid doesn't require
any charges to roll, but it is one-and-done for each injury. Charges from a first aid kit or scavenged
supplies don't actually heal hit boxes. Spending more charges merely increases the chance of success.
The amount healed depends on the Black, and it spends at a 2-to-1 ratio: it takes 1 Black to turn a
box from Kill to Stun damage, and another to erase Stun damage. This means that a success in First
Aid can only stop a character from bleeding out and heal some damage. There are no specializations
in this skill.

Profession: X
Profession skills are essentially free specializations. Every Profession skill must have some
sort of recognized occupation attached to it, and the skill rating refers to anything the player can
reasonably argue is part of that job's skill set. For instance, a character with the skill "Profession:
Doctor 3" would have a +3 to treating a flu, stitching wound, prescribing medication, researching
the Blight, reading a medical chart, and much more.
Though they are more versatile than other specializations, the function of Profession skills is
similar in that it allows a chance for success where there was none before. Let's say a player wants to
use Criminality to break into a vault, but the door is guarded by a biometric security lock. An
average street thug wouldn't know where to begin bypassing such advanced hardware, but someone
with Profession: Security Consultant or Profession: Computer Science could take a shot. Likewise,
the best car mechanic in the world is screwed if trying to shut down an overheating nuclear reactor,
but the lady with Profession: Nuclear Physicist has a chance.
The only wrong way to use Professions is to abuse the system by taking some silly
occupation like "Profession: Renaissance Man" and applying it to every situation. To prevent this,
remember that Profession skills describe what a Taker did before the Crash. Anything that helped
them survive in the wasteland should become a tough spot (p. XX). So no one should be taking
"Profession: Zombie-killer" or anything else sufficiently game breaking. Jobs too silly for a good
character backstory don't deserve representation on the character sheet.
Furthermore, in an economics-focused game like Red Markets, the real-world difficulty of
specializing in multiple skill sets is emulated by the mechanics. The first Profession skill can be
bought regularly, but the price for a second Profession jumps to 2 skill points per +1 bonus. A third
Profession skill would only reach +1 after 3 skill points were dumped into it. In short, loading up on
Profession skills shows diminishing returns.

Z4. CHA Skills

Skills under this Potential are unique because they have two distinct uses. In the majority of
gameplay, they are one-and-done checks made as players interact with NPCs and other Market
forces. A success means the PCs get what they want. Failure means the Taker must try a different
social tactic, suffer the consequences, or tap a Reference to help (if applicable). However, the
negotiation rules complicate CHA skills and provide each one a unique role in securing prices and
contracts. These special cases are explained in depth in Negotiation (see p. XX)

52
 CHA skills do not require any charges be spent to buy-a-roll unless a piece of charged gear is
being used to facilitate communication (such as battery life on a communication device). There are
no specializations in CHA skills.

Networking
Roll Networking to find the person with the goods you need. Networking can be used to get
leads for jobs, source gear for purchase, or contact References. If a Reference is paid off, a
Networking check can replace a listed reference with an NPC more useful to the current situation.
Most negotiations start with a Networking check that gives the crew a lead on the job.

Persuasion
Checks for Persuasion are limited to situations in which the PCs are trying to convince an
NPC of something that is true; misinformation or coercion call for different skills. As with all CHA
skills, players should roleplay their rhetorical appeal to the NPC rather than merely "roll Persuasion."
In negotiation, Persuasion is the primary means of gaining Sway (p.XX).

Sensitivity
Sensitivity is a combination of empathy, psychology, and sociology. This skill check picks up
on aspects of characters' personalities that they would prefer stay hidden. Sensitivity in negotiations
is vital for figuring out a client's spots in the moment.

Deception
Tell a lie and be believed. Deception in negotiation moves Sway by utilizing false promises,
or it can be used to maintain a poker face when a client exploits a PC's spot. In either instance,
failing a Deception test always has negative consequences.

Intimidation
Scare an NPC with words and actions. Intimidation is used in negotiations for a "walk away"
bluff that can end negotiation early.

Leadership
Leadership differs from Persuasion in both size and circumstance. Want to get a merchant to
give you a discount? That's just a Persuasion check. Want to get the whole enclave to agree to an
income tax? That's Leadership. Convince a date meet you at a restaurant? Persuasion. Convince an
army to follow you into hell? Leadership. This skill also determines the length of negotiations by
measuring general assuredness and body language.

Z3. Assigning Skills Example

Mal only ever worked to pay for her tinkering habit. She's trained her whole life to be a
mechanic, phoning in every other occupation. So Morgan takes Profession: Mechanic 3, figuring it
represents her character's past and is more versatile than wasting points in something more general
like Mechanics. She got First Aid 1 in a CPR course, Research 1 from public schools, and Foresight
2 for having her head screwed on straight.
There's nothing quite so fun as exploding a zombie skull with a wrench, so Mal has Melee 2.
Still, close combat is a bad idea because Mal is neither Latent nor Immune. She puts 1 skill point in
all the SPD skills so she won't be totally helpless at range. Her drill sergeant always did lament her
painfully average marksmanship....

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 Mal's always on the hunt for parts. She takes Awareness 2 and Scavenging 2. Drive 2 helps
navigate the clogged roads on her supply runs. She throws in Self-Control 1 because the Crash
hardened her.
Finally, while Mal is too standoffish to be much use negotiating contracts, Morgan figures
she's okay at reading people and takes a point in Sensitivity.

Z2. Dependents
CHA determines the number of Dependents a Taker has to support and be supported by.
The more social a character is (CHA), the easier it is for them to become tangled in messy
relationships.
Dependents are people the Taker loves and cares for at their home enclave. Were it not for
these loved ones, the Taker might work a small job, get paid in rations, and never risk leaving the
fence. But life in the Loss is short and brutal, and life in the Recession cutthroat and competitive.
The Red Markets are the only hope for these Dependents to get out and the Taker is their only
lifeline.
Dependents aren't totally helpless, but for one reason or another, they wouldn't fare well in
the cutthroat survival capitalism of the Loss. Exactly why this is the case is up to the player to
describe. Perhaps they were crippled physically or emotionally by the Crash. Maybe they're too
young or too old to earn their keep in an enclave. More than likely, they just lack the skills the
carrion economy demands and their labors don't rake in enough bounty to pay all the bills.
Whatever the reason, Dependents can't thrive without the financial assistance of a Taker. The
bounty they receive might literally keep them alive by stocking food and medicine. Or perhaps the
death waiting beneath the Taker's safety net is more figurative. For instance, one character might
risk death in the Loss to keep her sister out of a brothel, or to protect a delicate child's musical
genius from being dulled by brutal physical labor.
It's up to players to name the NPCs that make up their character's family, develop their
backstories, and explain why the Taker supports them. The Market (or another person at the table
named by the PC) is responsible for playing the Dependent in any scenes where they interact (see
"Vignettes" p.XX). Narratively, these characters make up the populace of a crew's enclave. They
serve as a reminder that no one chases wealth out in the Loss without good reason. Innocent people
back home have their lives on the line... the bottom line.
To ensure players don't forget this and become murder-hobos, Dependents are more than
roleplaying opportunities. They serve mechanical functions vital to a Taker's survival.

Z3. Assigning Dependents Example

Morgan figures Mal survived the initial outbreaks due to her isolation. She lived far away
from her family. Her few friends at the garage were casual. As the news grew worse and they
stopped showing up for work, Mal just picked up more shifts. By the time things got out of hand,
there was no one worth the risk of saving. She lived through the few months of terror alone and was
starting to wonder if survival was worth it just before she found an enclave.
That's where she met Janice. Morgan figures Mal has no patience for useless people, so her
attraction to Janice originally came from her expertise as a chef. Sadly, cuisine out in the Loss is
more about calories than taste, so there is little Janice can do to earn her way beyond basic cooking
and physical labor. Morgan decides Janice is one of the few people in the world that can make Mal
laugh and that her character would kill to protect that. Morgan writes Janice down on her sheet in as
a Dependent.
When it comes time to roleplay scenes between the two, Morgan can pick among the three

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themes for vignettes (see p. XX). If Mal needs help, the lovers can try to pretend the terrors of Mal's
job stay outside (the "Cope" theme). If Janice has problems, the player assuming her role might ask
Mal to secure some spices so she can show the enclave how to really make broth (the "Bear
Burdens" theme). If Morgan just wants to define the enclave more deeply, she could narrate the
pair’s trip to a driving range set up on the roof of an abandoned building (the "Engage the
Community" theme).

Z3. The Benefits of Dependents

Dependents are more than resource drains. The emotional support they provide is essential
to any Taker's survival.
For every fully supported Dependent available (not Needy, Strained, or Broken), the Taker
automatically heals one column's worth of Humanity damage, which is the currency of a character's
emotional well-being. Humanity is tracked along three "threats" that endanger sanity out in the Loss:
Detachment, Trauma, and Stress. The complete Humanity rules are explained later (p. XX), but
suffice it to say that the only other way to recover Humanity is by spending bounty to relax and
recover between jobs. Time used relaxing, healing, and recovering is not spent scavenging, repairing,
and working towards survival. The opportunity cost of trying to stay sane eats up capital like
anything else, and the price of healing invisible wounds can really stack up after a particularly horrific
mission. Dependents help alleviate the burden by providing quality time.
At the beginning of the next session or the end of the current job, players get a vignette
scene between their character and a Dependent of their choice. The player, the Market, and any
other PC stepping in to roleplay a Dependent can negotiate any kind of scene they wish, picking
from the three themes or narrating some other kind of interaction (p.XX). Perhaps one Taker
spends newfound wealth building his kids a swing set. Another might buy a rare book to cheer up an
ailing grandparent. The grizzled veteran of the Loss could spend his free time nursing an old war
buddy back to health using medicine purchased with hard-won bounty.
Regardless of the narrative details, the goal of these vignettes is to show the PCs recovering
from the trauma of the Loss in the company of loved ones. It's a regular reminder as to why these
characters fight. Restorative downtime with a Dependent can heal up to an entire column of
Humanity damage.
The term column is meant literally. Let's look at an example:

Z4. Vignette/Humanity Heals Example

Mal picks the "cope" theme, meaning time with her Dependent is meant to help the Taker
forget the horrors she's recently witnessed. Morgan picks a fellow player, Bailey, to play Mal's
girlfriend, Janice, leaving the Market to help describe the scene and represent the haunting trauma of
Mal's job.
Morgan says that Mal has organized a date with her fiancé back at the enclave, complete with
solar-powered iPod jazz, candles, and actual spaghetti (this represents the bounty spend on the
relationship). As the goal of the scene is to simply help Mal recover, Janice expresses gratitude for
the lovely dinner and asks about her partner's day.
The Market, as the reminder of everything the Loss won't let a Taker forget, narrates that
Mal hears screaming, faintly, just beneath Kind of Blue playing in the background. It sounds a lot like
that soldier she saw crushed under a tide of Vectors not two nights ago. The Market calls for a Self-
control check to inform Morgan's roleplaying. Morgan rolls the dice.
The success or failure of the dice doesn't have a mechanical penalty in a vignette; they merely
inform roleplaying. Even a bad night spent bickering with family is better than a night alone with the

55
undead. If the dice check fails, Mal will become distracted or uncomfortable with Janice's questions,
the trauma of the past intruding on her carefully planned evening. As it happens, the Self-control
check succeeds. Mal turns up the music, redirects the conversation away from her crew's
"adventures," and asks Janice how her work at the kitchen is going.
Mal has a Humanity damage of 2 Detachment, 3 Trauma, and 3 Stress. After roleplaying the
vignette, Morgan wants to heal some of that Trauma eating away at the character, so she begins
healing on the track with the most damage. She erases all the tic marks in the 3rd vertical column
because that's the most Humanity damage she's taken. A column's worth of Humanity restoration
would restore the Taker to 2 Detachment, 2 Trauma, and 2 Stress (the Detachment threat wouldn't
change because the 3rd dot hadn't yet been filled).

GRAPHIC: Show the Humanity threats with 2 Detachment, 3 Trauma, and 3 Stress. An
eraser streak cuts through the 3rd Trauma and Stress, an arrow labeling the erasure ‘Janice’

Now, if Mal had a second Dependent, she could reduce her Humanity damage down to 1
Detachment, 1 Trauma, and 1 Stress. This scene doesn't even have to be roleplayed. The Taker
receives the support of additional Dependents "off-screen". A third Dependent would have
removed all of Mal's Humanity damage after only a single vignette scene.

GRAPHIC: New eraser line goes through the 2nd box of Detachment, Trauma, and Stress.
New line is labeled "2nd Dependent." Another eraser cuts through the 1st box on each threat, labeled
"3rd Dependent."

In this example, Mal has healed 2 points worth of Humanity damage for the 1 bounty it took
to keep her Dependents healthy and happy. Had she two loved ones, she would have healed 5
points for 2 bounty. At three? 8 Humanity for 3 bounty. Compare that with the 8 bounty it would
cost to heal that much Humanity by paying to heal individual. Maintaining relationships makes sense
economically even before factoring in the emotional penalties for neglecting a Taker's loved ones.

Z3. Neglecting Dependents

If a Dependent doesn't receive at least one bounty in a session, the relationship with the
Taker begins to degrade. This doesn't necessarily mean that everyone in the Taker's life is a gold-
digging monster. The bounty spent on the Dependent often represents opportunity cost. The cost
might not mean someone is starving; it might mean that daddy had to work and missed daughter's
recital. The exact form financial stress takes is up to those roleplaying the Taker and the Dependent.
Mechanically, there are three levels that track a relationship at risk. After one missed bounty,
the Dependent is "Needy." This means the NPC has to do without and suffers for it by going
hungry, cold, alone, or any other way the Market describes. The Taker must make a Self-Control
check against Stress upon seeing the struggling loved one.
After another missed bounty, the Dependent is "Strained," hanging on by a thread
physically, emotionally, financially, or all three. The Taker must make another Self-Control check
against Stress as the situation worsens.
At "Severed," the Taker loses all contact with the Dependent. The Market might kill them
off, have them lose contact, or inflict a fate worse than death. Regardless, a severed Dependent is
lost forever. The Market picks the threat that most fist the tragedy and rounds up Humanity damage
to the nearest Regret (see p.XX). There's no way to mitigate the damage; it hurts to lose the ones
you love.

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 Relationships can be healed much the same way as Humanity: one bounty erases one dot of
damage. If a relationship is Needy, spending one bounty on the Dependent for that session would
only keep the situation from getting worse; it would take another bounty to erase the damage done.
When roleplaying a strained relationship between Taker and Dependent, remember that, in
the real world, the consequences of poverty are extreme, multi-faceted, and often permanent. One
recent study shows that a recently unemployed person is 25% more likely to die of cancer, 18%
more likely to get divorced, and can expect a year-and-a-half knocked off their life expectancy even
if they recover. Chances of suffering from mental illness skyrocket, as do chances of imprisonment.
A .01% increase in the national unemployment rate contributes to over 1,500 additional suicides the
same year. And all of this horror is in a mundane world without the undead.
In conclusion, when Dependents are hurting, the Taker feels their pain. When Dependents
are happy, the Taker still suffers the deprivations of the Loss, but at least they don't have to do it
alone.

Z3. Takers as Dependents

So you want to be in a relationship with another Taker in the crew? It's allowed, but it's
dangerous as hell. Office romance is generally discouraged, especially when the office is a deadly
apocalyptic wasteland. As unpleasant as it may be to shoot a Blight-infected peer in the head, it's way
worse when it's a best friend, sibling, or spouse.
But for groups that want a more intimate cast of characters, using fellow Takers as
Dependents can help focus on the crew's interactions both inside and outside the fence. For players
that want their characters involved despite the risk, here are the rules for writing other Takers in as
Dependents.

• It must be reciprocal.
If Lug writes Nut in as his Dependent, Nut must accept Lug as well. Life is too short for
one-sided love affairs. Dependents must be equally invested in each other.

• Money is time. Time is money.

Among Takers, the bounty required to support Dependents always represents opportunity
cost. This means that characters don't merely exchange currency. The bounty is spent on shots at
the bar, batteries for the game console, birth control pills, or whatever other costs accrue from the
pair spending time together.

• It isn't exclusive.
Just because Nut decides to have vignette with Lug, it doesn't mean Lug has to do another
vignette with Nut. Lug might need to see his ailing mother, or he may not want to do another scene
at all. That's okay. Since the Taker's share a vignette, both can heal Humanity as if they role-played
their scenes separately, or they can do vignettes with different Dependents.

• It could get awkward.

All the standard penalties for neglecting Dependents apply. Letting a relationship become
severed isn't going to result in anything as extreme as one of the Takers dying, but neglect breaks the
relationship so severely that the Humanity damage is the same. Players are expected to roleplay
accordingly. If Lug and Nut become estranged, the rest of the crew can expect some really awkward
conversations as they trek between job sites.

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 • Love hurts.
If Lug watches Nut take an arrow to the throat, the emotional trauma typical of such tragedy
gets much, much worse. Any Humanity damage suffered for seeing a fellow Taker harmed gets
compounded by the damage of seeing it happen to a Dependent. So, if a member of the crew dying
would call for a level 3 Self-Control check, that Humanity damage is only going to be added after the
Market rounds a threat up to the nearest Regret (the penalty for losing a Dependent). In short, if you
get your Dependent killed, expect to go very crazy very fast.

SIDEBAR: MBA Rules: A Note on Work/Life Balance

In the basic rules, all players get a "work" scene and "life" scene every session. The work
scene is always a Scam or negotiation. The life scene is always a vignette with Dependents. In
advanced play, life scenes can be traded for extra work scenes and vice versa, but messing with
Work/Life balance always has consequences (see p. XX)
Most groups never have to worry about Work/Life balance. Be content in the knowledge
that everyone gets one vignette per game and move on.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. References
In addition to the number of Dependents a Taker can manage, CHA determines the number
of References the character can rely on at any given time.
Whereas the relationship between Dependents and Takers is based on mutual financial and
emotional need, References are purely professional contacts. Their opinions of the PC can range
from devotion to loathing, but the Loss doesn't care much for sentimentality. As long as it pays to
stay civil, people work together.
Rather than help a Taker stay sane between jobs, References are specialists that fill in gaps in
the character's skill set. They're almost always contacted remotely and can be located both in and out
of the Recession. If a crew is tapping its References, it means they're outsourcing expertise they can't
manage themselves. But even in the midst of an apocalypse, consultation fees can be a bitch.

Z3. Reputation Economy

References are professional contacts made out in the Loss. DHQS stewards, rebel
militiamen, believers, other Takers – these are people the character has worked with before. Aside
from their useful mechanical benefits, References are an opportunity to explore a character's past.
Nobody made it clean through the Crash and five years of hell. Why is the Taker working with the
current crew and not with the Reference? What happened on those early jobs? How did the Taker
make it through those chaotic early months? All these questions and more can be explored by the
player and Market when a Reference is tapped.
There's more on how to roleplay a reference scene (see "Roleplaying References" p. XX) but
mechanically, References offer a way for players to recover from failed one-and-done rolls
associated with INT and CHA. Using Ubiq specs or a laptop to contact experts allows for success at
a cost (see p.XX). That failed Research check can become a success with one call to Whitey White-
collar, an IT professional working in Ubiq City. The enclave's best pickpocket can be subcontracted
for a scam if someone calls in a favor with Sister Sticky-Fingers.
Basically, References operate like additional Will points for certain rolls. They can't help a
bullet find its target, but they can score you ammunition if you give them a few hours. Unlike Will,
however, References must be cultivated over time and require work to maintain.

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Z3. The Use of Favors
Using the favors of a Reference requires some role-playing. The overall goal of these
vignettes is for the Taker to explain how exactly they want the contact to help. As long as the
relationship is in good repair and the Taker makes the call, the Reference agrees to help. Rather than
actually negotiating, the Market is instead going to use the scene as an opportunity to explore the
character's history. More on roleplaying a reference scene can be found in "Roleplaying References"
(see p.XX).
Mechanically, as long as a Reference would reasonably have the expertise to help and be able
to telecommute, the dice check for the "roll" is an automatic success. So while Greasy Sue can't
drive the car over the phone, she can walk someone through how to repair it if they have a working
webcam. References can be used to retry one-and-done rolls that failed, and Takers can loan their
References to each other.
However, References aren't an automatic win; they represent success at a cost. Failure is less
interesting than how much characters are willing to pay to succeed. Each Reference favor costs a
bounty that must be paid back in time and favors from the Taker. If the Reference's generosity isn't
returned, the relationship decays just like a neglected Dependent.
Once a Reference is "Needy," they require a Networking test to contact. At "Strained,"
Networking is required to contact them and the player needs to use a Charm skill successfully to
convince the Reference the character is "good for it." At "Severed," the Reference no longer returns
the Taker's call and they may be actively seeking retribution for unpaid debts. Any debts so
neglected permanently eliminate that Reference slot as the carrion economy learns better than to
accept the Taker's false promises.
As the use of a Reference is somewhat contextual, it's preferable to wait to assign them until
they are needed in play. Any reference that isn't currently "Needy" can be reassigned. So if a
computer specialist was useful in the last job, but what the team really needs now is a demolitions
expert, Mal can sub in a new reference by erasing the old NPC and writing in a more useful
personality.

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Interest

Reference relationships decay, just like neglected Dependents. So, failing to pay back a favor
for one session wouldn't require one bounty to make things right. One bounty would only keep the
References from going strained, and two would be needed to clear the debt.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Roleplaying References

The relationship between a Reference and a Taker is a collaboration between the player and
the Market. After all, it was hard to be picky about one's friends during the Crash. Five years on and
there isn't a survivor left that hasn't made some compromises. But with that said, no player should
have their character's past completely defined by the Market.
It's good to have a give-and-take when roleplaying a scene with a Reference. The easiest way
to define the relationship is to focus on faction and attitude. Split the duties of describing those
two elements of a reference. For instance, if the Taker wants to know someone in a group of radical
Canadian rebels (faction), the Market gets to say that the reference "always knew they'd come
crawling back one day" (attitude). Conversely, if the Taker really needs a best friend (attitude), the
Market can make them a believer in the Black Math cult (faction).
Try to bring up moments in the character's past while negotiating for whatever favor the
Taker needs, especially if other members of the crew are listening. The golden rule of improv applies

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to these quick vignettes: don't negate. Try to always respond to new information with "Yes, and..."
or "Yes, but..."
For example, if the Market, roleplaying as a steward spy, mentions the time the Mal did some
sabotage for the DHQS, Mal's player should try to resist stopping the game dead to say that didn't
happen. For instance, Morgan can say, "Yeah, Mal pulled that job for DHQS... in an attempt to get
vital intel about a settlement she later robbed. Good thing this citizen sap never got wise to how she
scammed the whole contract."
A Reference may think the player did some deed in the past and suggest as much to others,
but only the player can decide if it's true or a misconception. A player always has control of what the
character actually did in the past. By refusing to negate each other, Mal gets her favor and the
Market gets a juicy plot hook if Mal ever severs ties with the steward.
The other unalienable right players possess in a Reference scene is naming the NPC, though
they can abdicate to the Market if they're short on ideas.

Z2. Buying Gear

The gear list is described in more depth on p. XX. New characters start off with 10 bounty to buy
starting equipment. Everybody gets a backpack and one unit of rations for free. Normally, purchasing gear in
game requires using References and Networking to find sellers, but players can buy whatever they
want at the outset. Gear is typically priced at its upkeep x2, but starting equipment is sold at upkeep in
bounty.
Compared to most RPGs, gear in Red Markets is unique in that items continue to drain
resources as long as they are owned. Life-saving equipment requires constant maintenance,
replacement, and recharging, so there are few things a Taker can purchase and forget about. Players
should understand that, though they may buy whatever they wish at the outset, the characters are
going to be expected to meet the upkeep of all that gear by the end of the session.

Z3. Buying Gear Example

Morgan sees her fellow players investing heavily zombie-slaying skills and equipment. She's
always figured Mal earned the respect of the crew with her technical expertise; Morgan tells everyone
she's going for utility rather than firepower.
Mal, like every other character, starts with a backpack and rations. She'll be responsible for
paying upkeep on those items at the end of the job (1 bounty each), but for now, they are
completely free items.
Mal wants to use her Reference and have access to technical specs on the fly, so she buys
Ubiq Specs – AR glasses that double as a wearable computer and phone. She upgrades the gear by
hosting GhoulNet, allowing any of her teammates with electronic communications into a tactical
network. That's 4 bounty gone, but Mal is now the hub of the team's communications.
As a mechanic, Mal's responsibilities are scavenging loot, repairing vehicles, and breaking
into secure doors. She buys a toolkit and the "tailored" upgrade so doesn't have to worry about the
noise. That's 7 bounty spent of her starting 10.
Nobody goes out in the Loss without a weapon. As much as Morgan liked the idea of
wrench fighting, a Tomahawk just sounds too cool. She spends a bounty to buy the weapon and
another to get the Sturdy upgrade.
Mal could really use a ranged weapon, but Morgan thinks she could scavenge one at some
point during the job. The only problem is avoiding a casualty bite in the meanwhile. After some
deliberation, Morgan spends another bounty on the "weighted" upgrade. She figures Mal can keep
her distance by throwing the Tomahawk if things get bad.

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 Owing to her scavenger tough spot, Mal has 10 more bounty to spend than the rest of her
crew. However, she's already up to 6 bounty in equipment upkeep (upgrades don't count towards
upkeep). That's without factoring in the 3 bounty needed for rent, food, and keeping Janice happy
and healthy. Morgan doesn't want to saddle her character with too much overhead before the game
even starts, so Mal banks the bounty for a rainy day.

Z3. Gear Packages

Don't want to dive into the full gear list yet? That's fine. Here are ten packages of gear and
upgrades designed for roles crews often need. Copy one over to your character sheet and get started.
All Takers start with a backpack and rations for free at character creation.

Z4. Grease Monkey

Built for: finding value, dismantling scrap, repairing salvage, and starting vehicles

Gear Effect
Toolkit Charges can be spent to aid Mechanics checks to
repair or dismantle simple equipment.
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy- • o Tailored: buys off the clunky quality
a-roll to aid check
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill
bonus

Gear Effect
Ubiq Specs Augmented Reality glasses with video, phone,
and web capabilities, operated with voice,
contact, or thumbpad commands
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional • o Optimized: buys off hungry quality
bonuses • o App: Apophenia Overlay: AR pattern
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one recognition provides +2 Scavenge
used
Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for
every installed app

Gear Effect
Shotgun Kill damage

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Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy- • o Military: buys of hungry
a-roll to aid check • o Slugs: add Stun and knockback to
Cumbersome: can't be quick drawn damage
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one • o Spread: spend a twitch action to deal
used damage to one adjacent target
Loud • o Tactical Sling: weapon can be quick
Mid-range drawn/buys off cumbersome

Z4. Manager
Built for: power negotiation, leadership, social engineering, communications.

Gear Effect
Club Stun damage
Upkeep Charges
1 for purchase purposes only OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Cumbersome: can't be quick drawn
Improvised: Refresh only with a successful
Scavenge check; no upkeep required
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll
Melee
Wear ‘n tear: one charge used on every success

Gear Effect
Laptop/Pad Serves as a platform for apps and Ubiq wifi
hotspot. Keyboard allows computer skills to be
performed as task action in combat
Upkeep Charges
3 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional • o Optimized: buys off hungry quality
bonuses • o App: Professionals EnMeshed: +2
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one Networking online
used • o App: BotSpammers: +2 Persuasion
Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for inside home enclave
every installed app • o App: DigDataDoug: +2 Research online
• o App: RecessionPunk: +2 Mechanics for
repairs and crafting

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 • o App: Blackstone: aggregates video and
audio feeds into a tactical network

Z4. Latent
Built for: infected melee, running point

Gear Effect
Flashlight Allows Awareness checks in darkness
Upkeep Charges
1 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional
bonuses
Fragile: breaks with a single hit or missed upkeep

Gear Effect
Carpet Gauntlets/Greaves Armors legs and arms (1-6) against casualty and
Vectors. No infection check for bites. Spend
charges to convert all Kill to Stun damage, or
spend charges to negate a single point of Stun
damage.
Upkeep Charges
4 for purchase purposes only OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun
damage, or spend charges to negate a single point
of Stun damage (casualties only)
Improvised: Refresh only with a successful
Scavenge check; no upkeep required

Gear Effect
Handgun Kill damage

Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy- • o Extended Magazine: Buys off hungry

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a-roll to aid check
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one
used
Loud
Short-Range

Gear Effect
Axe Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
1 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Cumbersome: can't be quick drawn • o Sturdy: Buys off wear ‘n tear
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll • o Weighted: Spend a Charge on the
Melee weapon for knockback
Wear ‘n tear: one charge used on every success

Z4. Tank
Build for: Melee, chokepoints, frontline casualty engagement

Gear Effect
Machete Kill damage

Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll • o Sturdy: Buys off wear ‘n tear
Melee
Wear ‘n tear: one charge used on every success

Gear Effect
Riot Shield Armors all locations except the head (1-9)
against Melee damage of all types, except
knockback. Spend one Charge every time
damage is absorbed by the shield. Melee attack
with the shield do Stun damage and knockback.
Upkeep Charges
4 for purchase purposes only OOOOOOOOOO

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Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to redirect damage to the
riot shield. Riot shield is immune to all damage
save knockback
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill
bonus
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no
upkeep after purchase
Melee
Specialized: (Melee: Shield)

Gear Effect
Chainmail Armors arms and torso (5-9) against Melee and
Unarmed attacks/ No infection checks for bites.
Upkeep Charges
3 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun
damage, or spend charges to negate a single point
of Stun damage (Melee and Unarmed only)
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill
bonus
Hampering: takes up one Haul and one Refresh
while equipped or carried

Z4. Medic
Build for: battlefield medicine, infection prevention and care

Gear Effect
Suppressin K-7864 Suppressin K-7864 is the only hope of someone
infected by the Blight. Once injected, the user
undergoes the agonizing process of becoming
Latent, even if not previously infected. This
change is permanent
Upkeep Charges
6 for purchase purposes only O
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional
bonuses
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no
upkeep after purchase

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Gear Effect
First Aid Kit Spend Charges to make a First Aid check on an
injured hit location of the player's choice.
Additional Charges add bonuses to the check.
Every point of Black can reduce a box of Kill to
Stun damage, or a box of Stun damage to healed.
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-
a-roll to aid check

Gear Effect
Handgun Kill damage

Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-
a-roll to aid check
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one
used
Loud
Short-Range

Z4. Scout
Built for: stealth, casualty avoidance, intelligence gathering and relay

Gear Effect
Scent Blocker Allows Stealth checks against casualties and
Vectors/ No CHA checks possible until
cleaned/ Requires a Self-Control: Stress test to
use
Upkeep Charges
3 for purchase purposes only OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-
a-roll to aid check
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no

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upkeep after purchase

Gear Effect
Binoculars Add +2 Awareness and Scavenging when
assessing Legs (outdoors)
Upkeep Charges
1 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Fragile: breaks with a single hit or missed upkeep
Static: no charges needed to use the item

Gear Effect
Handgun Kill damage

Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy- • o Extended Magazine: Buys off hungry
a-roll to aid check • o Silenced: Buys off loud
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one
used
Loud
Short-Range

Gear Effect
Ubiq Specs Augmented Reality glasses with video, phone,
and web capabilities, operated with voice,
contact, or thumbpad commands
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional
bonuses
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one
used
Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for
every installed app

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Z4. Sniper
Built for: overwatch, ranged attack, maximum damage

Gear Effect
Ubiq Specs Augmented Reality glasses with video, phone,
and web capabilities, operated with voice,
contact, or thumbpad commands
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional • o Optimized: buys off hungry quality
bonuses • o App: DeadEyes Hack: RFID sights
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one installed on a projectile weapon provide +2
used Shoot every time DeadEyes is used.
Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for
every installed app

Gear Effect
Heavy Rifle Kill and Stun damage (B1 would be 1 Kill and 1
Stun damage)

Upkeep Charges
5 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Extended Magazine: Buys off hungry
bonuses
Cumbersome: can't be quick drawn
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one
used
Loud
Long-range
Specialized: (Shoot: Heavy Rifles)

Z4. Techie
Built for: ariel surveillance, electronics salvage and repair, communications

Gear Effect
Drone Drones can fly, scout, deliver goods, and attack
autonomously or under remote piloting. Drones
use Profession: Drones for all skill checks

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Upkeep Charges
4 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Autonomous: drone operates off the owner's • o Surveillance Suite: drone provides +3
initiative. Drone performs one tactic or twitch as Awareness and Foresight when piloted
voice commanded by the owner's free action remotely
(Taker must be wearing mic relay that
accompanies drone)
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-
a-roll to aid check
Fragile: destroyed with Kill damage or missed
upkeep
Hampering: takes up one Haul and one Refresh
while equipped or carried (drone must be carried
when not flying)
Loud
Specialized: (Profession: Drones or applicable
skill as determined by Market)

Gear Effect
Electronics Kit Charges can be spent to aid Mechanics checks to
hack, repair, or craft upgrades for advanced
electronics out of scavenged parts
Upkeep Charges
3 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a-roll to aid check
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus

Gear Effect
Ubiq Specs Augmented Reality glasses with video, phone,
and web capabilities, operated with voice,
contact, or thumbpad commands
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional • o Optimized: buys off hungry quality
bonuses
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one
used

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Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for
every installed app

Z4. Hunter
Built for: movement, sustainability, efficiency, animal handling

Gear
Dog
Upkeep
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities
Autonomous: dog operates off the owner's
initiative. Dog performs one tactic or twitch as
ordered by the owner's free action.
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-
a-roll to aid check
Fragile: animal dies with Kill damage or missed
upkeep
Organic: Charges refreshed only with rations, and
destruction demands a crumbling Self-control
check.
Specialized: (Profession: Animal Handling or
applicable skill as determined by Market)
Effect
Dogs can perform all the actions of a highly-
trained dog. Dog's use the owner's Profession:
Animal Handling skill for all skill checks.
Actions resolve on the owner's initiative and take
up the owner's free action.
Charges
Upgrades
• o Attack Training: dog can perform a Kill
damage bite attack on uninfected targets
using the owner's Profession: Animal
Handling skill.
• o Hunter: the dog can hunt its own food
and refreshes like other gear rather than
eating rations
• o Instinct: dog's action no longer tied to
owner's initiative and triggers whenever
owner chooses to use that round's freebie.

Gear Effect
Bow and Quiver Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
1 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional • o Quiver Cap: Buys off clunky (arrows
bonuses don't rattle around)
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill • o RFID Arrows: +1 to Scavenge checks to
bonus recover arrows and arrows can now be
Cumbersome: can't be quick drawn tracked
Mid-Range
Single-Shot: costs a twitch use the next charge, a
task to reload the quiver
Specialized: (Shoot: Bow)

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Gear Effect
Bicycle Takers can make Athletics checks to escape Legs
of the journey, but encounters are still triggered.
Charges are lost when damaged.
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll • o Basket: add +1 to the Taker's Refresh
(Refresh = ADP)

Z4. Doorman
Built for: Casualty management, chokepoint control, breaking and entering

Gear Effect
Warhammer Kill and Stun damage (B1 would be 1 Kill and 1
Stun damage).
Upkeep Charges
2 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Cumbersome: can't be quick drawn • o Sturdy: buys off wear ‘n tear
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll
Melee
Wear ‘n tear: one Charge used on every success

Gear Effect
Lockpicker's Kit +1 Criminality for tests related to lockpicking
Upkeep Charges
3 OOOOOOOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy- • o Tailored: buys off the clunky quality
a-roll to aid check
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill
bonus

Gear Effect
DDJ's (Denial Door Jams) DDJs obstruct small passageways and doorways
with a tangle of carbon nanotube wires
explosively deployed around a central

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 plate/Close proximity detonation inflicts Kill
damage to all locations, or Kill damage to a
randomized location on multiple targets. All
victims considered grappled.
Upkeep Charges
3 for purchase purposes only OOOOO
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional
bonuses
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations, or
multiple targets
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no
upkeep after purchase
Loud

Z2. CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT

Character Advancement is achieved in the game like everything else: by spending bounty.
Time spent reading about or practicing a new skill uses resources and detracts from the everyday
tasks of maintaining an enclave. Bounty is spent on the material requirements of practice (i.e. ammo,
books, online courses, parts, battery life, etc.). Time not spent scavenging, performing maintenance,
or seeking employment costs bounty as well.
To advance a skill to +1 point, it costs 1 bounty. To advance skill to +2, it costs 2 bounty.
To +3, 3 bounty... and so on.
Each additional point of Potential costs 10 bounty each
All other bounty is either spent on upkeep, healing health, restoring Humanity, buying gear,
installing upgrades, or banking towards the retirement plan in campaign play.

Z2. Campaign Play

If the group is only playing a one-shot or trying out the system, character creation is done.
Extended play is called a campaign. Groups looking to play through a large series of jobs have two
additional steps: retirement plans and enclave generation.
Retirement plans provide characters with an exit strategy, long-term goal, and financial
means of visualizing personal development. Enclave generation places all the characters in a shared
community that they must fight both to protect and escape.
The Market is in negotiations with the players for both of these processes (see p. XX), but
everything players need to know can be found in this section.

Z3. Retirement Plans

Retirement plans are for long-term campaign play. For shorter games, feel free to make
characters that don't have retirement plans, or at least don't stat them out. It's fine for a one-shot
character to talk about her dream of one day founding her own enclave. It's not going to come up
again beyond this one job, so don't worry about it during character generation. However, a running
subplot in any campaign is just how expensive dreams can be to realize and the retirement plan
reflects that struggle in long-term play.
Takers don't want to do this forever. They can't. No matter how experienced, life in the Loss

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wears people thin. Wounds stack up. Emotional trauma strains relationships, making future
hardships all the more maddening. Clients take the bounty and run, leaving crews with dead friends
and nothing to show for it. In short, nobody's luck lasts forever. A bite still means a bullet and it
only takes one. The stress is omnipresent and shattering. People abrade. On a long enough timeline,
the Loss always wins. If it doesn't kill you, you'll wish it had.
The only thing that makes the job bearable is the hope it affords. A lot of enclavists are
going to die on the wrong side of the border. They might be felled by some long extinct disease or
dogpiled by Vectors in the next outbreak. Whatever does it, they'll never know another day without
the stench of death. They'll never be able to promise their kids a world without monsters. The most
they can look forward to eking-out just enough to keep being afraid and miserable.
But while the Taker life is awful, it pays. Takers can expect horror, pain, gnawing terror,
hopelessness, futility... and fat stacks of bounty. The careful and the lucky can survive long enough
to beat the odds and cash out. The legendary Takers aren't the ones that took down the most
Casualties or pulled the biggest jobs... they're the ones that smuggled their families to the land of hot
showers, clean clothes, and safety.
Any Taker worth his salt has a retirement plan. The ones without an exit strategy haven't
been over the fence yet, or they've been over one too many times.

Z4. Lost for Life

Some players might not want to make a retirement plan for campaign play, either. That's fine
so long as the player realizes that, without a retirement plan, the character is doomed and knows it. A
campaign character without a retirement plan is considered "lost for life." Perhaps they've fooled
themselves that they'll get around to it one day, or maybe they have a legitimate deathwish.
Whatever the reason, Takers without a retirement plans endlessly grind away in the carrion economy
until their Humanity, health, or luck runs out.
Still, it can be narratively interesting to have a lifer amongst a crew where everyone else is
just trying to get out. As Takers fulfill their retirement plans and head to safety, roleplay the heart-
wrenching goodbyes. If they reenter the game as new Takers, the "Lost for life" character faces
harder and harder Self-Control checks as more fresh-faces pass on the march towards the grave.

Z4. Components of a Plan

Retirement plans are about safety: for the Taker and any Dependents. Players can plan and
save for whatever they feel meets that goal. What follows are the components of a successful
retirement plan in the broadest possible terms. For those that want more detailed description and
some inspiration, check out "Uniform Plans" on p. XX.

Removal from Danger = Removal from the Game

Characters that retire are out of the game. They no longer go out on jobs. This could be
because they've smuggled their whole family into the Recession, become the leader of a new enclave,
stocked an isolationist compound atop a mountain, founded a management company for multiple
Taker groups, etc. Regardless, nobody that retires is going to come back. A quiet life free from the
dangers of being eaten, infected, and shot was the only reason to be a Taker in the first place.
Retired characters can stay in contact as References, but that's it.
Keep in mind: just because characters have enough bounty to retire doesn't mean they have
to pay the bill instantly. Takers can choose to sit on their escape plan until the rest of the crew can
afford to get out too. But the Casualties don't care that you have a mansion waiting for you in
Florida. Those that keep playing the Loss are still subject to its cruel twists of fate. The he-was-two-
days-from-retirement cliché isn't as funny when you could have been sipping scotch instead of

73
getting your face eaten off.

Dreams and Central Motivation

Characters good enough to survive as Takers are skilled enough to earn a safe living inside
an enclave. But that's it – just a living. Most enclaves survive by the work-or-die philosophy. Rations
earned must be split between the worker and any Dependents unable to care for themselves. Don't
expect vacation, or benefits, or mercy if anybody gets too sick to work. Workers that never venture
into the Loss trade all their freedom, hope, and joy for the privilege of security.
Everyone else is willing to cower and pray for someone else to come save them. But Takers
fight for hope every day, tooth-and-claw. They literally find life as an enclave slave scarier than the
myriad of deaths promised by the Loss. A good retirement plan needs to be more than a financial
goal. It's the central motivation and driving force in the Taker's life.

Naming Successors
A player that retires has the right to name their replacement in the crew. It could be one of
their References, an NPC from earlier in the campaign, or a completely new character. They can also
gift the new player any gear they want, but it's up to the new Taker to pay for the upkeep.

Milestones
Getting out of the Loss is a step-by-step process. Each retirement plan is made up of smaller
milestones that the player must purchase and roleplay. For instance, Dono can't just whisk his family
away to the Recession and live happily ever after: they need forged papers, smugglers to get them
across the border, a place to live on the other side, etc.
Players save up for each milestone. The default cost of milestone is 20 bounty, but it can be
more or less depending on the Market's quote (see below). Once a milestone is reached, the
character's next vignette is dedicated to roleplaying it out. The financial reality gets played out in the
narrative world.

Long-term Investment
A Taker's retirement plan doubles as a savings account. If the character comes up short on
upkeep that week, they can raid their retirement plan if they're willing to risk a Self-Control check
against Stress. Retirement plans can be changed at any time, but any milestones reached go away
once plans shift. Changing plans after reaching a milestone also requires a Self-Control check.
Nothing threatens Stress quite like watching hard-earned bounty frittered away on a distraction.

Market Quotes
The standard retirement plan is three milestones long and costs 20 per milestone. But players
might have extravagant retirement plans, or the Market might want to run a shorter campaign. In
these instances, the player and the Market work together to customize a retirement plan. A Market
can never dictate a retirement plan or its milestones to a player, but the Market does get to negotiate
price of those milestones, depending on what's been planned for the campaign's length.

Z4. Uniform Plan

It may be free from the Blight, but the Recession is far from perfect. Smart Takers don't just
jump the fence into a refugee camp. Nobody wants to risk the undead only to get enslaved, killed, or
exploited like every other sap. The Loss is as often a resource as an executioner, and most risk
sticking around long enough to make a safe place for themselves on the other side. A house, a
straight job, legitimacy – such modest dreams seem downright grandiose when you're out on a job.

74
As such, most retirement plans have the same simple milestones.
If a player doesn't have a clear idea for a different path to retirement, use the milestones
detailed below. Players can adjust or switch as they refine character concepts, or they can stick to the
Uniform Plan and still expect an eventful, personal narrative in campaign play.

Get Papers
Anyone with some luck and the cover of night can hop a border into the Recession. But
everyone caught out in the Loss is homo sacor: legally dead. For the audacity of surviving in the
wasteland, the reward is a total surrender of all rights and protection under the law. Those caught
back in civilization without proper identification can be robbed and killed with impunity... and that's
just what the neighbors do. Law enforcement and the military shoot on sight for the crime of giving
the proles hope their families might be alive out there.
Staying in the Recession for any amount of time is going to require forged documents and
that means getting in touch with criminal elements. Fraud is as illegal as it is common; quality IDs
require a combination of identity theft, social engineering, and bribes, all of which are expensive.
The first milestone requires working with a Valet or other criminal faction to secure forged papers.

Get a Safe House

Legitimacy only gets people past checkpoints; documents don't keep them warm and fed.
Takers and their Dependents need a place to stay while they get on their feet in the Recession. A
generous gift of bounty can alleviate the burden of feeding and clothing new refugees, but the risk of
harboring quarantine violators is omnipresent for a citizen. One noisy neighbor can see a Good
Samaritan enslaved to a work gang or exiled to the Loss. As if that weren't enough to strain trust,
stories of betrayal are common on both sides of the divide. Many Takers have sent their families
ahead to a safe haven only to find out their loved ones arrived at the dens of human traffickers.
Bounty isn't enough when establishing a safe house; both the Taker and the citizen have to
trust each other completely. Bridging the gap of resentment and misunderstanding between the Lost
and citizens requires more than contracts; each party must owe the other a blood debt. The Taker
needs to contact and roleplay out a scene with an estranged loved one or friend living in the
Recession, convincing them to take on the risk of harboring their Dependents.

Get to Safety
Takers have to hop fences all the time to bid for jobs in the Recession. But running the
border is one thing if you're a hardened veteran, quite another if you're a soft enclavist that hasn't
seen wasteland since the Crash. Organizing transport, hiring smugglers, bribing guards – all of it
takes bounty and, more importantly, luck. Protecting Dependents from the cruelty of the Loss is the
reason most people get into this job, but a Taker can't shelter family forever. They'll have to survive
at least one mission out in the wilds before they're quit of the nightmare forever.
This final milestone sees the Taker negotiating safe transport for Dependents, removing
them from the enclave and limiting the Taker to online contact for the remainder of the game.

Z4. Mr. JOLS

JOLS... that son of a bitch. So tempting, but such a bastard.
JOLS is a Taker acronym for Just One Last Score. It represents the all too common occurrence
of a Taker saving up enough for their retirement plan, going out on one last job, and getting killed.
A retirement plan represents safety, but that's it. It's still just enough to get established
somewhere safe, not nearly enough to thrive. Nobody that funded a retirement plan and left that
same day ever sent their kids to college. They still work 6 to 7 days a week managing an enclave

75
business or working boring-ass Recession service jobs. Younger Takers will deride them as citizens
or 'clave trash and that happy ending isn't enough for some after years suffering invested in the
Loss.
So every Taker has, hiding in the back of the mind, an idea for Just One Last Score. A plan
so crazy, so lucrative, that it would set them up for life. JOLS can do more than establish a meager
enclave; he can make it a self-sufficient beacon of the Loss. JOLS can not only buy children out of
Free Parking ghetto; he can set them up in a new house and enroll them in a private school. JOLS
always has enough left over to invest – to ensure that nothing short of another apocalypse ever
forces the Taker to risk death for a few bounty ever again. A retirement plan buys some security, but
Mr. JOLS buys power.
He will also likely kill your ass. Mr. JOLS is saved until the very end of the game because he's
dangerous as hell. There's a reason no one has gone after the Score already, after all: the competition
is too sane or too dead. It's dangerous to get rich quick and attempts can get everybody killed.
In mechanical terms, JOLS occur after a character has paid for their Retirement Plan. If the
player doesn't want to just gracefully bow out of the Red Markets, chasing Mr. JOLS is an extremely
dangerous job that constitutes the character's farewell from the campaign (one way or the other).
The Score itself is proposed by the retiring character using the In-Character Collaborative
Method (see p. XX), but instead of rotating element proposals, the player of the retiring character
starts every round. The other difference is that the Market can add ANY number of complications
for the job in keeping with the Golden Rule (Reward = Risk). Betrayals, Aberrants, Stampedes,
Snowstorms, DHQS death squads – it's all fair game.
Chasing Mr. JOLS is very lucrative, but it's just as likely to get everyone killed. Every
experienced Taker knows this, and for every success story on the LifeLines there are ten tales of
tragic massacre. It's the responsibility of the player to convince the group, in character, to help with
the plan. If everyone agrees and the elements are decided, the group is committed. The Market goes
home and writes up the adventure. Next session, the group tries to pull off the job of their lives...
maybe literally.
The payoff is always higher than usual for the group: the crew helping out in a Mr. JOLS
always gets paid expenses and incidentals. This means that any equipment owned at the start of the
job – plus any bounty spend after the job to heal health, replace gear, or regain Humanity – is
compensated by the proceeds of the job. Otherwise, the rest of the crew doesn't profit from the
task. They literally risk their lives, but that's it. Any bounty found on Legs of the journey is split
amongst the unretired crew.
The retiring Taker, on the other hand, earns a fortune in finder's fees. The bounty earned in
a successful Mr. JOLS can't be expressed as a number; it's a life of luxury and ease. But it's also
motive for murder. If Mr.JOLS is caught and doesn't kill everyone, there is one more scene to play
out: does the crew say goodbye, or does one of them try to steal the golden ticket for themselves?

Z4. Tontines
The thought of leaving the game because a retirement plan has been funded isn't appealing
for some players. While it makes sense that the character would want to leave the Loss behind and
never look back, retiring a well-established character because of success can feel like undeserved
punishment. For groups that don't find a cycling roster of Takers fun, it's suggested the group invest
in a tontine.
In reality, a tontine is an annuity scheme in which a large sum is invested using the funds
from a number of investors, but no one is given authority to control the account. The interest
accrues, incapable of withdrawal, until the last surviving member is granted ownership of the whole
account. In Red Markets, an 'tontine' is just a way of saying 'group retirement plan.' It means all the

76
Takers have formed camaraderie through mutual suffering. They've come to agreement that,
regardless of circumstance, they are going to cash out together. Everyone gets rich, or everyone dies
trying.
In game terms, this means that milestones are bought off for individual Takers as they
become funded – just like regular retirement plans – but nobody leaves the Loss until everyone is
ready to go after Mr. JOLS. Those that fund their retirement milestones early find it in their best
interest to float loans to their lagging comrades. After all, every job spent waiting for their peers to
catch up risks life and limb.
In narrative terms, a tontine demands a foreshadowing scene. The Market explains that the
group has a plan – a daring, audacious plan that could get them all killed. Every member is smart
enough to know that such a huge payday would be suicidal, but they're equally aware that they're not
going to be able to resist the temptation. Players give the Mr. JOLS job a name: something vague
and evocative like "Operation Curtain" or "The Money Order." No details beyond the name need to
be decided. Once the tontine is titled, the Market starts the first scene of the campaign right after the
plan has been decided upon, at the moment each member of the crew must agree to go through
with it. The PCs roleplay their oath with the rest of the team, and the foreboding presence of the
tontine now hovers in the background of every job.
Actually planning the tontine early is not advisable. A lot of changes can occur in a
campaign, and it’s unlikely the plan would hold up over extended play. Rather, when the time comes,
have the group generate a Score normally (see p.XX), but know the name beforehand. Thus, every
time a PC refers to "Lotto Ticket," the idea of the job takes an increasingly mythic significance in the
campaign.
When one of the Takers cracks, his buddies calm him down by talking about that bar their
going to open with the Lotto Ticket. Mal may have accidentally shot an innocent man, but the Lotto
Ticket can buy a lot of forgetting. Just hold on. Just one more job, one more day, one more slogging
step through the blood and offal...

Z3. Enclave Generation

A crew needs a home. Every Taker is based out of an enclave: a large community of
survivors self-organized for defense and economic diversity in the wake of the Crash. The more
submissive (or sane) members of the community accept their subsistence living and keep the home
fire burning while Takers gamble their lives on the other side of the fence.
In one-shot play, the Market can have the characters be one of the few outfits that operate
from a small compound, or the group could be based out of one of the major enclaves described in
"The Loss" (see p. XX).
But in extended play, it is important to give players influence over where their characters
live. The enclave is their customer base, home, fortress, and burden all rolled into one. Their actions
as Takers can bring both prestige and calamity upon the rest of the community. The enclave itself is
a recurring character in any campaign, serving alternatively as ally, antagonist, and prop. In short,
everyone is going to want to make sure they find the enclave interesting.
Generating a city of survivors is a group process that the Market facilitates. The input comes
from everyone at the table. Players answer the Market's questions, hashing out any disagreements
out-of-character or letting the dice decide.
For information on generating an enclave for extended play, see "Enclave Generation" on
p.XX.

Z2. PREGENS

77
 Example characters, likely to be done in InDesign

78
Z1. Upkeep: Paying the Bills
Everything costs in Red Markets. There's no such thing as enough. There is no stability.
You're either getting fat or wasting away. Feeling flush or bleeding out. Growth or atrophy.
Upkeep is what a Taker has to pay to get by until the next job comes along. If there's bounty
left over, it can purchase better gear, invest in a retirement plan, or improve skills. If coffers run dry,
Takers find their gear busted, their Dependents desperate, and the enclave pointing towards the
door. Calculating and controlling upkeep is vital if a crew expects to turn a profit, and a Taker's
personal upkeep informs the severity of the risks the Loss demands.
This section is about the factors that affect upkeep and its uses in the game. Follow the
directions and record the accounting for each character on the Character Sheet (p.XX)

Z2. Three Calculations: Sustenance, Maintenance, and Incidentals

Upkeep is calculated three ways.

Sustenance
Sustenance upkeep is just what it sounds like: the bounty a Taker needs to survive. Failing to
meet this minimum upkeep has serious repercussions on the Taker's health and relationships. The
day-to-day motivations of a Red Markets character are entirely wrapped up in this number, so it's
used to calculate the "break point" on the Crew Sheet and plays a major role in contract
negotiations.

Maintenance
Maintenance upkeep is required if the Taker is to avoid all hardship between jobs. It
accounts for the character's current equipment, desired upgrades, and time spent improving skills or
improving Potentials. Failing to meet the required bounty for maintenance might mean the Taker
has to give up some equipment, go without, or stagnate professionally. But lean times are common
in the carrion economy. Takers can't expect to meet maintenance upkeep with every contract, but
they sure as hell try.

Incidentals
Incidentals can't be calculated before a job like sustenance and maintenance. These costs
accrue as the Loss wears away at the character. Bounty can be pulled from savings to help heal a
Taker's body and mind, but many a crew has burned their entire profit paying incidental costs. It's
possible to neglect Incidental upkeep for a time, but it always means the Taker is a greater risk out in
the field.

SIDEBAR: Using the Bank in One-Shots

For short games, the banking part of the character sheet is unnecessary. In fact, upkeep can
be tracked in a myriad of other ways. There's a place for recording upkeep in each item slot on the
inventory page. Healing can be tracked on the hit boxes. Humanity has its own track. As long as the
player knows the cost for each operation, it's pretty easy to deduct bounty on the fly and keep all the
numbers straight.
But being a Taker means being proactive. No one survives the zombie apocalypse without
some forward thinking. The bank is on the character sheet to help visualize financial planning the
player might need to do. It's very simple; whenever a character gets bounty, it gets recorded in the
bank box. If that bounty gets invested in a retirement plan, it gets recorded on the milestone it's
saving for and can't be moved back to the bank without the Self-Control check required. Bounty

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from the bank can also be saved in any of three upkeep accounts (sustenance, maintenance, and
incidentals) and kept in reserve for those expenses.
There's nothing stoping a player from taking directly from the bank pool, maintaining gear
and healing damage directly. The bank on the character sheet visualizes where the bounty is being
spent for players that need the graphic organizer.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. Bust Rule: No Budget, No Buy

In Red Markets, wealth is a source of constant anxiety. Having it, not having it – doesn't
matter. When living on the razor's edge, it's more comforting to have something go reliably wrong
than encounter an unexpected blessing.
The No Budget; No Buy (NBNB) rule only applies in extended play, and, considering the
level of difficulty it adds to the game, it might not be appropriate for all groups. Essentially, the rule
demands that players need budget all their bounty before they leave for the job. Here's how the "No
Budget; No Buy" rule works.
When playing NBNB, eliminate the bounty bank from the character sheet. Now, Takers can
only possess bounty in two ways: in a budget, or in a retirement plans.
So, anything that needs to be spent on sustenance, maintenance, or incidentals must be
budgeted before the characters leave for the job. Budget 4 bounty for Healthcare but come through
the job unscathed? Well, like a lot of people trapped in poverty, the Taker treats that windfall as
"free money" and blows it. It goes away. The player can narrate the character frittering away the
funds however they wish, but the bounty is lost. It's not spent on skills or gear; it's blown. Any
Humanity regained by the splurge is balanced by the guilt that follows.
Budget nothing for Healthcare and get torn up? The Taker can pull that bounty from the
retirement plan and nowhere else (the bank doesn't exist anymore, remember). As is always the case,
withdrawing from a retirement plan causes a Self-control check against Stress. Every incidental cost
and unplanned expense is a tangible reminder of how far the character is from escape.
Basically, in NBNB games, Takers either lose bounty by not budgeting enough towards
savings (just like most people's real-life finances), or they lose sleep over everything taking away
from their savings (just as real-life finances damages Humanity). The only way to protect the
character against lost profit and psychological damage is to perfectly predict the next job's expenses
and earn enough to cover it.
No Budget, No Buy makes Red Markets substantially harder in the long-term, so it may not
be for groups that aren't running a Bust mode campaign (see "Boom vs. Bust" p.XX). It also
increases the importances of book keeping in the campaign; groups that don't like the idea of doing
such calculations before the job should ignore the rule and use the bank normally. However, NBNB
drives home the game's them of economic horror exceptionally well and presents the players with a
unique challenge akin to investing in stocks for PC futures.

SIDEBAR: Why use No Budget, No Buy?

In terms of story, the No Budget, No Buy rule represents one of the psychological tortures
unique to poverty. Anyone that's grown up poor can attest that it does strange things to one's
relationship to the very idea of money. The anxiety when things are tight doesn't go away when
faced with a windfall. In fact, it gets worse. For those caught in cycles of generational poverty,
wealth's only perceived purpose is to keep the plates of disaster spinning. Having money means
more is going to go wrong; the idea of capital sticking around and accumulating seems, after so
many years barely scraping by, simply absurd.

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 For those caught up in the logic of the vicious cycle, the only way to get any enjoyment out
of a sudden surplus is to spend as quickly as possible, draining the coffers before some tragedy does
it first. So, for instance, you waste that tax refund on a fancy TV before your car breaks down and
"steals" it.
This is a stupid, superstitious way of thinking. But what those that haven't lived through it
don't realize is that everyone realizes how backwards such thinking is, especially the people trapped in
the lower classes. Realization doesn't stop the irrational thoughts. Consider how many people still
knock on wood, throw salt over their shoulders, or perform other superstitious actions despite being
normally rational humans. Or compare the concept to addiction: most addicts are aware what is and
isn't good for them, but putting that knowledge into practice is a struggle they are losing.
So, no, realizing that money isn't a resource to be spent immediately least it be lost to
disaster doesn't stop the irrational certainty that the world works exactly in such a manner. The only
thing such a realization does achieve is making a person feel like shit.
And that's why poverty is so nefarious: it never stops accusing its victims of causing their
own suffering. Spend big for a little relief? "No wonder your life is in such shambles," say the
oppressor and oppressed alike. Resist the temptation and save? The temptation is still there, nagging
at you, waiting for you to succumb and make this moment of self-denial pointless. Meanwhile,
whatever work you do for the money only seems that much more unbearable and pointless.
Now imagine that, on top of all this anxiety, zombies were trying to eat you. That's what the
No Budget, No Buy does to a character.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. Sustenance
Sustenance upkeep is easy to calculate. The total is derived from survival, rent, and
Dependents. The quick way to calculate sustenance is count the number of Dependents + 2. That's
the amount of bounty owed.
Survival costs one bounty per Taker and is self-explanatory: food, water, clothing, heat, etc.
Takers that can't afford this bounty starve to death in the enclave streets as their neighbors pretend
not to see. Fellow Takers can float them a loan to get them through the hard times, but only if they
have the bounty to spare.
Rent has to be paid to the enclave. Takers actually have to pay far less than most residents,
and a single bounty secures shelter for the Taker and any Dependents. This discount is in
consideration of the dangers Takers encounter daily and the trade they bring to the community. But
too many people resent Takers as reckless thugs. No enclave can get away with charging them
nothing and remain politically stable. Failing rent means the Taker has to live off the Loss until the
next job comes around. Even if they manage to escape the mortal dangers outside the fence, the
psychological damage of living like a hunted animal for weeks takes a serious toll.
Finally, Dependents need to be supported if they are to remain a source of stability in a
Taker's life. The single bounty that a Taker pays for each Dependent covers that NPC's survival,
rent, and other expenses. The consequences of failing to support Dependents aren't immediate, but
they can be quite serious (see p.XX).
Sustenance upkeep ends up being about the same for most characters: 3-6 bounty per Taker,
depending on how many Dependents need to be supported.

Z2. Maintenance
Like everything else in Red Markets, becoming a better Taker costs. Guns don't regrow
bullets like fruit. Batteries don't magically charge. Paying maintenance upkeep refreshes the charges

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on gear in-between sessions, but that's only the beginning.
Equipment, skills, Potential – everything necessary to remain effective in the field requires
bounty, which is the only reason to risk the Loss in the first place. After meeting their sustenance
upkeep, players have to budget between saving towards their retirement plan and increasing the
character's effectiveness. Invest too heavily in gear and the Taker becomes a lifer, despairing at the
thought of ever escaping the grind, waiting for the inevitable day when preparedness isn't enough to
trump bad luck. In contrast, those that think solely in the long-term rarely stay alive long enough to
see it.
Maintenance upkeep is the price of everything on a character's wish list. It can be met,
partially met, exceeded, or completely unpaid, all with various consequences. It has no direct effect
on contract negotiations unless "Expenses" are paid, but knowing the number at the outset helps
players roleplay better decisions for their characters. But, unlike a lot of RPGs, no one in Red
Markets is rewarded in experience for merely showing up. Everyone pays to get better. Hell,
everyone pays to stay the same. Takers that fail to invest in themselves get ground into dust by the
slow, scraping misery of the Loss.
The following is what Takers consider when calculating maintenance.

Z3. Equipment Upkeep

Every piece of gear has an upkeep cost, represented by the number listed in its stat block. To
refresh charges in-between sessions and prevent upgrades from being lost due to malfunction
(p.XX), a Taker must pay that much in bounty. If the gear is "fed" its upkeep in bounty, it gets
refreshed and remains in working order. The refresh earned in-between sessions doesn't cost any of
the Taker's refresh points, slotted through their ADP Potential.
The total upkeep cost of all owned equipment is added together to calculate the equipment
cost. If a group can manage to push up to the "Expenses" level on negotiations, the combined
equipment cost of the whole group gets added into the contract (see "Negotiations" p.XX). Or, for
simplicities sake, Market's can waive upkeep costs for that session and the effect is the same. Either
way, players should factor in equipment costs regardless of whether or not they are using the NBNB
rule. The price of equipment upkeep always has an effect on the game.
Failing upkeep on gear has consequences ranging from mild to severe (see p.XX). But,
though a jammed gun could mean death in the field, gear upkeep is still nonessential and doesn't
factor into the characters break point. Gear can malfunction and a job can still get done. The short-
term demands of a Taker's survival and the needs of Dependents always take precedence.

Z3. Purchases
Upgrades that are purchased after character creation cost 1 bounty a piece. Each is recorded
in the appropriate box on the stat block, along with any notes the player needs as to their function.
Upgrades are one-time costs: they don't add to upkeep overall, but they can be lost if upkeep isn't
paid and a malfunction occurs (see "Upkeep" p.XX)
Players purchase gear by successfully making a Networking check to find someone selling
that piece of gear and paying upkeep x2. Consider the upkeep on purchased equipment as paid until
the end of the next job.
Whether buying new gear or improving it, the total cost gets put into the purchases category.
If using the NBNB rule, these costs must be calculated before the Takers leave for a job. Otherwise,
this box can go blank and the cost of improvement can be paid directly from the bank.

Z3. Professional Development

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 The amount of bounty a character wants to spend improving skills and Potentials is called
Professional Development (Pro. Dev.) If using the NBNB rule, these costs must be calculated
before a mission. Otherwise, this box can go blank and the cost of improvement can be paid directly
from the bank.
Economists would describe the cost of improving a character as opportunity cost. The time
spent reading about or practicing a new skill uses resources and distracts from the everyday tasks of
maintaining an enclave; it is time not spent on activities that would be more profitable in the short
term. The cost represents the material requirements of practice (i.e. ammo, books, online courses,
parts, battery life, etc.) and the wasted time that could have been spent scavenging, performing
maintenance, or seeking other employment.
To advance a skill to +1 point, it costs 1 bounty. To advance skill to +2, it costs 2 bounty.
To +3, 3 bounty... and so on.
Each additional point of Potential costs 10 bounty each.
If some professional development can be afforded, players may narrate the out-of-game
montage of activities leading to the character's growth however they wish, or they can just leave it
unspoken. Alternately, the Market might suggest roleplaying a "tutoring session" with one of the
character's References.

Z2. Incidentals
Incidentals can't be fully planned for – no one musters the courage to step outside the fence-
line without suppressing some imagined consequences. But self-deception doesn't change anything;
the Loss always collects its tax in pain.
Incidental costs arise when things go wrong. Fail a check and need to use a favor? That's
going to cost later. Get your arm munched on by a casualty? That'll need a doctor. See something
out there that haunts your dreams forever? Drinking to forget may be the only option, but that
booze won't be free.
It's possible to save up for incidentals or ignore them, for a time, but if maintenance is how
characters grow stronger, ignoring Incidental upkeep too long is how they wither and die.

Z3. Healthcare
Healing damage depends on the type and where it is located (see "Combat" p.XX). Some in-
game healing can be handled using First Aid checks and supplies (see p.XX), but the number of hit
boxes that can be healed are limited. Healing between jobs works differently.
For free, any Taker can erase all Stun damage from a single hit location. Healing Stun
damage in multiple locations requires extra rest: erasing additional Stun damage costs 1 bounty's per
additional location beyond the free heal. So, for example, Mal could erase 19 boxes of Stun damage from
her torso for free between jobs, but getting rid of the additional 1 Stun in her arm and the 1 Stun in
her leg would cost 2 bounty.
Kill damage is something else entirely. Lacerations, gashes, punctures, breaks, toxins, disease
– these conditions require careful monitoring by experts even once the healing process has begun,
more if the Taker has suffered enough to endure a status effect such as winged, lamed, maimed, or
hobbled. Most existing enclaves have doctors and surgeons merely because those without them long
ago died off, but they don't work for free.
Healing a status effect costs 1 bounty, but it doesn't erase any Kill damage. Converting all
Kill damage in a location to Stun costs 1 bounty, but it's limited to one location at a time. Finally, if a
doctor has to risk infection by working on a Latent individual, it costs an extra bounty for hazard
pay. After all that, healing Stun damage works the same as above.

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 Let's say Mal has a really bad day of work. Her left leg was maimed in the field and she
almost bleed out. She also took a nasty blow to the head from that crazy raider's crowbar, leaving
her head filled with an 8 box mixture of Kill and Stun damage. Now safe and convalescing back at
the enclave, Mal's on the mend. She pays Maggie Sawbones one bounty to remove the hobbled
effect from her left leg and another to convert all the Kill damage in her leg to Stun. Mal uses her
free heal to remove all the Stun damage from her leg. Her head is still pretty hurt, but she's only got
one bounty left. Mal converts the Kill damage in her head to Stun. That's all she can afford; she'll
have to go back to work feeling concussed and with two black eyes.

SIDEBAR: "Healing Cheat Sheet"

Healing Services in between Jobs bounty

Heal all Stun damage in one location Free
Heal all Stun damage in an additional location 1 per additional location
Hire a doctor to cure a status effect 1 per location
Hire a doctor to convert all Kill damage to Stun 1 per location
Convince a doctor to work on a Latent 1 bounty

END SIDEBAR

SIDEBAR: "But healthcare is a Right!"

Get real, hippy.
Big sections of the world outside this book are perfectly fine with letting people die for no
other reason than they're poor. In Red Markets, where starvation and violent death are slightly more
prevalent than the modern United States, no one with a skill as valuable as medicine can afford to
work for free. That's why healthcare is on the advancement side of upkeep; people work while hurt
and sick all the time. Feel however you wish about it while the world continues to murder you
apathetically. Being healthy remains a privilege.
What if another character might have the medical skills necessary to heal teammates beyond
battlefield trauma? Maybe they could work pro bono? Well, who is going to pay for the bandages?
For the salvaged or smuggled antibiotics? Asking a medical character to heal you for free basically
means asking them to pay the fees for you; very few healers are callous enough to charge for labor
during the apocalypse anyway. Maybe the team could salvage the supplies themselves, but that
means they aren't selling them to keep their own families healthy.
It's economics. It's omnipresent and inescapable. Deal with it... or don't. It doesn't matter to
anyone but you.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Humanity
If physical health isn't a free, mental health is a downright luxury.
Humanity tracks the ways in which the Loss shreds the emotional well-being of all those it
touches (see "Humanity" p.XX). But few things are as frustrating and difficult as healing the mind,
and no psychologist is trained to fight continual trauma on a quasi-apocalyptic scale. The ability to
regain Humanity is limited.

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 Dependents are a great resource for recovering Humanity at a discount, but like everything
else, staying human ultimately costs bounty. Nothing about the work of a Taker is soothing and
recovering from Detachment, Trauma, and Stress requires time off. That time costs in lost wages.
The rules for recovering Humanity are simple: one bounty recovers one Humanity. There
are no "free" recoveries outside those provided by Dependents. No one may recover Humanity past
the last Regret they suffered. There's no coming back from some things.
Keep in mind that maintaining the sanity of a Taker isn't the only concern – those
Dependents may be suffering too and straining relationships. One bounty per game is set aside for
the sustenance cost of every NPC in the Taker's care, but extra attention for neglected loved ones is
just that: extra. For accounting purposes, healing relationships with Dependents for previously failed
upkeep counts as additional Humanity incidentals.

Z3. Favors
It's a really, really bad idea to screw over one's professional contacts out in the Loss, but if
comes down to having enough to eat or not returning a call, there isn't much contest. Bounty paid in
time or crypt keeps References available for favors, but it's possible to survive without them for a
short time. That's why repaying References is calculated as an incidental. In NBNB, repaying favors
calls for Self-Control checks unless the Taker planned for the possibility of needing help.

Z2. Calculating Personal Upkeep

Calculate personal upkeep on the character sheet. From there, transfer each character's break
point to the Crew Sheet. This speeds up calculating the price of contracts considerably once the
game reaches negotiations.
If using the No Budget, No Buy rule (p.XX), players will also want to transfer their projected
earnings so the crew can seek out the job that best fits their needs.
How do we calculate all these numbers? It's easy. Red Markets may be a game of economic
horror, but it is not an exercise in arithmetic. Nothing about upkeep is more complicated than
simple addition and subtraction, and the sums are easily adjusted on the fly.
For the remainder of this chapter, the core rules that ignore the No Budget, No Buy option
will be referred to as "simple." Anything that explains how to use the optional rule will be marked
"NBNB."

Z3. Determine Sustenance

Order of Operations: Sustenance (simple and NBNB):

1. Add one bounty for survival. Record this under "Survival."

2. Add one bounty for rent. Record this under "Rent."
3. Add one bounty per Dependent. Record this under "Dependents."

That's it for sustenance. Any additional upkeep is calculated elsewhere. All boxes in the
sustenance row get added together to form that Taker's break point.
Record the break point on the Crew Sheet, add it together with the others, and calculate the
crew's break point for the purposes of negotiations. That number is now the low end of acceptable
payment before the Taker's start really hurting.

Z3. Determine Maintenance

Order of Operations: Maintenance (Simple):

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 1. Add up the upkeep for all existing gear. Record this under "Equipment." Record the
Taker's equipment costs on the Crew sheet to calculate the whole group's equipment
upkeep. This number is every crew's aspiration; beyond this number, profit is almost
assured.

If the group isn't using the NBNB rule, all the bookkeeping is now done. The player can
continue planning out expenses using the tools on the character sheet, but it’s just as easy to pay any
other costs out of the bounty bank.
If the group does employ the NBNB rule, a few more steps are required.

Order of Operations: Maintenance (NBNB):

1. Add up the upkeep for all existing gear. Record this under "Equipment." Record the
Taker's equipment costs on the Crew Sheet to calculate the whole group's
equipment upkeep. This number is every crew's aspiration; beyond this number,
profit is almost assured.
2. Add up the cost of any upgrades the Taker plans to add to preowned gear. Record
this under "Purchases."
3. If the Market says there is a source, add up the cost (upkeep x2) of any new gear the
Taker plans to purchase. Add this to "Purchases."
4. If spending bounty to improve skills or Potential, determine the cost. Record this
number under "Pro. Dev." This bounty can't be spent until after the contract where
the spending was planned.
5. If there isn't enough bounty to meet all the costs, pick and choose which items will
have to wait until later. The Market rolls a malfunction check for any gear that
doesn't meet upkeep (see "Malfunctions" p.XX).

Z3. Determine Incidentals

Order of Operations: Incidentals (Simple)
In the simple version of upkeep, one doesn't need to plan for incidentals. The costs still need
to be paid at the end of the session, but there is no penalty for doing so beyond the bounty lost.
There's also no need to use the accounting area of the character sheet to track the costs. Anything
that might result in incidental costs is tracked elsewhere on the character sheet (hit boxes, Humanity
threats, References, etc). Spend bounty to erase physical damage, heal Humanity, and rebuild
strained relationships with References.

Order of Operations: Incidentals (NBNB)

Spending on incidentals needs to be predicted – accurately – to avoid wasted bounty or
damaging Stress. The accounting area on the second page of the character sheet is where players bet
against their Taker's continued health, happiness, and good reputation.

With either rule set, if there isn't enough bounty for incidentals left at the end of a job,
prepare to suffer the consequences of those burdens during the next contract.

Z3. Calculate Projected Earnings

Projected earnings are only useful if the group uses the NBNB rule.

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 Once all sustenance, maintenance, and incidental costs are listed, add every number in the
account section up to come up with the projected earnings for that Taker. Then, add each Taker's
projected earnings together to form the crew's combined projected earnings and record that number
on the Crew Sheet.
The projected earnings of the crew is the bounty the job must earn if the Taker's are going
to get everything they want. Anything over that number is either thrown into retirement (if the
Taker bet low on incidental costs and was right), or frittered away (if the Taker bet high on
incidentals and was wrong). The crew now has a number they need to come back home with, or
else.
Projected earnings serve as a powerful motivator for crew's using NBNB. Those that have
yet to reach their projections have to take bold risks in the hopes of scraping together enough
bounty to meet their marker, whereas those that already have their bounty promised need to balance
conservative tactics with all-or-nothing gambles on huge profit.

Z2. Splitting the Take

At the end of the job, divide the total number of bounty earned from the Score or contract
by the number of Takers that participated. That's how much each Taker earns.
If the bounty doesn't split evenly? Well, the group can decide who gets the remainder any
number of ways. If your players believe in performance-based incentives, give the extra to people
that most contributed to the success of the job. Or bring incentives outside the game and give the
bounty to the best roleplayers. If you're more socialist at heart, the extra could to the character with
the most Dependents to support. Alternatively, the remainder bounty could be invested into some
resource owned by the whole crew, such as a vehicle (p.XX) or small business (p.XX).
Once everyone knows how much each Taker earned, it's time to plan for retirement.

Z3. Invest in Retirement

Simple Retirement
At the end of a session, anything not spent on the sustenance, maintenance, or incidentals
can be invested in a retirement milestone. The Taker doesn't have to invest everything and can keep
some bounty in the bank as "petty cash." Any bounty already invested in a retirement plan and
moved to the bank requires a Self-Control check against Stress.

NBNB Retirement
If playing NBNB rules, calculate the difference between how much the Taker planned to
spend on each element of the accounting space and how much the Taker actually spent.
If the Taker planned to spend more than they actually did, the difference subtracts from the
total bounty earned. If Mal planned to spend 3 bounty on healing but only spend 1, then that 2
bounty is subtracted from the total amount earned for the job. This represents the character
spending the "extra" on something frivolous and coming to regret it later.
If the Taker didn't plan enough to cover an expense – for instance, only planning 1 bounty
for healing but needing 3 bounty instead – then the Taker has to make a Self-Control check against
Stress for every box on the accounting form that doesn't meet the budget. This check, and the Stress
that may result, represents the slow nightmare of seeing a nest egg slowly consumed by unexpected
"bad luck" costs. The Self-Control checks are still made even if nothing is pulled out of retirement
to cover the expense; it's never fun to do without.
Remember that the NBNB doesn't allow for the existence of a bounty bank. All earnings are
either planned for on the accounting sheet, frittered away, or invested in retirement. The only away

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to avoid all negative consequences is to accurately budget for the character every job.
This is nearly impossible. Using the NBNB rule makes Red Markets a game about getting the
hell out of the Loss before the Stress kills you.

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Z1. Materialism: Bounty, Gear, and Vehicles
Being a badass is useful, but even badasses need food. More often than not, a Taker's
possessions are the deciding factor between life and death.
Some gear makes the use of skills like Shoot, Melee, or Profession: Computer Science
possible. Other gear makes skills more likely to succeed by spending charges, such as firing more
rounds to increase the chances of a hit, or using a data mining service to research a job. Some gear is
uncharged and provides a static bonus to certain skills so long as the tool receives proper
maintenance.
The main thing to remember is that, in many ways, Takers are their gear. No amount of
practice, grit, or luck can hold out against the pressures of the Market forever. The Loss may be a
wild place, but that doesn't mean it's free from the rules of the capitalism. You either meet its price
or you don't. Either way, The Loss takes it's due... in bounty or in blood.

Z2. Bounty
Bounty is the currency of Red Markets. Its value is determined by the interaction between the
DHQS census efforts and the various crypto currencies used to trade between the Loss and
Recession. Each unit of bounty is a futures investment on salvage commodities. Confirming the
death of a former citizen is a service that the government, families, and other entities compensate
for with a portion of the capital earned by seizing all the deceased's assets. The exact worth of one
bounty fluctuates depending on the exchange rate of various online currency launderers and the
value DHQS currently assigns to the average property owned by a pre-Crash citizen.
Out in the Loss, bounty is physically exchanged in the form of IDs. Driver's licenses are the
most common and basic unit. Other forms of official government documents serve as well, though
which legal papers are accepted and "changed" into the ID standard depends on the enclave. People
in the Loss tend to horde physical bounty rather than trade it into the Recession, as there is no
getting physical currency back once the confirmed death has been traded in. Thus, IDs stay out in
the Loss to function as a currency for physical trade, and other forms of documentation taken from
the dead are used to negotiate trade with the Recession across the border. To put it in real-world
terms, other currencies like crypt, rations cards, and the dollar are used for everyday transactions,
whereas bounty acts as a sort of gold standard that stabilizes the value of those different units.
Trading in physical ID cards is like trading in precious metals; the cards can be used to goods
purchase directly or "changed" for a variety of exchange values.
All Takers start with 10 bounty, a backpack, and rations. Players may use their initial bounty
however they wish: buy gear, install upgrades or save it for upkeep. After character generation, all
bounty must be earned through jobs and any gear purchased must be first sourced with a
Networking check.

Z2. How to Read the Gear List

The gear tables contain brief descriptions about what each piece of gear does, how much it
costs, and how much of it a Taker can carry. As long as the Market knows the rules, players should
have enough information to start shopping right away. The extra detail in this section is intended as
a rules reference and tool for those looking to design unique pieces of equipment.

Z2. Describing Gear

The functionality of gear is described in a number of categories. These are all listed on the
gear list, but the categories are explored in more depth here.

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Z3. Effect
The gear's effect is its most important aspect. The effect describes what a piece of gear can
do in narrative and mechanical terms. Most of the descriptions are common sense, but the effects
are still useful to read for their mechanical bonuses and setting-specific uses.
The effect of a piece of gear can be altered by upgrades (see p.XX).

Z3. Charges
Charges are a way of measuring a tool's condition and remaining usefulness. Each charge is
represented by an empty bubble on the character sheet. If the gear has less than the ten charges,
cross out the extra charges permanently. When a charge is spent, place a tic mark in the bubble to
keep track of how many have been spent. When charges are refreshed, erase the tic marks.
For simplicity's sake, almost all gear has its number of charges abstracted to ten. What
exactly those charges represent depends on the gear. A single charge on a handgun might represent a
single bullet, whereas a charge on an automatic rifle represents a burst's worth of rounds. Charges
measure remaining space in a backpack, fuel for a vehicle, and battery on a laptop. Sometimes,
charges are a measure of repair and only get used when the item takes damage. Whatever the charges
might represent in the narrative, mechanically they represent how many more uses and/or bonuses
that item can provide without having to be refreshed, repaired, or repurchased.
In the qualities section of the item's entry, the gear's spend-type describes how charges are
used and refreshed (see below).

SIDEBAR: "But my gun holds X bullets!"

You are correct. That specific brand of firearm does hold more/less than ten bullets. So you
get more/less than ten charges, right?
No.
Charges abstract the sense of dwindling security that characterizes economic horror. They
turn physical reality into what economists call opportunity cost: the loss of the possible gains from
many alternative futures when a single option must be chosen. Charges are a way to picture your
character's power and the methods by which it drains. What charges don't do is force a player to
spend the entire game counting individual bullets in the clip, rips in the jacket, or volts in the battery.
Specifics are great. If your character uses a cricket bat instead of a plain old club, describe
the killing blows in loving detail. Give it a name. Carve notches for every casualty it has killed. While
those details don't affect the mechanics – it's still a club – it adds a lot of fun to the game and gets
the players immersed in the setting.
When your rifle clicks on empty, narrate your character's desperate search through her pack
and the panic of finding only empty plastic sleeves of spent P90 clips. That's cool and makes the
combat more tense. Do NOT argue with the Market about how your character would have perfect
fire control despite the distractions of a heated gun battle surrounded by undead monsters.
Cater the narrative to fit whatever the charges are supposed to represent on that gear; do not
alter the simple charge rules to fit a fetishistic image of an imaginary item. Red Markets is intended to
invoke a mood of desperation and scarcity. The mechanics are much worse at simulating reality.
Except for the zombies. The zombies are totally scientifically accurate.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Qualities
All gear has qualities that describe its utility. Some qualities describe the gear mechanically

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whereas others describe the limits of its use in the narrative. What follows is a list of qualities
described and sorted into criteria. Not every piece of gear needs qualities from every criteria, but
gear must have at least one quality to have utility in the game. Some qualities are included more than
once because they describe how gear is used across multiple game mechanics.

Z4. Spend Type

Most gear exercises a mechanical bonus through the use of charges. There are four qualities
describing how those charges may be spent.
Capped gear needs to spend a charge to gain its effect, but only one charge may be spent at
a time. Spending extra charges does nothing to add to the check's chance of success. For example, if
a Taker wants to use Ubiq Specs to find client's soft spot, burn a single charge off the specs and
make a Research check. Burning extra battery life does nothing to help improve the Taker's chances
of finding some juicy intel, so the Ubiq Specs are capped gear.
Charged gear needs to expend a charge to gain its effect, but spending more charges adds
bonuses to the check. Let's consider firing a gun. It takes at least one round to score a hit, so a
charge needs to be spent in order to buy-a-roll. However, trained combat experts in the real world
barely average a 20% hit rate against active targets, and modern firearm technology has increased the
rate of fire to unprecedented levels. If the Taker wants to throw more rounds down range to
increase chances of a hit, each extra charge adds +1 to the Shoot skill. In Red Markets, spends on
charged gear need to be made before the die check, unless the gear has a specific upgrade to allow
spends after the check.
Manpower gear uses the human operator to fuel the gear's effect. Put simply, you never
have to reload a machete, but your arm can get tired. Manpower gear is charged but spends the Taker's
rations rather than any charges on the item itself. On a success, a charge might be taken off the gear
if it has the wear ‘n tear quality, but this can usually be bought off with the upgrade "sturdy."
Static gear doesn't have charges. As long as the Taker continues to meet the gear's upkeep
(see p.XX), it continues to provide its effect. For example, as long as the binoculars aren't damaged,
they continue making it easier to see things further away.

Z4. Refresh and Charge Use

The four types of spends are the most important qualities to understand, but there's a variety
of qualities that describe how to refresh those charges and the situations in which they can be used.
Most of this information is common sense for anyone familiar with the items in question, but the
Refresh and Charge Use qualities codify the information in the Profit system.
Armor is worn on certain hit locations, depending upon the specific type. This quality also
lists what types of damage armor can prevent (some scavenged carpet can stop a casualty bite, but it
won't do much for a bullet). Charges spent on armor can do one of two things. Firstly, certain armors
can convert all Kill damage to Stun on that hit location for the cost of a single charge. Charges can
also be spent to negate Stun damage altogether.
For instance, if Sierra wants to prevent that 11 Kill damage she just took to the chest, she
can spend one charge on her Kevlar to change all the Kill over to Stun damage and the other nine to
negate damage, reducing the blow down to 2 Stun. However, eating that much of the bullet's impact
has rendered the Kevlar useless in the future.
Most armor shares the in demand quality. Armor is rare in that its charges are always spent after
a check.
Essential gear can't be done without. Every Taker starts with this for free at character
creation. If the gear malfunctions or is otherwise lost, the Taker must rebuy it to remain effective.
The only essential gear is rations and a backpack. Both are included on the first page of the character

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sheet.
Hungry gear uses more charges than normal. For a capped item, it costs two charges to buy-
a-roll. For charged items, it costs an additional two charges to get a +1 bonus to the check. The
hungry quality can often be bought off with an upgrade.
In Demand gear is just that. Nobody is making more of it and even if they are, they sure
aren't handing out free samples. The upkeep on in demand gear only indicates its purchase price. It
costs no upkeep to maintain and never malfunctions once in a character's possession. As a trade-off,
in demand can't be refreshed between games or or during play using the Taker's ADP. The use of
charges consumes the gear (no getting back exploded grenades). Once all the charges are spent on
this piece of gear, it has to be sourced and repurchased (see Networking p. XX).
Improvised gear operates almost exactly like the in demand quality: it costs no upkeep once
owned and doesn't malfunction, but it can't be refreshed by any means. Unlike in demand gear,
improvised equipment can't be bought again once it is used up; it's too abundant for vendors to bother
selling. The Taker must Scavenge or craft a new version to replace improvised equipment (the cost
listed in the gear list is only for purchase of improvised gear at character creation).
Memory is used exclusively for electronic devices with upgrades that come in the form of
apps. For every upgrade installed, more battery life is used. Extremely versatile machines have fewer
charges than those optimized for a simple task.
Single-Shot means that, before another charge can be used, a tactic (see "Economy of
Actions" p. XX) must be spent reloading the weapon. This is different than refreshing all charges;
that still takes an entire task action. For instance, a bow can fire one arrow, but another must be
strung before it can be redrawn. There may still be arrows left in the quiver (the remaining charges),
but that tactic must be used retrieving another arrow. Similarly, there may be more shells for the
mortar, but each must be dropped into the tube one at a time.
Certain upgrades can downgrade the cost of reloading a single-shot weapon from a tactic to a
twitch, but the principle remains the same.
Wear ‘n tear means that success degrades the gear. This quality is used for all melee
weapons. Stabbing through a casualty's skull dulls a knife. Beating down a door cracks an axe handle.
Though manpower (see p. XX) is used to buy and boost the roll, wear ‘n tear is used in event of a
success, costing one of the item's charges after the check. To simplify bookkeeping, most wear ‘n tear
items can be upgraded to "sturdy," which negates the wear ‘n tear quality. However, any melee
weapons scavenged from the Loss are considered to have the wear ‘n tear quality; lying around in the
rot and rain isn't good for structural integrity.

Z4. Encumbrance
Red Markets is pretty laissez-faire when it comes to how much a Taker can carry (see "How
much can I carry?" p.XX). However, a few items are so unwieldy as to have special requirements.
Armor, in addition to indicating how charges prevent damage, also dictates where the
specific type of armor is worn. Armor cannot stack with other pieces of armor on the same hit
location. It can be worn with clothing on the same location.
Clunky gear makes a lot of noise when moving around. It rattles and clanks and shifts. This
means that anyone trying to be stealthy while carrying a clunky item can't use their Stealth skill. They
can make a default attempt and hope they get lucky. If not, the gear shifted around and made too
much noise for a success.
Cumbersome items are too long, wide, or unwieldy to carry comfortably in a backpack.
That means that unless the item is held in the Taker's hands, it takes a task action to remove the gear
from whatever sling or storage case contains it. Basically, cumbersome describes what weapons can't be
quick drawn into combat. It's only included to prevent the tendency towards video-game characters

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loaded down like pack mules. Takers that bristle with an armory of long guns while retaining the
ability to sprint like an Olympians break the game. Use common sense and the cumbersome quality will
take care of itself.

SIDEBAR: How much can I carry?

The simple answer is you can carry as much as the Market says you can.
Need more? Red Markets is meant to evoke the psychology of economics, not the actual
work of economics. The game includes elements of resource management and inventory, but it tries
to cut out as many of the other variables related to those topics as possible. One of the things it
doesn't waste time on is factoring the weight of every item a character is carrying.
This is not to say that Takers are like video game characters, capable of lugging around
everything they've ever touched in a black hole of a backpack. There are multiple factors limiting a
Taker's carrying capacity.
The most obvious is Haul, which equals a character's STR. When out on Scores, Takers can
only carry back units of supply equal to their Haul. This limits the amount of profit one Taker can
provide without the crew investing in a vehicle (see Vehicles p.XX)
Refresh is another way carrying capacity is limited. Gear is useless without charges, and
Takers can never refresh gear more times than their ADP rating.
Finally, upkeep is the strongest limit. Nearly every thing in the game has maintenance costs;
past a certain point, collecting gear stops making a Taker more useful and starts hemorrhaging
capital. Like any business, Takers operate with minimum overhead out of necessity.
But if none of these factors deter the crew's resident hoarder, the Market always gets final
say. When a player claims to be dual-wielding crossbows while sprinting over a tight rope wearing a
backpack full of gold, the Market – or any other player, for that matter – is entitled to call bullshit.
Basically, if you don't try to break what accounts for Red Markets' encumbrance rules, they
won't break. If someone does try to break them, politely ask that player to stop.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Range and Sound

Range is a pretty common concern for any RPG combat, but sound plays a major role in
attracting Casualties. These qualities are attached to weapons to help the Market establish the
logistics of each conflict.
Melee weapons are only used up close. For the purposes of Casualties, a melee weapon
allows attacks at 1 Shamble away. Otherwise, use the rule that if Takers are close enough to use a
melee weapons, so are their enemies. The only exception would be if the weapon has an upgraded
"reach" or can be thrown.
________-Range describes the range at which a weapon can effectively hit a target. The
Market determines range to the target in any situation. A weapon cannot score a hit beyond its
effective range.
Explosive weapons deal damage to all hit locations on a hit, or damage to a random hit
location on multiple nearby targets. So, if an enemy gets hit in the left leg for 4 Kill damage, an
explosive weapon would do 4 Kill damage to every location, or an additional 4 Kill damage to a
random location on the enemy standing nearby. It can't do both.
Loud weapons attract Casualties. A gun is a dinner bell to the undead. For every loud
weapon used in an unsecured area, Markets rolls for another mob to arrive whenever they see fit.
However, Casualties do not arrive for every shot used. Jerry can take two shots with his rifle and
only attract one mob, but if Ashley uses her shotgun as well, another mob will arrive.

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Z4. Specialty
Some pieces are rare and odd, yet they remain especially useful to Takers in the Loss. Here
are a few of the qualities that describe these anomalies. If Markets invent new qualities when
designing new gear (p. XX), it's suggested they go under the specialty criteria.
Addictive describes a game mechanic where absence of the item causes mental and physical
distress. The Taker must make a Self-control check against their Stress threat whenever they go
without. It should be noted that, mechanically, this describes rations as well. We are all "addicted" to
food and water, after all, and it's very stressful to go without it. Going without rations harms health
as well, obviously.
Autonomous only describes a game concept, so it oddly describes both pets and
sophisticated robotics. Autonomous things operate off the user's voice or sign commands through
either sophisticated training (animals) or limited AI (drones). Among other narrative and mechanical
benefits provided by the specific "item," autonomous means the Taker gets another action in combat.
On the owner's initiative, the Taker can issue a command and have the "autonomous" gear perform a
tactic or twitch. Want to make sure your dog doesn't get shot? Shout "Fido! Hide!" Want the drone
to distract the sniper? Whisper "Execute haircut protocol" into the microphone. The command and
any checks to deterred its success only consume the Taker's freebie; the characters keeps a tactic and
twitch available by outsourcing the labor.
All autonomous gear requires specialized training to operate, and it's the Taker's skill that is
checked in combat, not the animal or machine's. Charges spent on autonomous gear go to boost the
Taker's associated skill. If autonomous gear runs out of charges, it's either exhausted, unable to follow
more directions, or killed. Refreshing charges depends on whether or not the specific item is organic
(see below).
As always, if a check isn't interesting the Market shouldn't call for one to operate autonomous
gear. Outside combat, the "item" is just a crew mascot. For instance, there's no need to keep rolling
dice to ensure your dron-key doesn't get lost; it can stay on its user's flank with sophisticated GPS.
Falcons and drones maintain a bird's-eye view of the party. Horses and dogs can hear a whistle, etc.
Contextual gear only works in certain situations, determined by the player and Market's
common sense. For example, a prosthetic leg allows it's owner to run and jump using a specialized
skill, but it doesn't mean the Taker can pick things up with nonexistent metal toes. Similarly, even
though it "replaces" a leg, that Taker loses no hit points if Casualties rip it off. There is no concrete
benefit or disadvantage to contextual gear outside what the dramatic situation dictates. This quality is
just a warning that certain rules might need to be adjusted in regards to the gear.
Fragile gear breaks with a single hit. If an enemy strikes it or if a Taker spends Will to shift
damage to a piece of gear (see "Lucky X" p. XX), the item can't be repaired and needs to be
replaced.
Organic gear isn't really gear at all. It's a living creature that serves the Taker. Organics
require sleep and rations to refresh their charges. If someone were to own a pet for therapy, the pet
would be listed as organic gear. If that pet could perform function in game, it also has the autonomous
quality (see p. XX). Destruction of organics provokes a level-2 Self-Control check as a beloved
animal companion dies.
Specialized gear can't be used without a skill specialization in that gear. For instance,
nobody can pick up a mortar and just know how to target the rounds. Shooting a bow is very
different than firing a rifle. Training in how to wield a spear is rare in the modern day, but it's
required to use effectively.

Z3. Upgrades

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 Upgrades are specific to the gear they are listed on. Read the the gear list to see the options
for each item (see p.XX).
Though some upgrades share the same name and have self-explanatory descriptions, it
should be noted that the alterations on a piece of gear are purely mechanical. Players are free to
describe how they mod, patch, hack, and customize their gear using any narrative terms they wish.
Whether the player says their Taker bought some specialized ammunition or traded in that old pistol
for one of a higher caliber, buying the Potent upgrade increases damage all the same.
Upgrades are one-time purchases that do not add to the item's total upkeep. Each upgrade
costs one bounty and modifies the effect or qualities on the item. Upgrades DO NOT add to the
gear's upkeep. They may be purchased in any order. Upgrades are lost whenever their item is lost;
they do not carry over if the item is repurchased. Failing to meet upkeep can also have an effect on
upgrades (see below).

Z3. Upkeep and Purchase

Much like charges abstract the remaining usefulness of a tool, upkeep is an economic
measure of the cost to maintain equipment. Upkeep represents the lost time spent cleaning the item,
buying fuel, sourcing parts, replacing batteries, and everything else that might be required to keep an
item in working order. All of these activities take place "off-screen" so as not to bog down the game
with a lot of routine screw tightening. For game purposes, if upkeep is paid, then the Taker diligently
found the time and resources between game sessions to check, repair, and refresh equipment.
Meeting upkeep is required to keep gear operating. If a Taker can't make upkeep on a piece of gear,
they have to make a malfunction check (see sidebar).
When purchasing gear, the price is upkeep x2. The increased cost represents the price of having the
item delivered or made, along with the profiteering of the seller. The exception to this is character
creation, at which point gear costs upkeep only because the Taker is presumed to already own the
gear.

Z2. Refresh
Refresh means replacing spent charges on an item. It has already been discussed with the
Foresight skill (see p.XX). Refreshing gear can happen at two points in the game: upkeep and in the
field.

Z3. Refresh During Upkeep

If upkeep is met on a piece of gear between game sessions, it refreshes automatically. A
laptop battery that's down to 1 charge jumps back up to 10 at the end of the game, so long as the
Taker pays the laptop's upkeep. If upkeep isn't met, the item malfunctions (see "Failing Upkeep and
Malfunction" p.XX).
In narrative terms, refresh between game session occurs because the Taker purchases
replacement parts, solar panel utilities, ammo, the time off required to do personal inventory
maintenance, or whatever else is required to keep the gear in working order. Failing to refresh
between sessions represents rust, rot, circuit burnout, fuel shortages, ammo rationing, or whatever
else explains the gears decreased usefulness.

SIDEBAR: Failing Upkeep and Malfunction

For every item that doesn't have its upkeep met, the Taker must check for malfunctions.
This check is untrained and involves no skills. The results are final and can't be affected by Will
spends.

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 The only way to increase the chances on a malfunction check is to partially pay the upkeep.
Each bounty contributed towards the total required provides a +1 on the check. For instance, if the
Taker only has 4 bounty and the upkeep for the gear is 5 bounty, she can spend 4 bounty and get a
+4 on the check. The malfunction check still has to be made, but the chances are now much better
that the failure won't be catastrophic.

o Critical Success – The gear doesn't refresh any of its charges but remains fully
functional.
o Success – The gear doesn't refresh any of its charges and loses one upgrade to
malfunction.
o Failure – The gear doesn't refresh any charges, loses up to two upgrades, and won't
function without a successful check on an appropriate repair skill.
o Critical Failure – The Taker lacked the time or resources to keep the item in any kind
of working order. The item no longer functions and would be cheaper to repurchase
than repair.

Any upgrades lost due to malfunction must be repurchased.

END SIDEBAR

Z3. Refresh In the Field

For every point of ADP, a Taker can refresh a single piece of gear during play.
As an example, let's assume a Taker that's out of rations and handgun ammo. The PC would
be fine if they had an ADP 2. The Taker could erase all the tic marks off of both the gun and the
rations. It wouldn't even cost an action; the ADP rating indicates they had the resources to hustle
both spare ammo and extra food before even heading into the Loss. A spare MRE and clip are
already sitting ready in the backpack.
If the same Taker only had ADP 1, it would be a choice between more food and more
ammo. The ADP required to find a surplus of both ammo and food was beyond the Taker's
Potential.
Takers never need to assign their ADP to refresh gear before absolutely necessary. There's a
lot of bookkeeping in Red Markets already, and keeping track of every refresh is too much trouble.
Groups have two options for keeping play moving quickly while still being able to refresh charges
on their gear.

Boom Rule: Basic Refresh: Refresh rating equals the ADP. Basic Refresh only measures one thing:
the number of refreshes a Taker can use. Takers don't have to waste time detailing every single item in
their possession. They write down only their gear, and the presence or absence of ADP determines
if it can be refreshed in play. Gear doesn't count against any Taker's refresh, but the Market gets to
say when a character has reached the limit of what can reasonably be carried.
The benefit of using Basic Refresh is that it keeps the game moving. It saves time listing the
spare parts for gear the group already mulled over in the pregame. It also gives players the benefit of
the doubt every time. If they need it – no matter what it is – remaining refresh means they have it.
The ease with which Basic Refresh resupplies charges makes it the best choice for a boom-style
game (see "Boom and Bust" p.XX).
The weakness of Basic Refresh is that, while it represents the dwindling power of economic
horror, it has a predictable difficulty curve. As the game progresses, progress gets harder as refresh
dwindles. It doesn't matter what difficulty the Market throws at the players because the characters

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are perfect planners limited only by the finite space in their backpacks. Some players might like the
added strategic challenge of having to anticipate what they might need.

Bust Rule: High-Stakes Refresh: High-Stakes Refresh still equals ADP. The amount of gear that
can be carried is still hand-waved and subject to veto by the Market. The only difference from Basic Haul is
that, when trying to refresh, the Taker must make a Foresight test. If Foresight fails, the Taker
wasn't able to secure the right type of refresh for that piece of gear between jobs.
It's not that a failed Foresight check means the character didn't anticipate needing, for
instance, bullets for fighting zombies; a failed Foresight checks could mean ammo was scarce or
priced too dearly for the Taker to buy "just in case." The character realizes that going out without
adequate supplies is risky, but, then again, they've been forced to accept that scarcity every day since
the Crash.
In the same way allowing rations to be spent at any time avoids boring let's-all-eat-beans
scenes and silly feasts in the middle of gunfights, Foresight tests to refresh gear are restricted to in-
the-moment rolls. Most players find backpack inventory management less thrilling than zombie
killing. When a refresh is needed, the suspense of that Foresight check is going to be far more
engaging for the table than a painstaking account of everything on a Taker's person and where it is
stored.
High-Stakes Refresh better models the imperfect logistics that can spell doom in any survival
situation, but it keeps the game moving quickly by abstracting all that planning into a single skill
check. This increases the importance of the Foresight skill. A character that can plan ahead becomes
important to the crew logistically as well as tactically. High-Stakes Refresh makes the game more
difficult, unpredictable, and suspenseful when the tools of survival become even less reliable. It's a
rule more fitting a bust-style game (see "Boom and Bust" p.XX).
The downside of High-Stakes Refresh is, well, the stakes. The disconnect between what
players feel their characters would pack and what the dice say can feel like a frustrating lack of
agency. If the group wants more control, use Basic Refresh.

Z2. SCAVANGING AND CRAFTING

Why pay for gear when there are so many materials just lying around? What use is having an
apocalypse if it doesn't reduce some costs? Well, if Takers have the time and skill to perform the
labor themselves, gear can be built rather than bought.
To craft a piece of gear, the Taker must pay the listed upkeep cost to buy materials and then
check an appropriate skill to assemble it. It's important that the cost be paid before the roll; if the
Taker fails to assemble a working item, they still have to pay for the materials they used to try. All
crafted gear starts with the basic qualities, and upgrades must be purchased normally. Crafters must
have access to a workshop, such as those found in most enclaves and settlements; only the simplest
of items can be made out in the Loss.
Takers that want to lower the cost even further can use the Scavenge skill to find materials.
For every successful Scavenge check, reduce the crafting cost by one; on a critical success, reduce
costs by two. The only restriction is that Scavenging must take place out in the Loss (anything worth
having in an enclave is already claimed). This means at least one potential encounter per Scavenge
test.

Z2. Selling Gear

Takers started because people needed salvage from over the fence. Though pickings look
slim five years after the Crash, crews still pry treasures from the Loss's dead fingers. But what to do

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with all the junk?
No matter what piece of gear it may be, somebody needs it. Need is the only thing the Loss
has in abundance. The only problem is finding the neediest person: the one willing to pay the
highest price. When players want to sell off their excess gear, follow this procedure.

1. Is the transaction a business (shared amongst the crew) or an auction (one Taker selling gear
for personal profit)? If it is the former, consult the MBA rules for small businesses (p.XX).
If it's the latter, continue.
2. If using the MBA rules, selling gear eats up a scene in the Taker's work/life balance. Decide
which it is before pursuing a sale. Multiple pieces can be sold in a single scene.
3. Find a customer with a Networking check
⁃ Critical Success: the gear sells for upkeep x 3
⁃ Success: the gear sells for upkeep x 2
⁃ Failure: the gear sells at upkeep cost
⁃ Critical Failure: no one wants the gear
4. Market determines any unintended consequences of the sale (rep spots, Self-Control checks,
etc.)

Z3. Business or Auction?

Some Takers make a full-time business pawning off whatever bric-a-brac they find while out
on jobs. That's fine, but small businesses have their own concerns dealt with in the MBA Rules
(p.XX). Entrepreneurial crews that want to start a pawnshop in their enclave are encouraged to do
so. The only difference from pawning and the typical small business rules is that every unit of supply
has a unique value, depending on what piece of gear is for sale. Regardless, players that want to start
a storefront should consult the MBA chapter.
But most Takers just want to off-load the excess loot quick. In that case, the Taker is
"auctioning" the goods personally, in what amounts for spare time. This way, the character gets to
keep all the profit rather than sharing with the crew, but no one is required to help them do the
work of retail.

Z3. Pay Work/Life Balance

In the most basic form, Red Markets maintains a very simple Work/Life balance: each Taker
gets one Scam and one Vignette for Dependents. A boost for the contract and a boost for the self.
In MBA Rules, the demands for the "work" side of the equation grow exponentially, and
players have the choice to emphasize making profit over mental health and vice versa. Selling
equipment eats into these demands as well.
Selling anything requires legwork. If selling online, the Taker has to troll message boards and
the remaining Ubiq auction sites. They have to take pictures and videos of the object for sale,
sometimes providing detailed measurements. Payment has to be arranged through clandestine
crypto-currencies, and the Taker needs to shop for the provider offering the best exchange rate for
bounty. Hell, even if the purchaser pays for shipping, the Taker needs to figure out the right web of
drone smuggling operations required to get the piece to its destination.
Selling within the enclave isn't any easier. Now the character wanders the market, looking for
a corner to set up shop amidst a hundred other vendors hocking wares. They have to pay protection
or scare off guilds protecting their turf. Or maybe they’re just going door-to-door, asking if anyone
needs a spare land mine or whatever.

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 Selling gear costs on the Taker's work/life balance. The PC can sell any amount of gear they
have in that time, but the time spent selling it isn't spent hustling contracts or hanging out with
loved ones.

Z3. Find Customers

Crews can operate businesses and attract random customers with a brand. Individual Takers
only see success based on personal acquaintances and standing in the Loss. Therefore, the CHA skill
for determining the price of gear sold is Networking.

For each piece of gear being sold, check Networking:

• Critical Success: the gear sells for upkeep x 3
• Success: the gear sells for upkeep x 2
• Failure: the gear sells at upkeep cost
• Critical Failure: no one wants the gear

Z3. Unintended Consequences

Once the price is determined, the Taker can't take the money and run. The Market and the
player need to role-play the sale. The Market doesn't get to change the price during this interaction,
but they don't have to make it easy on the Taker either.
Red Markets is never just economics; materialism is the prompt meant to inspire stories of
economic horror. Selling gear is great opportunity to give Taker's powerful story moments.
EXAMPLE: Let's say Chance scored a critical success on his Networking check to sell a
spare dose of Suppression K-7864. That's 18 bounty!
Then Chance opens up Ubiq chat to finalize the deal. The Market describes the feed opening
up on the interior of a dingy, corrugated metal hut. Framed in front of the webcam is an elderly man
with desperate, hollow eyes. In the background, an older woman writhes against where she's been
strapped on the bed. Her whimpering can barely be heard above the angry shouts and pounding on
the door.
The old man says it’s his wife. She got too close to the fence and got bit. The Fencement
found out and want to kill her before she turns. But they don't have to now, right? He's going to
send the drugs? Please, he pleads. He spent their entire savings on this.
So what does the Chance do? It'll take at least three hours for the drone to get to him. She'll
likely turn before then, and if she doesn't? An old man gets to save his wife only to never touch her
again – skin gone black with latency. And they'll probably starve this winter, too old to earn their
keep.
So what does the player do? If the sale goes ahead, the Market calls for a Self-Control check
against Detachment: after all, Chance knowingly profited off the desperation of a doomed man. If
he provides a discount to the price, maybe the Self-Control goes after his Stress... but, then again,
maybe the drugs will arrive in time. The old couple could be saved and have enough bounty left to
get through winter. It could even provide a +Rep Spot for the crew.
It doesn't matter what Chance chooses to do: either way, it tells us more about the character
than an influx of new numbers on the character sheet ever could.
Leave it to the players to seek financial benefit by selling gear. It's up to the Market to turn
such instances into storytelling opportunities.

Z2. DESIGNING NEW GEAR

The gear list is far from exhaustive. Players might want some piece of gear not listed in the

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book. In that case, the player first describes what the device does narratively and then works with
the Market to describe the item in terms of qualities, upgrades, and upkeep.
EXAMPLE: Cheyanne's character is a former kung fu school owner that survived the Crash
using her martial arts. Cheyanne puts her skill points into a lot of specialized Melee skills like Sword,
Spear, and Rope dart.
A Chinese rope dart – a weighted metal spike that is thrown and retrieved via a rope – is not
included in the book, but Cheyanne really loves the idea of expertly entangling and perforating
Casualties in a deadly, twirling dance. She asks her Market, Megan, if they can build an item.
Both Megan and Cheyanne can agree that the rope dart definitely needs the specialized quality
because of the enormous skill required to wield it. They also decide it should be capped (it'll be hard
enough keeping one under control) and single-shot (a tactic has to be used to pull the item back).
Cheyanne has done her research, and though the weapon is ranged, it is only effective within 10-20
feet. They decide on short-range. Megan reminds Cheyanne that the weapon will need wear ‘n tear to
represent the damage of repeatedly caving in zombie faces. Cheyanne asks if it gets manpower too, but
Megan says no. The dart isn't that heavy, and doing damage is more about precision than throwing
harder or faster; spending extra rations wouldn't have a measurable effect. Cheyanne doesn't know
about this, but the Market gets final say. Lastly, Megan gives the rope dart ten charges to represent
its condition and says it will do Kill damage.
Cheyanne wants one of the upgrades to be "sturdy," which stops her from worrying about
wear ‘n tear. She makes up a new upgrade called "light chain" that lets her peel zombies from mobs
by entangling them. The Market doesn't know how realistic that is, but she's already vetoed
something Cheyanne wanted and decides to let it go. A full tactic to pull the dart back in sound like
a lot, so she adds "auto-spool" to downgrade the tactic required by single-shot into a more versatile
twitch. Lastly, Cheyanne asks if she can have "potent" to add damage. Megan says sure.
It's up to the Market alone to determine the upkeep for new items. Megan considers the way
the dart would dull with use, the frays that would appear in the rope, and the rarity of such an item.
She calls it three upkeep, making a purchasing cost of six. But, finally, Megan tells Cheyanne that the
item is in-demand – they ain't making ancient Chinese weaponry like they used to – so her character
won't have to pay upkeep on the item unless it needs to be replaced.
Now the rope dart is ready to go and Cheyanne can start the game as a ribbon-dancing
cyclone of murder.

Z2. Gear List

100
 Weapons
Axe: Fire axes were the first weapons many picked up during the Crash; some opted to stick with them. In
the years since, they’ve been sharpened, reinforced, and optimized to take Casualties. The basic principle
remains the same: swing for the head and try not to let any get in your mouth.
Gear Effect
Axe Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
1 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o Sturdy: Buys off wear ‘n tear
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Potent: Add +1 Kill damage
Melee o Sling: Quick Draw from the back/buys
Wear ‘n tear: one charge used on every success off cumbersome
o Weighted: Spend a Charge on the
weapon for knockback

Bow and Quiver: In many ways, bows are the best possible projectile weapon for the undead. Takers can
keep their distance, reuse their ammo, and be quiet about their work. However, the accuracy required to score
a headshot on a slow moving casualty is considerable and keeping steady as mob closes in doesn’t make
things any easier. Those with reliable archery skills can name their price in the Carrion Economy.
Gear Effect
Bow and Quiver Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
1 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Quiver Cap: Buys off clunky (arrows don’t rattle
bonuses around)
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus o Composite: Bow can be stored in a pack/buys
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn off Cumbersome
Mid-Range o High-Strung: Bow is now long-range
Single-Shot: costs a twitch use the next charge, a task o RFID Arrows: +1 to Scavenge checks to
to reload the quiver recover arrows and arrows can now be tracked
Specialized: (Shoot: Bow)

Club: Sticks are one of the few things still plentiful in the Loss. Others have less practical reasons for using
clubs, such as an attachment to a childhood baseball bat or beloved pipe.
Gear Effect
Club Stun damage
Upkeep Charges
1 for purchase O O O O O O O O O O
purposes only
Qualities Upgrades
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o Versatile: Taker can pick Stun or Kill damage
Improvised: Refresh only with a successful Scavenge before the tactic check
check; no upkeep required o Sturdy: Buys off wear ‘n tear
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Sling: Quick draw from the back/ buys off
Melee cumbersome
Wear ‘n tear: one charge used on every success o Weighted: Spend a Charge on the weapon for
knockback

101
Crossbow and Quiver: Before the Crash, zombie movies advertised the crossbow as the ultimate weapon
against the undead. A number of companies put out cheap, plastic versions of the medieval armament to
capitalize off people with too much money and not enough sense. When the nightmares actually came true,
many found out the hard way which crossbows were actually effective. Still more died realizing they were shit
shots.
Gear Effect
Crossbow and Quiver Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
2 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Tactical: Buys off clunky (bolts no longer rattle
bonuses around)
Clunky: Stealth tests at untrained only; no skill bonus o Potent: Add +1 Kill damage
Cumbersome: Can’t be quick drawn o Composite: Can be stored in a pack/Buys off
Mid-Range cumbersome
Single-Shot: Costs a twitch use the next charge, a task o Pump-Action: Buys off single-shot/still capped
to reload the quiver o RIF Arrows: +1 to Scavenge checks to recover
Specialized: (Shoot: Crossbow) bolts and bolts can now be tracked

Flamethrower: Casualties don’t feel pain and they don’t stop moving when on fire. Breaking out the napalm is
usually just a roundabout way to burn down your enclave. But if you’ve got stone walls or work the deep
wasteland, the flamethrower cleans AND disinfects.
Gear Effect
Flamethrower Kill damage to all locations of a single target, or Kill
Upkeep Charges damage to a randomized location on multiple
4 O O O O O O O O O O adjacent targets. Taker chooses before the tactic
check. Kill damage continues every round until
doused. Crit. failures cause weapon to explode.
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent to aid a test o Phosphorus: fire cannot be snuffed with
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn anything save continued submersion in water or
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus special chemicals
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations, or o Safety Valve: Weapon no longer explodes on a
multiple targets critical failure
Hampering: takes up one Haul and one Refresh while
equipped or carried

102
Flashbangs: During the Crash, the staple of SWAT teams everywhere couldn’t have seemed more useless. But
now, as people invade each other’s entrenched positions to steal bounty, flashbangs have reentered the
market.
Gear Effect
Flashbangs Stun damage to all locations of a single target, or
Upkeep Charges Stun damage to a randomized location on multiple
4 for O O O O O adjacent targets. Taker chooses before tactic check.
purchase All damaged targets suffer knockback.
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Blinding: Takers receive a single +3 Athletics
bonuses bonus to dodge attacks by those struck by
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations, or flashbang
multiple targets o Screamers: flashbangs continue going off,
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no making Alertness checks impossible and
upkeep after purchase drawing Casualties faster
Loud o Remote: flashbangs equipped with RFID firing
pins that can trigger remotely

Grenades: Though unreliable for headshots, grenades tend to mangle Casualties beyond the point of mobility
anyway. Humans fare even worse.
Gear Effect
Grenades Kill damage to all locations, or Kill damage to
Upkeep Charges randomized location on multiple targets. Taker
4 for O O O O O chooses before tactic check. All damaged targets
purchase suffer knockback
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Armor Piercing: Attacks and damage can
bonuses bypass cover and armor
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations, or o High-Explosive: Taker no longer has to choose
multiple targets between benefits of the explosive quality
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no o Incendiary: Kill damage continues every round
upkeep after purchase until doused.
Loud o Remote: Grenades equipped with RFID firing
pins that can trigger remotely

103
Handgun: Whether it be the family revolver found amidst a group suicide or the spec-ops sidearm pulled
from the corpse of a fallen checkpoint guard, anything that can shoot gets salvaged in the Loss. Luckily, the
insane number of guns in the US before the Crash (and the propensity for current users to die) keeps prices
down.
Gear Effect
Handgun Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
2 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Automatic: Charges may be spent after the
roll to aid check check for additional damage
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one o Balanced: weapon is now mid-range
used o Extended Magazine: Buys off hungry
Loud o Silenced: Buys off loud
Short-Range

Heavy Rifle: Finding ammo originally meant to destroy engine blocks is a struggle for your average Taker. But
the psychological benefits of turning an enemy into paste from two kilometers away is too much for some
crews to pass up.
Gear Effect
Heavy Rifle Kill and Stun damage (B1 would be 1 Kill and 1 Stun
Upkeep Charges damage)
5 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Digital Scope: weapon is now extreme-range and
bonuses doubles as binoculars
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o Armor Piercing: Attacks and damage can
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one bypass cover and armor
used o Extended Magazine: Buys off hungry
Loud
Long-range
Specialized: (Shoot: Heavy Rifles)

Knife: Stabby-stab-stab.
Gear Effect
Knife Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
1 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Sturdy: Buys off wear ‘n tear
Melee o Shank Sheath: weapon always concealed, even
Wear ‘n tear: one charge used on every success on failed Criminality checks
o Potent: add +1 Kill damage
o Weighted: weapon can be thrown at short-range

104
Light Machine Gun: During the withdrawal to the Recession, space and weight were at a premium. Precision
weapons were given preference over rate-of-fire. This left a glut of military, automatic weapons in the Loss,
but few with the ammo or expertise required to use them.
Gear Effect
Light Machine Gun Kill and Stun damage (B1 would be 1 Kill and 1 Stun
Upkeep Charges damage)
4 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Automatic: Charges may be spent after the
roll to aid checks check for additional damage (LMG starts with
Hampering: takes up one Haul and one Refresh while Automatic for free)
equipped or carried o Armor Piercing: Attacks and damage can
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one bypass cover and armor
used o Extended Magazine: Buys off hungry
Loud o Spray: spend 3 Charges to deal damage to one
Mid-range adjacent target
Specialized: (Shoot: LMG)

Machete: The preferred choice of many Takers that work in close, machetes provide more reach than a knife,
require less skill than a sword, and can be used in conjunction with a shield.
Gear Effect
Machete Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
2 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Gurkha Blade: weapon always provides a +1 to
Melee Melee when used
Wear ‘n tear: one charge used on every success o Sturdy: Buys off wear ‘n tear
o Potent: add +1 Kill damage

Molotov Cocktail: Unless you get the fire hot enough to melt a skull, setting a Casualty is only a slightly faster
method of disposal than waiting for them to die of old age… but engulfing the bastards in flames makes it
real hard for them to track you. It also kills Vectors that are too dumb to stop, drop, and roll. And as for
humans? Fire is as effective a weapon as it is a deterrent; no one forgets the sound of a raider burning alive.

Gear Effect
Molotov Cocktail Kill damage to all locations on a single target. Target
Upkeep Charges must accept knockback to douse the flames or
2 O O O O O damage is rolled again in the next round.
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Napalm: Flames cannot be doused except by
bonuses submersion in water
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep
after purchase
Loud (but only if used on a human foe)
Single-Shot: Costs a twitch use the next charge

105
Mortar: Though aiming is complicated, weapons don’t come much simpler than a mortar. They are overkill
when it comes to casualties, but artillery is usually the first choice in enclave sieges and defense.
Gear Effect
Mortar Kill and Stun damage (B1 would be 1 Kill and 1 Stun
Upkeep Charges damage). All damaged targets suffer knockback.
4 O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Flares: fire at night to provide a +1 bonus to all
bonuses attack and Alertness checks next round
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o High-Explosive: Taker no longer has to choose
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus between benefits of the explosive quality
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations, or o Incendiary: Kill damage continues every round
multiple targets until doused.
Extreme-range o Phosphorus: fire cannot be snuffed with
Loud anything save continued submersion in water or
Single-Shot: costs a twitch use the next charge special chemicals
Specialized: (Shoot: Artillery)

Plastic Explosives/Detonator: A surprising amount of advanced plastic explosive was left behind during the
Recession, and it’s the first thing corrupt DHQS guards pilfer from their ammo dumps to sell across the
border. Since most Lost have no idea how to use the stuff, they figure it’ll just end up blowing up the
purchaser.
Gear Effect
Plastic Explosives/Detonator Kill and Stun damage (B1 would be 1 Kill and 1
Upkeep Charges Stun damage). All damaged targets suffer
4 for O O O O O knockback.
purchase
purposes only
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Armor Piercing: Attacks and damage can
bonuses bypass cover and armor (Plastic Explosives
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations, or have Armor Piercing at purchase)
multiple targets o High-Explosive: Taker no longer has to choose
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep between benefits of the explosive quality (Plastic
after purchase Explosives have High Explosive at purchase)
Loud o Shaped: Charges can be used to destroy entire
Specialized: (Profession: Demolitions) structures on a successful Profession:
Demolitions check, provided a number of
charges dictated by the Market are used

106
Rifle: The average Taker’s first experience with a firearm was executing a loved one. In the Loss, range is
valued for more than its tactical benefit. The further away one can get from the ugliness, the better. Rifles are
the best choice in the intersection between expense, skill, and distance.
Gear Effect
Rifle Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
3 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Automatic: charges may be spent after the
roll to aid check check for additional damage
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o Scope: weapon is now long-range
Loud o Silenced: buys off loud
Mid-range o Tactical Sling: weapon can be quick
drawn/buys off cumbersome
o Spray: spend 3 Charges to deal damage to one
adjacent target

Shotgun: Once a crew is sure the Bait knows to keep the barrel pointed down, a shotgun is usually the first
weapon for a new Taker.
Gear Effect
Shotgun Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
2 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Military: buys of hungry
roll to aid check o Slugs: add Stun and knockback to damage
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o Spread: spend a twitch action to deal damage to
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one one adjacent target
used o Tactical Sling: weapon can be quick
Loud drawn/buys off cumbersome
Mid-range

Spear: Though the skills required to accurately target a thrust to the head are archaic, spears have made a big
comeback among the many Fencement of the Loss. Some Takers have grown so comfortable with polearms
that they take their stickers into the field.
Gear Effect
Spear Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
2 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o Reach: weapon can attack Casualties from one
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll Shamble away
Melee o Sturdy: buys off wear ‘n tear
Wear ‘n tear: one Charge used on every success o Weighted: weapon can be thrown at short-range
Specialized: (Melee: Spear) o Crossbar: weapon can hold a casualty or Vector
in place for a Resistance check

107
Sword: Every douche that thought the zombie apocalypse sounded fun went straight for a sword when the
Crash happened…and promptly got eaten by Vectors. To be fair, anyone still using a sword this late in the
game is probably pretty damn good with it. Hopefully they’re also deaf to all the sniggers and insults it’ll
attract around the enclave.
Gear Effect
Sword Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
3 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Executioner’s Edge: weapon always provides a
Melee +1 to Melee when used
Wear ‘n tear: one Charge used on every success o Sturdy: buys off wear ‘n tear
Specialized: (Melee: Sword) o Potent: add +1 Kill damage
o Potent: add +1 Kill damage
o Potent: add +1 Kill damage

Tomahawk: Hatchet’s are second only to machete’s in popularity. The small axe loses point because the
temptation to throw it often outweighs a Taker’s ability to do so well. Takers that don’t want to be left in
front of a hungry casualty with nothing but their fists buy a backup.
Gear Effect
Tomahawk Kill damage
Upkeep Charges
1 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Sturdy: buys off wear ‘n tear
Melee o Potent: add +1 Kill damage
Wear ‘n tear: one Charge used on every success o Weighted: weapon can be thrown at short-range

Warhammer: Most that succumb to “size queen syndrome” when desperately casting about for bludgeons
end up dead. But those strong enough to wield the things effectively are hell on Casualties.
Gear Effect
Warhammer Kill and Stun damage (B1 would be 1 Kill and 1 Stun
Upkeep Charges damage).
2 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Cumbersome: can’t be quick drawn o Sturdy: buys off wear ‘n tear
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Weighted: Spend a Charge on the weapon for
Melee knockback
Wear ‘n tear: one Charge used on every success

108
 Drugs and Healthcare
Blood Testing Unit: BTUs range from the hacked-together, pieces-of-shit used by the military at the
Recession checkpoints to newer, sleek StopLoss designs. Regardless of the cosmetics, all models answer the
same question: should I shoot my friend now or later?
Gear Effect
Blood Testing Unit Allows player to make the STR check to determine
Upkeep Charges infection rather than the Market. This means the
2 O O O O O O O O O O infected players now knows the results, and also may
spend Will to affect the check.
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o DHQS Model: Idiot-proof model achieves
bonuses flawless results without a First Aid check, but
DRM instantly sends results (especially
Immunity) to DHQS servers
o Hacked: Results may only be read by a single
user with a password-protected account
o Gen 2: Refined software can diagnose players
as Immune, even without having been bitten.

First Aid Kit: It won’t do shit against the Blight, but a lot can go wrong in the Loss. Nothing about Taker
first aid is meant to keep you healthy. Kits are there to keep you alive, moving, and in agony until you can
collapse back at the home.
Gear Effect
First Aid Kit Spend Charges to make a First Aid check on an
Upkeep Charges injured hit location of the player’s choice. Additional
2 O O O O O O O O O O Charges add bonuses to the check. Every point of
Black can reduce a box of Kill to Stun damage, or a
box of Stun to healed.
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o DHQS Issue: First Aid check can be used to
roll to aid check administer a blood test for infection. Will may
not be spent on test.
o Battlefield Spec: Spend 5 Charges to ignore a
wounded status for one scene, even after a
failed First Aid check
o P.A.S.S. Spec: make a called-shot Melee attack
to sedate an opponent. Spend First Aid Charges
add Stun damage on a success.

109
Prosthetic Arm: The field of prosthetics underwent a renaissance just before the Crash. New, lightweight
materials constructed ergonomic designs that could be directly grafted to the pectoral nerves of the patient,
feeding signals directly into an onboard computer. Those lucky enough to have access to the technology and
doctors with the expertise to install it have modded their prosthetics to fit a Taker lifestyle. Nothing says
“handicapable” quite like crushing someone’s skull in your fist.
Gear Effect
Prosthetic Arm Battery-powered, high-end prosthetic that takes the
Upkeep Charges place of a missing arm. At character creation, note
4 O O O O O O O O O O Unarmed: Prosthetic is needed to operate. If
installed in play, Profession: Surgeon check is
required, or a doctor hired to install and calibrate
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to change damage type or o App: Ubiq: forearm display and camera provide
negate all Stun damage to “worn” arm the benefits of Ubiq Specs. Ubiq Spec apps
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- unavailable
roll to aid check o App: KaliMa: Unarmed attacks now doing Kill
Contextual: cumbersome weapons may not be used. damage. Critical failures damage prosthetic
Limited motor control makes certain skill checks and and/or Taker.
Gear use impossible, at Market discretion. o App: Handshake: Permanent +3 to any
Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for every Resistance check involving grip
app o App: “BiteMe” Plate: Taker may choose to take
Specialized: (Unarmed: Prosthetic) Melee or Unarmed damage from a single
attacker on prosthetic arm. Does not work for
projectiles or mobs.

Prosthetic Leg: As with any other prosthetic, learning to cope with an artificial limb takes time and patience.
But with cutting-edge polymers and smart designs, the new prosthetic legs make the skilled as fast as any
other Taker. Finding the technology and expertise to install it remains an expensive proposition, but most
Takers that have lost legs the hard way have learned to never skimp on anything that helps them run away.
Gear Effect
Prosthetic Leg A high-end prosthetic that can do the athletic work
Upkeep Charges of a leg missing up to the thigh. At character creation,
4 O O O O O O O O O O note Athletics: Prosthetic is needed to operate. If
installed in play, Profession: Surgeon check is
required, or a doctor hired to install and calibrate.
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to change damage type or o Advanced Polymer: buys off clunky
negate all Stun damage to “worn” leg. o Pirate Pocket: Taker automatically succeeds on
Contextual: Limited motor control makes certain Criminality checks to conceal a single, small
skill checks and Gear use impossible at Market item
discretion. o BladeRunners: Taker may spend Charges on the
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus prosthetic, in addition to rations, to buy-a-roll
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll or aide Athletics: Prosthetic checks
Specialized: (Athletics: Prosthetic)

110
Rations: Mechanically, rations buy-a-roll for all acts of physical exertion and represent the caloric
requirements of staying alive in the Loss. The Charges are spent in the moment to aid tests, and a player need
never mention it to the Market unless overspending for additional bonuses. Narratively, rations are always
eaten “off-screen,” before or after whatever action scene in which they come into play. No one stops a fight
to scarf down on some beans; they spend Charges in the moment to represent how they prepared for extreme
exertion the night before.
Gear Effect
Rations Rations can be spent to buy-a-roll on skills that
Upkeep Charges require physical exertion (Athletics, Resistance,
1 O O O O O O O O O O Unarmed, etc). Additional spends add +1 and may
be made at any time.
Qualities Upgrades
Addictive: Takers must make a Self-Control: Stress o N/A
test for every day that goes by without rations and
take 1d10 Stun damage to the torso
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a-
roll to aid check
Essential: Taker has ten Charges at character
generation

Scent Blocker: Certain organs – the liver, the large intestine, etc – remain oddly untouched by Blight
infection. Collecting viscera from slain Casualties and squeezing it creates Scent Blocker, or “C-Juice” as it is
sometimes called. The noxious substance reeks but remains sterile (well, at least of the Blight). Rubbing on
scent blocker allows Takers to sneak past mobs of Casualties, though sight, sound, and behavior can still give
the humans away.
Gear Effect
Scent Blocker Allows Stealth checks against Casualties and
Upkeep Charges Vectors/ No CHA checks possible until cleaned/
3 for O O O O O O O O O O Requires a Self-Control: Stress test to use
purchase
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o DHQS Issue: Artificial scent makes Self-
roll to aid check Control check unnecessary
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep
after purchase

111
Soma (Stability Vitamins): Soma is to anti-depressants as power drills are to screwdrivers. The government
dumps this tranquilizing poison into Free Parking ghettos to keep the refugees from burning down the cities,
but it does ease the pain…if only for a little while.
Gear Effect
Soma (Stability Vitamins) Heals 1 Humanity and boosts Self-Control by +1 for
Upkeep Charges the remainder of the day/Leg, at the cost of 1
3 for O O O O O Charge of soma and 2 Stun damage to the Head
purchase
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Addictive: After failing a STR test, Takers must make o Refined Formula: Each charge only causes 1
a Self-Control: Stress test for every day that goes by Stun damage to the head
without using Soma o DHQS Sedatives: Spend all five charges to heal
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- Humanity on any Threat track
roll to aid check
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep
after purchase

Stim Sauce (Evacuation Amphetamines): Military-issue meth, issued to drivers to keep the caravans moving
East during the Crash. The feds claim it’s no longer in production, but there’s enough bootleggers that the
truth doesn’t really matter. Many can’t face the though of the Loss without a little SS in their blood. After
awhile, it becomes the only reason to get up in the morning.
Gear Effect
Stim Sauce (Evacuation Amphetamines) Boosts Athletics tests by +1 for the remainder of the
Upkeep Charges day/Leg, at the cost of 1 Charge and 2 Kill damage
3 for O O O O O to the torso/ all Self-Control checks must default for
purchase the duration
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Addictive: After failing a STR test, Takers must make o Refined Formula: Each charge only causes 1
a Self-Control: Stress test for every day that goes by Kill damage to the torso
without using Stim Sauce o DHQS Stimulants: Spend five charges to
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- ignore the effects of a wounded status
roll to aid check
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep
after purchase

112
StopLoss Healthcare: On the off-chance they’re nearby and not busy, StopLoss will provide medical care to
anyone with the foresight to have purchased their exorbitant medical insurance package. The corporation
provides these services to all paying customers, even in the Loss. Smart Takers never confuse life-saving for
compassion: the only reason the corp offers such a policy is the increased chance it provides to catch
Immunes in the field.
Gear Effect
StopLoss Healthcare StopLoss mercenaries and combat medics fly in and
Upkeep Charges medi-evac one Taker, so long as they are not
10 for purchase O infected, Immune, or Latent/ Taker’s otherwise
purposes only killed by head or torso damage may live so long a
someone makes a First Aid check to stabilize the
injured at the scene.
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o On-site Security: trained and equipped
bonuses StopLoss mercs pacify any Casualties or other
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep threats in the area before fulfilling contract
after purchase o Mobile Crash Unit: Taker is stabilized on-site
and given the option of being taken to the
StopLoss HQ or leaving under their own
power

Suppression K-7864: Derived from the bone marrow of the Immune, along with a cocktail of dangerously
caustic antiseptics and antibiotics, Suppression K-7864 is the only hope for someone infected with the Blight.
The shot reverts live strains into their little-understood undead state. Though the infection still perforates
every tissue with Blight sinews, the live cells responsible for destroying the brain and turning people into
Vectors never activate. This turns the user into Latents, humans completely riddled with the Blight’s sinew,
but sill alive and rational. As if that weren’t enough, the shot is no promise of survival; the process of
becoming a Latent is agonizing, and it’s been said to kill many through shock alone.
Gear Effect
Suppressin K-7864 Suppressin K-7864 is the only hope of someone
Upkeep Charges infected by the Blight. Once injected, the user
6 for O undergoes the agonizing process of becoming
purchase Latent, even if not previously infected. This change
purposes is permanent
only
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o N/A
bonuses
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep
after purchase

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 Armor and Accessories
Backpack: There’s no reason to go out if you’re not bringing something back. Even the most desperate
Takers carry a backpack.
Gear Effect
Backpack Allows the use of Taker’s Haul rating (Haul = STR).
Upkeep Charges Allows use of Taker’s Refresh rating (Refresh =
1 Haul = Taker’s STR ADP).
All Takers start with a backpack
Qualities Upgrades
Essential: Taker has one backpack at character o N/A
generation
Static: no Charges needed to use this item

“Basilisk” Body Armor: Increased fatalities from the US’s never-ending stream of bush wars finally prompted
Congress to issue advanced body armor to all military personnel. Basilisk was the evolution of metamaterial
prototypes capable of stopping even high-caliber rounds without hindering mobility. Due to budget cuts and
logistical fuck-ups, “the future of warfare” only saw a 16% rollout before the Crash. Those lucky enough to
scavenge a set off a dead DHQS soldier reap the best the military-industrial complex has to offer.
Gear Effect
“Basilisk” Body Armor Armors torso and arms (5-9) against damage from all
Upkeep Charges sources save fire/ Spend charges to convert all Kill
6 for O O O O O O O O O O to Stun damage, or spend charges to negate a single
purchase point of Stun damage.
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun o DHQS issue: Syringes constantly test for
damage, or spend charges to negate a single point of infection and issue a “freeze” pulse upon
Stun damage detection, destroying the metamaterials of the
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no armor and inflicting the gassed status.
upkeep after purchase o Lash Mic: armor has embedded communications
equipment that provides radio contact.

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Carpet Gauntlets/Greaves: The base layer of commercial carpeting – the plastic weave in which the strands
are embedded – can’t be pierced by human teeth or nails. Some early Taker realized that this made the floors
of most abandoned houses a goldmine of anti-casualty kevlar. Five years later, carpet gauntlets and greaves is
standard equipment for a lot of Takers. Feed your left arm to the zombie, scream like hell as it bites down on
the carpet, and start bashing skulls before the dumb thing goes for juicer meat.
Gear Effect
Carpet Gauntlets/Greaves Armors legs and arms (1-6) against casualty and
Upkeep Charges Vectors. No infection check for bites. Spend charges
4 for O O O O O O O O O O to convert all Kill to Stun damage, or spend charges
purchase to negate a single point of Stun damage.
purposes only
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun o N/A
damage, or spend charges to negate a single point of
Stun damage (Casualties only)
Improvised: Refresh only with a successful Scavenge
check; no upkeep required

Chainmail: If it’s good enough to defend against sharks and swords, it’ll stop Casualties. However, chainmail
requires constant care to replace missing links and prevent rust. Some Takers are willing to sacrifice safety to
save on maintenance.
Gear Effect
Chainmail Armors arms and torso (5-9) against Melee and
Upkeep Charges Unarmed attacks/ No infection checks for bites.
3 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to convert all kKll to Stun o Advanced Alloy: removes the hampering quality
damage, or spend charges to negate a single point of o Hooded: protection extended to the head
Stun damage (Melee and Unarmed only) (location10)
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus o Padded: buys off the clunky quality
Hampering: takes up one Haul and one Refresh while
equipped or carried

Helmet: A bad idea when Latents go Vector; a good idea for every other occasion.
Gear Effect
Helmet Armors the head (location 10) against damage from
Upkeep Charges all sources. Spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun
2 for O O O O O O O O O O damage, or spend charges to negate a single point of
purchase Stun damage.
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun o Facemask: no infection checks on bites to the
damage, or spend charges to negate a single point of head
Stun damage (all sources) o Headlamp: attached flashlight allows for
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no Awareness checks in darkness
upkeep after purchase

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Kevlar: Slap one on and pray they aim center mass.
Gear Effect
Kevlar Armors the torso (7-9) against damage from all
Upkeep Charges sources. Spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun
4 for O O O O O O O O O O damage, or spend charges to negate a single point of
purchase Stun damage.
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to convert all Kill to Stun o Modular: Charges may be replaced at one
damage, or spend charges to negate a single point of bounty per charge
Stun damage
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no upkeep
after purchase

Padded Gloves: It seems like a small thing, but a cut knuckle from a panicked punch has undone many a
crew. Keep casualty teeth out of your skin and on the ground where they belong.
Gear Effect
Padded Gloves +1 Stun damage to all Unarmed attacks/ Prevents
Upkeep Charges infection tests after Unarmed attacks on Casualties
1 for O O O O O O O O O O
purchase
purposes
only
Qualities Upgrades
Improvised: Refresh only with a successful Scavenge o Armored Knuckles: Add another +1 Stun
check; no upkeep required damage
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Sturdy: buys off wear ‘n tear quality
Wear ‘n tear: one Charge used on every success o Spiked: Convert Stun damage to Kill

Riot Shield: Some enclaves only exist today because the Fencement trained to form a phalanx across the
breach. Many Takers have brought them into the field to get some much-needed distance from the dead.
Gear Effect
Riot Shield Armors all locations except the head (1-9) against
Upkeep Charges Melee damage of all types, except knockback. Spend
4 for O O O O O O O O O O one Charge every time the shield absorbs damage.
purchase Melee attacks with the shield do Stun damage and
purposes knockback.
only
Qualities Upgrades
Armor: spend charges to redirect damage to the riot o SWAT Quality: Now protects against firearms
shield. Riot shield is immune to all damage save and counts as cover. Taker may not move and
knockback retain cover. All cover rules apply.
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus o Viewscreen: Taker may move and retain cover.
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no Attacking or making Athletics checks takes the
upkeep after purchase person out of cover.
Melee
Specialized: (Melee: Shield)

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 Tools
Bicycle: Taker survival in the short-term is about spending. The long-term is about sustainability.
Gear Effect
Bicycle Takers can make Athletics checks to escape Legs of
Upkeep Charges the journey, but encounters are still triggered.
2 O O O O O O O O O O Charges are lost when damaged
Qualities Upgrades
Manpower: spend rations to buy-a-roll o Basket: add +1 to the Taker’s Refresh (Refresh
= ADP)
o Repair Kit: Charges can be restored on a
successful Mechanics check
o Saddlebags: add +1 to the Taker’s Haul (Haul =
STR)

Binoculars: Whether you’re walking into it, being chased by it, or getting flanked by it, see it before it sees
you.
Gear Effect
Binoculars Add +2 Awareness and Scavenging when assessing
Upkeep Charges Legs (outdoors)
1 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Fragile: breaks with a single hit or missed upkeep o Digital zoom: replaces static quality with charged.
Static: no charges needed to use the item Spend charges after a check to add +1
Awareness to checks when assessing Legs
outdoors
o Nightvision: Requires digital zoom upgrade.
Spend a charge to use in darkness

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DDJ’s (Denial Door Jams): Before the Crash, carbon nanotubes were being manufactured en masse by the
military industrial complex for a number of uses in various defense contracts. As the chaos cancelled those
grand projects, some demolitions expert got the bright idea to wrap all that spare unbreakable wire around a
grenade. DDJs were about the only casualty-specific ordinance distributed before the withdrawal over the
Mississippi. They were used by “shudder” teams deployed to retrieve vital personnel and fortify
infrastructure. After entering a building, teams would pop a DDJ to ensure no more infected joined them
from the outside. Tiny harpoons would deploy from the baseplate and embed in the walls and frame,
barricading the door and tangling anything that managed to breakthrough. DDJ’s are a favorite of Taker
crews specializing in extermination jobs, and many enclaves have started recycling nanotubes from detonated
ordinance to manufacture their own units.
Gear Effect
DDJ’s (Denial Door Jams) DDJs obstruct small passageways and doorways with
Upkeep Charges a tangle of carbon nanotube wires explosively
3 for O O O O O deployed around a central plate/Close proximity
purchase detonation inflicts Kill damage to all locations, or
purposes Kill damage to a randomized location on multiple
only targets. All victims considered grappled.
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Homebrew: cheap blast plates send wire
bonuses harpoons scattering in all directions, essentially
Explosive: damage done to all hit locations, or make a DDJ grenade.
multiple targets o Secondary Charge: an incendiary explosive
In Demand: cannot be refreshed, but costs no charge mounted outside the blast plate
upkeep after purchase detonates to further damage tangled targets.
Loud Kill damage continues until extinguished.
o Emergency Release: a wireless signal can order
wires to detach from the base plate, opening up
previously barricaded doorways instantly.

Flashlight: Remember the Taker motto: “Prevent a bite with a nightlight; turn it off or heads get blown off”
Gear Effect
Flashlight Allows Awareness checks in darkness
Upkeep Charges
1 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Ever-light: buys off capped and adds the in-
bonuses demand and static qualities
Fragile: breaks with a single hit or missed upkeep o Mounted: flashlight no longer must be held or
drawn so long as Taker equips the mounted
gear

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Electronics Kit: Basic software on minidrives, circuit boards, soldering irons, voltage meters – sometimes the
best Scores require working with equipment too delicate for a simple toolbox. Takers specializing in
communications and high-end security systems carefully assemble kits catered to assist with advanced
electronics.
Gear Effect
Electronics Kit Charges can be spent to aid Mechanics checks to
Upkeep Charges hack, repair, or craft upgrades for advanced
3 O O O O O O O O O O electronics out of scavenged parts
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Tailored: buys off the clunky quality
roll to aid check o Well-prepared: a successful Mechanics check
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus allows the user to improvise a simple electronic
device at the cost of the kits remaining charges.

Lockpicker's Kit: If you’re lucky, the door’s locked because the idiots thought they’d be coming back one day.
If you’re not, they locked it to keep what they’ve become from getting out. Either way, the noise of forced
entry is a bad idea, and smart Takers know they need more to rely on than cancelled credit cards.
Gear Effect
Lockpicker's Kit +1 Criminality for tests related to lockpicking
Upkeep Charges
3 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Tailored: buys off the clunky quality
roll to aid check o Mrs. Tumbles Brand PickGun: Semi-automatic,
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus freon dispensing pick gun breaks a lock as a
tactic rather than a task for the cost of the kit’s
remaining charges

Toolkit: It’s the Loss: everything is breaking or already broke. Come prepared.
Gear Effect
Toolkit Charges can be spent to aid Mechanics checks to
Upkeep Charges repair or dismantle simple equipment.
2 O O O O O O O O O O
Qualities Upgrades
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Tailored: buys off the clunky quality
roll to aid check
Clunky: Stealth checks at default only; no skill bonus

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 Pets
Dog: Animals that try to feed off the flesh of Casualties usually get eaten themselves or die from the Blight’s
poison. Five years in,“man’s best friend” only survives by feasting off survivors in feral packs or remaining
loyal to master. A well-trained pooch can be a lifesaver in the Loss, though. They can attack human rivals or
distract Casualties without much fear of being caught. Outfitted with equipment, service dogs make great
scouts. Perhaps most importantly, dogs are invaluable for morale. Life over the fence might be a harrowing
nightmare to the rest of the crew, but Fido is just happy for walkies. But never forget, a dog is more than
another piece of equipment to invest in. Many a Taker lived through the genocide of the Crash only to put a
gun in their mouth when their dog died.
Gear Effect
Dog Dogs can perform all the actions of a highly trained
Upkeep Charges dog. Dogs use the owner’s Profession: Animal
2 O O O O O O O O O O Handling skill for all skill checks. Actions resolve on
the owner’s initiative and take up the owner’s free
action.
Qualities Upgrades
Autonomous: dog operates off the owner’s initiative. o Attack Training: dog can perform a Kill damage
Dog performs one tactic or twitch as ordered by the bite attack on uninfected targets using the
owner’s free action. owner’s Profession: Animal Handling skill.
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Friendly: heal one Humanity for free if dog
roll to aid check unharmed by the end of the job.
Fragile: animal dies with Kill damage or missed o Hardy: Kill damage now eats into remaining
upkeep charges. Reducing charges to zero kills the
Organic: Charges refreshed only with rations, and animal unless a successful First Aid check
destruction demands a crumbling Self-control check. stabilizes the creature.
Specialized: (Profession: Animal Handling or o Harness: dog can carry one Haul
applicable skill as determined by Market) o Hunter: the dog can hunt its own food and
refreshes like other gear rather than eating
rations
o Instinct: dog’s action no longer tied to owner’s
initiative and triggers whenever owner chooses
to use that round’s freebie.
o Patrol Vest: dog outfitted with speaker, wireless
camera, and directional pressure pad tactical
vest for remote/long-distance operation

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Falcon: A lot of archaic knowledge became relevant again after the Crash; perhaps none so surprising as
falconry. A trained bird can hunt, scout, deliver unhackable mail, and perform a number of vital roles in a
crew. The huge investment is required to train these wild animals, in time and emotional attachment.
Gear Effect
Falcon Falcons can perform all the actions of a highly-
Upkeep Charges trained bird. Falcons use the owner’s Profession:
3 O O O O O O O O O O Animal Handling skill for all skill checks. Actions
resolve on the owner’s initiative and take up the
owner’s free action.
Qualities Upgrades
Autonomous: falcon operates off the owner’s o Attack Training: falcon can perform a single
initiative. Falcon performs one tactic or twitch as Stun damage attack on uninfected targets using
ordered by the owner’s free action. the owner’s Profession: Animal Handling skill.
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Friendly: heal one Humanity for free if falcon
roll to aid check unharmed by the end of the job.
Fragile: animal dies with Kill damage or missed o Hunter: the falcon can hunt its own food and
upkeep refreshes like other gear rather than eating
Organic: Charges refreshed only with rations, and rations
destruction demands a crumbling Self-control check. o Instinct: falcon’s action no longer tied to
Specialized: (Profession: Animal Handling or owner’s initiative and triggers whenever owner
applicable skill as determined by Market) chooses to use that round’s free action.
o Scout: falcon can deliver written message to
other enclaves and provides +3 Foresight and
Awareness when in the air

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Horse: Anything that can plow a field or carry a load without using precious fuel is valuable indeed. The fact
that a loyal horse can also get you away from Casualties is a nice bonus. Just don’t let the poor thing get hurt.
Hearing the screams of a horse being eaten alive will forever turn a Taker’s dreams into nightmares.
Gear Effect
Horse Horses perform all the actions of a trained beast of
Upkeep Charges burden. Horses use the owner’s Profession: Animal
4 O O O O O O O O O O Handling skill for all skill checks. Players can make a
Profession: Animal Handling check to escape legs of
a journey.
Qualities Upgrades
Autonomous: horse operates off the owner’s o Friendly: heal one Humanity for free if horse
initiative. Horse performs one tactic or twitch as unharmed by the end of the job.
ordered by the owner’s free action. o Hardy: Kill damage now eats into remaining
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- charges. Reducing charges to zero destoys the
roll to aid check animal unless a successful First Aid check
Fragile: animal dies with Kill damage or missed stabilizes the creature.
upkeep o Ornery: horse can perform a kick attack using
Organic: Charges refreshed only with rations, and the owner’s Profession: Animal Handling skill.
destruction demands a crumbling Self-control check. Kick does Kill + Stun damage and inflicts
Specialized: (Profession: Animal Handling or knockback
applicable skill as determined by Market) o Reckoning: horse can navigate to its home
enclave with a single order, with or without a
rider.
o Saddlebags: horse can carry 3 Haul and a rider
o Warhorse: no Profession: Animal Handling
checks necessary when horse might otherwise
be spooked.

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 Advanced Electronics
Dron-key: Though not quite breeching Terminator territory, AI advanced far enough before the Crash that
limitedly autonomous robotic units became the norm for most military ground units. Dron-key’s were used to
carry equipment, relay communications, scout, and dispose of explosives (by running into them). A number
of units were salvaged after the recall of US forces brought a glut of dron-keys into the domestic warzone.
The Loss has long since learned to hack and mod the equipment for their needs. They may be dumb as all
hell and look like cross between a pommel horse and deformed mule, but they carry your shit and don’t
complain.
Gear Effect
Dron-key Dron-keys are quadruped robots that can follow
Upkeep Charges Takers autonomously or be piloted remotely. Dron-
5 O O O O O O O O O O keys use Profession: Drones for all skill checks.
Dron-key carries up to 4 Haul worth of cargo
Qualities Upgrades
Autonomous: dron-key operates off the owner’s o Autocomplete Algorithm: dron-key’s action no
initiative. Dron-key performs one tactic or twitch as longer tied to owner’s initiative and triggers
voice commanded by the owner’s free action. whenever owner chooses to use that round’s
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- free action.
roll to aid check o Armored: dron-key is immune to Stun damage,
Fragile: destroyed with Kill damage or missed upkeep and all Kill damage costs a single charge to
Loud negate
Specialized: (Profession: Drones or applicable skill as o Stealth Servos: buys off the loud quality
determined by Market) o PA System: drone equipped with speakers
capable of broadcasting any sound the user
chooses.
o Surveillance Suite: dron-key proves +2
Awareness and Foresight when piloted
remotely.
o Weapons Platform: dron-key mounted with a
capped shotgun can be used while piloted. Check
Profession: Drones to attack.

123
Drone: The government tried to crack down on civilian drone use immediately after they became available,
and they started failing just as quickly. Drones are the primary early warning system of most enclaves, and
Beemail carriers are pretty as close to a postal system as the Loss can get. If they can afford the batteries and
maintenance, many Taker crews bring drones out on job to safely scout ahead.
Gear Effect
Drone Drones can fly, scout, deliver goods, and attack
Upkeep Charges autonomously or under remote piloting. Drones use
4 O O O O O O O O O O Profession: Drones for all skill checks
Qualities Upgrades
Autonomous: drone operates off the owner’s o Autocomplete Algorithm: drone’s action no
initiative. Drone performs one tactic or twitch as longer tied to owner’s initiative and triggers
voice commanded by the owner’s free action (Taker whenever owner chooses to use that round’s
must be wearing mic relay that accompanies drone) free action.
Charged: Charges can be spent in addition to buy-a- o Beemail Chassis: drone can carry 1 Haul
roll to aid check o Kamikaze: piloting the drone into a target does
Fragile: destroyed with Kill damage or missed upkeep explosive Kill damage and destroys drone
Hampering: takes up one Haul and one Refresh o Starlight: high-intensity LED light illuminates
while equipped or carried (drone must be carried ground beneath drone, providing the effect of a
when not flying) flashlight for all Takers
Loud o Surveillance Suite: drone provides +3 Awarness
Specialized: (Profession: Drones or applicable skill as and Foresight when piloted remotely
determined by Market) o Whisper Drive: buys off loud quality

Laptop/Pad: Ubiq’s aloft servers may still be floating up there in the stratosphere, but it don’t mean shit if
you can’t access them. While hacked Specs remain the norm for many Takers because they’re hands free, the
limited UI leaves something to be desired. Takers that need to hack in a hurry or spend a lot of time online
usually set up their account on a more traditional device.
Gear Effect
Laptop/Pad Serves as a platform for apps and Ubiq wifi hotspot.
Upkeep Charges Keyboard allows computer skills to be performed as
3 O O O O O O O O O O task action in combat
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Optimized: buys off hungry quality
bonuses o App: Professionals EnMeshed: +2 Networking
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one online
used o App: BotSpammers: +2 Persuasion inside home
Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for every enclave
installed app o App: DigDataDoug: +2 Research online
o App: RecessionPunk: +2 Mechanics for repairs
and crafting
o App: Blackstone: aggregates video and audio
feeds into a tactical network

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Ubiq Specs: The first wearable computing device to really take off, Specs finally made good on the promise of
augmented reality computing by removing the hassle and stigma. They came in a wide variety of attractive
models, ranging from wire frames to sunglasses to horn-rimmed. The interface was designed to be
compatible with all needs and proclivities, allowing for voice command, Ubiq On-Sight operation via
specialized contact lenses, or wearable thimble inputs. The camera was ultralight and high-resolution,
recording on microdrives hidden in the earpieces capable of holding nearly 100 gigs without noticeable extra
weight. The AR interface sported the best visual recognition software yet made by man, and open-source
code made sure the app market could meet every conceivable need. And not only did the calls have the
lowest drop ratio of every major provider, but onboard sensors in the frames could be fed into a computer
model of the user’s face to project an accurate facial expression to the person on the other end.

Specs were well on their way to replacing cell-phones…but then the apocalypse started, “terrorists” took over
the servers, and everyone started using them to shoot zombies.
Gear Effect
Ubiq Specs Augmented Reality glasses with video, phone, and
Upkeep Charges web capabilities, operated with voice, contact, or
2 O O O O O O O O O O thumbpad commands
Qualities Upgrades
Capped: costs one Charge per use; no additional o Optimized: buys off hungry quality
bonuses o App: GhoulNet: Persistent and secure text,
Hungry: two Charges must be spent for every one video and voice connection between Ubiq users
used allow for a group tactical network.
Memory: permanently mark off one Charge for every o App: DeadEyes Hack: RFID sights installed on
installed app a projectile weapon provide +2 Shoot every
time DeadEyes is used.
o App: Apophenia Overlay: AR pattern
recognition provides +2 Scavenge
o App: FoolMeX2: Facial recognition software
provides +2 Sensitivity
o App: TriggerGuard: Provides +2 to Self-
Control checks when used.

Z2. Haul
Scores earn bounty by attaching a price to each unit of supply (see "Scores" p.XX). These
units are called Haul.
A Taker can carry Haul equal to STR and still perform the intense physical exercise demanded of the job.
Anything more than that and the Taker can't move, or at least can't move fast enough to escape a
shuffling casualty. So, for instance, a Taker might be strong enough to carry a flamethrower, a
shotgun, spear, kitchen sink, filing cabinet, and baby mule at the same time. But that character is
going to have a hell of time rolling into cover from gunfire, pulling themselves out of a burning
train, or jumping over a crowd of zombies. Taker's travel light by necessity.
If Refresh abstracts the ability to source and purchase gear, then Haul abstracts a Taker's
carrying capacity. As is noted on p. XX, though the Haul rating is derived from STR, it does not
represent maximum physical force. It also doesn't limit how much gear the Taker can own (see
"How much can I carry?" p.XX). Haul describes the maximum amount that can be earned through
the Taker's physical labors by capping how many units of supply can be carried. The price of each
unit varies, but each Taker’s capacity is limited by their STR.
So, for instance, let's say the crew is designing a Score. The Market rolls and each unit of

125
supply costs 7 bounty. But what's the Score for? Doesn't matter. If the crew goes after gun parts, a
Taker with STR 1 can carry 7 bounty's worth of gun parts. But if the crew goes after bags of rice?
That Taker can still only carry 7 bounty's worth of rice. Stationary? 7 bounty's worth of decorative
paper (also: y'all write weird games).
Is Haul realistic? No. Red Markets never promised realism (as if the zombies weren't a clue).
However, Haul does keep the game from devolving into a human pack mule simulation.

• Figure out the demand, in bounty, of each unit of supply.

• Multiply that number by the Taker's STR.
• That's the maximum amount of bounty the Taker can carry back from the job site.

This means that, even if they achieve the maximum bounty per unit, the ability to profit
from Scores is always going to be limited by how much the crew can hump on their backs. That is,
unless they invest in some transportation. Which brings us to...

Z2. Vehicle Rules

Moving things from point A to point B has been the primary struggle of economic
production since the beginning of history. The Loss certainly doesn't make distribution easier.
Takers can carry their salvage the old fashioned way with Haul, but crews that don't want their
earnings tied to the strength of their backs need a company vehicle.
Transportation not only allows much more to be earned from a Score, it also protects from
the dangerous unpredictability of Legs and provides a rolling shelter for the crew. Reliable transport
would almost make the job easy...were fuel not the scarcest commodity in the world.
The hefty investment and huge rewards of owning vehicles necessitates excluding them from
the rest of the gear list. Vehicles have their own rules, detailed below.

SIDEBAR: Salvaged Vehicles

If Takers recover a car or truck from the Loss, remember that it's been sitting unused for
five years. Getting it working is a miracle, even if the PCs scavenge parts from other vehicles and
somehow find some tires that have yet to rot. Vehicles looted in route only last until the end of that
job. If the Takers want to consistently reduce their Legs, they need to pay for a vehicle that has seen
maintenance in the last decade.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Vehicle Effect

When vehicles aren't broken down, they close distances faster than walking, allow vehicular
interactions, and carry additional weight.
That might seem painfully obvious, but, mechanically, that's all vehicles can do in Red
Markets. But it's enough; those mechanical benefits are huge.

1. Vehicles are finicky.

⁃ Five years after the Crash, most machines that are still running are just barely road
worthy. The body and parts were likely pieced together from the innumerable pile-
ups dotting the freeways, or pulled from a garage after years of neglect. The few
vehicles receiving regular use and maintenance throughout the disaster have probably
run over multiple Casualties, bashed through roadblocks, and weathered multiple

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 gunshots...none of which help longevity. Unless upgraded, starting any motor in the
Loss requires a Mechanics check.
2. Vehicles can skip Legs.
⁃ When using transportation, Takers can spend extra vehicle charges to skip any Leg
on the d100 Loss Encounters table (p. XX) or any Leg the Market designed to be
dealt with on foot. Takers have the option of stopping and engaging with the
encounter, but their wheels can get them away. Certain upgrades even allow crews to
skip vehicle-specific Legs (p.XX) This allows Takers to arrive at the job site rested
and uninjured, which rarely happens to crews on foot.
3. Vehicles make certain scenes possible.
⁃ In the contest between man and machine...there is no contest. If the cultists
kidnapping your son have a car and your character does not, they get away. If you
have a vehicle too, now it's a chase. If raiders ram a character fleeing across the
desert, that person is really dead. If the character is in a vehicle, it's just some damage.
In short, vehicles allow PCs to interact with aspects of the environment that would
otherwise just run away or run them over.
4. Vehicles increase available Haul.
⁃ On a Score, each character can carry Haul equalling STR. But in a vehicle? Takers
can carry their normal Haul, plus any carrying capacity in the vehicle not occupied by
passengers. A three-person crew capable of 2 Haul each can make, at maximum
demand, 60 bounty off of a Score. Another three-person crew, driving a semi, could
theoretically make 170 bounty off the same job.

Z3. Vehicle Charges and Fuel

Charges on a vehicle represent fuel. It can be any kind of fuel – gasoline, biodiesel, batteries
– but the charges keep the vehicle moving. No charges? No go.
This doesn't differ from the narrative interpretation of charges on all other gear, but vehicle
charges operate differently in some significant ways.

1. Upkeep only prevents malfunction. It doesn't refresh charges.

⁃ Energy is expensive in the Loss. If its renewable (such as solar and wind power), the
wait list to hook up to the generators is wildly long. If it's fossil fuel, the supply can
literally only go down. What few refinery and drilling operations still operate can't
begin to meet the Loss's demand. Upkeep on vehicles is for replacing parts, which
are still in abundance, but finding fuel is a constant struggle.
2. Charges for vehicles must be individually sourced and purchased.
⁃ Every charge put into a vehicle costs bounty. The gear burns capital to operate. This
means that it is extremely rare for a crew to have a "full tank" of 10 charges. It also
means that the wheels don't turn if someone can't source a supply. Purchasing fuel
requires a successful Networking check and bounty in hand: no one gives fuel out on
credit.
3. The price per charge depends on the vehicle's fuel demand.
⁃ The number recorded as the vehicle's fuel demand is the cost per charge for that
vehicle. In general, the bigger and more specialized the vehicle, the higher the cost.
The bounty per charge cost can fluctuate depending on which upgrades the crew
installs.

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 4. Charges are spent to start a Leg, and charges are spent to skip a Leg.
⁃ To get to the next Leg, a vehicle must spend a charge of fuel. For typical Loss
encounters, Takers can choose to stop and engage, or they can speed on by to the
next Leg. If the Leg is a Vehicle Leg (meaning an encounter specifically designed to
stop a vehicle), another charge must be spent to "go around" the obstacle. If the
encounter isn't stationary – such as a motorized group of pirates – escape from the
vehicle encounter might not be possible without other skill checks.

Z3. Vehicle Ownership and Upkeep

The cost of fueling and repairing a vehicle is too much for most Takers to afford on their
own. Therefore, the whole crew shares the burden of maintaining transportation. Vehicles are
"company property." This means...

1. Vehicles may not be purchased at character creation.

⁃ The price for working transportation is always upkeep x 2. Takers don't receive the
half-off discount of character creation when buying a car. Furthermore, it's just a
good idea to hold investing in a major piece of company equipment until the crew
has a better conception of its particular brand. If the crew needs a vehicle for a one-
shot, the Market can provide one, but purchase should otherwise remain a major
company decision made by all the PCs.
2. Vehicle upkeep and purchase price is deducted from the Score or contract.
⁃ Whenever calculating the bounty earned from a contract, automatically deduct the
price of any vehicles the group plans to purchase or needs to upkeep. The remainder
is split amongst the crew into equal shares. If the car lets you do business, the car
gets fed before you.
3. Vehicles don't factor into negotiation until expenses.
⁃ The upkeep price of a vehicle doesn't enter into contract negotiations until expenses
get paid, same as any other type of gear. Unless the client has been totally fleeced,
owning a vehicle always cuts into the bottom line.

Z3. Vehicle Haul

Vehicles almost always cost, but they might save capital by decreasing the risk to Takers.
Conflict avoided by skipping Legs translates into bounty saved in healing, Humanity, and favors.
However, these savings are offset by the gains potentially lost skipping Legs. No risk means no
rewards.
However, a vehicle's increased carrying capacity is an unqualified benefit. More often than
not, Takers have to leave valuable goods behind when out on a Score; they can only carry so much
and still deal with the dangers of the Loss. A vehicle significantly increases the efficiency of each
trip.

1. Passengers take up one Haul.

⁃ For every person riding in a vehicle, subtract one off its Haul. That means three
Takers traveling in a car would have an extra 4 Haul available (7 Haul - 3 passengers
= 4 Haul)
2. Remaining vehicle Haul adds to a crew's total Haul.

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 ⁃ Imagine a crew buys a Jeep. The vehicle has 7 Haul. Now, a crew of three Takers,
each with STR 3, would be able to carry 9 Haul; it wouldn't make sense to take a
Jeep when they could carry more by hand. However, only passengers count against
Haul, not passengers and what they are carrying. The vehicle, after accounting for
passengers, would still add 4 Haul to their potential gains. This means the crew could
salvage 13 Haul's worth of goods with the Jeep, as opposed to 9 Haul carried by
hand.

Z3. Vehicle Upgrades

All vehicles share the six possible upgrades. Each upgrade may only be purchased once.
Since every type of vehicle shares the same pool of possible upgrades, rather than the item-
specific list used by most gear, each vehicle is limited to three upgrades. Any more than that and an
ultra-competent machine could eliminate challenge of the game. These upgrades also have multiple
effects, usually related to how they alter fuel demand or upkeep.
Purchasing and installing upgrades is done normally. Each upgrade costs one bounty, but
each can be lost in malfunction rolls.

The available upgrades are...

1. Off-road
• Burn a charge to skip an encounter despite obstructions or off-road conditions.
• Fuel Demand increases by one.

2. Reliable
• Vehicle does not require a Mechanics check to start.
• Upkeep increases by 2 bounty

3. Armored
• Vehicle counts as cover in combat
• No attacks can do damage to the vehicle unless they carry the explosive or armor-
piercing upgrade.
• Fuel Demand increases by 1 bounty

4. Alternative Fuel
• Vehicle uses solar panels, electricity, biodiesel, or other renewable energy for fuel
• Fuel Demand decreases by one

5. Optimized Load
• Vehicle gains +2 Haul
• Fuel demand increases by one

6. Juiced
• Vehicle's superior horsepower and handling provides a static +2 Drive bonus
• Fuel Demand increases by one

Z3. Vehicle List

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 Make, model, look, paint job, and any other cosmetic accessories are entirely up to the crew.
They can ride around in whatever they think would look cool or fitting for the upgrades.
Mechanically, these descriptions have no bearing on the game besides making the setting more fun
and immersive for the group. Markets should encourage player creativity and emotional investment:
it makes the Humanity damage all the worse when the thing blows up later.
Here are the vehicle types Red Markets currently supports. Copy the essential stats and
upgrades into the space provided on the crew sheet.

Vehicle Type: Motorcycle Adjusted Charges 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Haul Rating: 3 +/- Upgrade #1:

Fuel Demand: 2 +/- Upgrade #2:

Upkeep: 2 +/- Upgrade #3:

Vehicle Type: ATV Adjusted Charges 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Haul Rating: 5 +/- Upgrade #1:

Fuel Demand: 2 +/- Upgrade #2:

Upkeep: 3 +/- Upgrade #3:

Vehicle Type: Car/Jeep Adjusted Charges 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Haul Rating: 7 +/- Upgrade #1:

Fuel Demand: 3 +/- Upgrade #2:

Upkeep: 3 +/- Upgrade #3:

Vehicle Type: SUV/Truck Adjusted Charges 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Haul Rating: 9 +/- Upgrade #1:

Fuel Demand: 4 +/- Upgrade #2:

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Upkeep: 3 +/- Upgrade #3:

Vehicle Type: Adjusted Charges 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Flatbed/Commercial

Haul Rating: 12 +/- Upgrade #1:

Fuel Demand: 4 +/- Upgrade #2:

Upkeep: 5 +/- Upgrade #3:

Vehicle Type: Semi/Military Adjusted Charges 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Transport

Haul Rating: 14 +/- Upgrade #1:

Fuel Demand: 5 +/- Upgrade #2:

Upkeep: 5 +/- Upgrade #3:

Z3. Vehicle Combat and Chases

If you need help calculating how much damage is done in a car crash, see "Weird Damage"
in the Combat chapter (p. XX).
Otherwise, suffice it to say that firing weapons and jumping onto moving cars is a really bad
idea in reality, and really fun in make believe. Red Markets has no intention of letting reality ruin our
fun.
This means that combat amongst vehicles is treated like any other combat: tactics and
twitches resort to the character's skills. If someone wants to jump onboard a moving train, tell them
if they are close enough and, if so, call for an Athletics check. There's no factoring in variable speeds
and distance and blah blah blah.
Most cars aren't bullet-proof (except for those with the Armored upgrade), so resolve firearm
damage as normal. The Market is free to forbid twitches to dodge if a character is strapped in, but
the driver could make Drive checks to avoid attacks instead. If people scrape sides, it's cinematic and
looks cool, but no dice need to be rolled unless the Taker's vehicle is disabled.
As for chases, Drive gets characters closer or further away, depending on the preferences of
the person making a check. Drive is also the skill for stopping a pursued vehicle with some artful
ramming, and it's used for performing death-defying stunts. There's no need to keep track of
complex distances, speeds, and variables for physics problems. The Market declares what is
happening, the players make their check, and the characters react. That's it.
The only mistake to avoid would be bogging down one of the most tense, climactic scenes
of the game (like...say, a car chase) with an excess of rules lawyering and dice checks. Keep it simple;

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keep it fast.

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Z1. Combat
In many instances, a fight to death with the Casualties is the best-case scenario; humans are
still the deadliest animals on the planet. Facing down the undead is a unique proposition, which is
why Casualties and Vectors have their own rules (p. XX). The combat rules in Red Markets seek to
emulate the terror, suddenness, and confusion of armed conflict with other human beings, be they
soldiers, believers, raiders, or other crews.
What follows is a description of the basic combat mechanics, order of operations, damage
penalties, and special maneuvers. The chapter is interspersed with an example combat (see p.XX).
For rules on running combat as the Market, see "Running the Market" (p. XX)

Z2. The Market Will Win

The Market always succeeds if uncontested. This means whatever the Market declares will
happen does happen unless the players make a check to prevent it. For instance, if a soldier is about to
shoot one of the characters, the Market doesn't have to do anything to see if the soldier succeeds.
The player makes an Athletics check to dodge. On a success, the bullet misses its mark. On a failure,
the shot lands.
Similarly, if a player tries to attack, the Market doesn't waste time rolling to see if some
random thug dodged; the success or failure of the player's attack check determines the outcome
entirely.
This is atypical for many RPG's. The person running the game usually rolls against the
players, and the dice mechanic decides who wins. But with a few exceptions (see "When the Market
Rolls p. XX), the Market doesn't make dice checks in a conflict. The Market never checks for
success because the person running the game represents the weight of history: the combined forces
of the economy, opposing and assisting the characters. Takers either succeed in overcoming the
Market's Forces (for the moment), fail, or they're too exhausted to even try.
Along any timeline, the threat of the Market is omnipresent and the Market's eventual
success is assured because its resources are endless. If characters are to survive combat, they must
end the conflict before their resources are exhausted, just as they must escape the Loss before it
grinds them to dust.

Z2. The Economy of Actions

When combat starts, dice checks get recategorized into four types of actions: tactic, twitch,
freebie, and task. The categorizations approximate how much time an action takes and when it
occurs in the initiative order. What follows is an explanation of the action types; initiative is
explained later in "The Combat Round" (p.XX)

Z3. Tactic
A tactic is a planned action. It may not be planned particularly well, but it is something the
Taker intends to do. Some example tactics are...

• Firing a weapon
• Making a Melee or Unarmed attack
• Drawing or holstering a weapon
• Running to cover
• Reloading a weapon or refreshing charges on other gear

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 • Administering First Aid
• Barricading a door
• Full defense (converting an tactic to a twitch)
• Full offense (converting the twitch to a second tactic, which occurs at the end of the
initiative order)

Tactics resolves in initiative order, as explained below (see p.XX). Initiative order has a lot of
power to determine tactics: checks the player planned on making might be invalidated or rendered
impossible by events taking place earlier in the initiative order. Tactics near the beginning of the
order can set the tone of the entire battle.

Z3. Twitch
A twitch isn't planned. It's an animal instinct that goes off when prompted, such as when the
hint of motion out of the corner of an eye causes a spastic dodge. Since a twitch is so fast and
prompted by the Market's forces, it's use is limited to...

• Roll Athletics checks to dodge attacks

• Roll Athletics checks to get under cover
• Block an incoming Melee or Unarmed attack
• Recover from knockback
• Quick draw an item by dropping previously held gear
• Reload or perform another quick action, as allowed by a specific gear's upgrade

A twitch is entirely defensive. Its power comes from being unbound by the initiative order.
After spending a twitch, a player can make a skill check immediately no matter where their tactic lies
in the initiative order. So, though Angel might not act until last in the initiative order, she can spend
her twitch to get behind cover so all the Market forces acting before her can't declare attacks.
Each character only gets one twitch per combat round. If Market forces declare an attack
and the target player doesn't have a twitch to spend, the attack hits automatically (see "When the
Market Rolls" p.XX).

Z3. Freebies
Freebies include intellectual and verbal actions that can be carried out while performing
tactics and twitches, or whenever the Taker chooses. Characters get one freebie per combat round.
Some examples of freebies include...

• Foresight checks to get tactical information

• Awareness checks to spot something
• Shouting or whispering, or CHA skill checks where appropriate
• Self-Control tests called for by the Market
• Command using Profession: Animal Handling or Profession: Drones

In Red Markets, freebies are as close as characters can get to multiple actions. There are no
superheroes out in the Loss (unless you count Aberrants), and nobody can dual-wield pistols while
simultaneously hacking a military drone and leaping away from an explosion. This is not to say that
freebies aren't powerful; a shouted order or spotted ambush can save lives. Therefore, only one
freebie is allowed per round. The Market isn't obligated to allow a soliloquy in the middle of knife

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fight, though barking "Get down!" is fine and wouldn't require a check. And while it might be
possible to see where the raiders are flanking from (Awareness), nobody has the time to complete a
Where's Waldo? book in the middle of combat.

Z3. Task
Tasks require a long-time, at least relative to the pace of combat. A single combat round
represents a few frenetic seconds of bloodshed and terror. That's usually not enough time to pick a
lock, hot-wire a car, or bandage a wound, but the situation might demand such concentration
despite distractions like shrapnel and arterial spray. When performing a task, the Market quotes the
number of uninterrupted combat rounds required to attempt a check OR the number successful
checks required to complete the task (never both, unless the whole group likes constantly rolling
dice and failing). Sometimes, a task might not require a check at all, but the time it eats up still means
a lot in a firefight.
The Market stipulates whether the player's task requires uninterrupted focus or merely
cumulative focus. For instance, battlefield surgery can't be stopped for the doctor to return fire: the
Market might say it requires two rounds uninterrupted before the player can make a single
Profession: Surgeon check to determine success.
On the other hand, somebody chopping down a door with an axe can spare one swing for
the casualty that strays too close: in this instance, the Market might require two successful Melee
checks before the door breaks, but successes don't have to occur concurrently.
Finally, maybe the task is too simple to warrant using the dice; cranking a generator might
require two rounds spent on the task, but failing to grasp a handle isn't an interesting or reasonable
way to fail, so the Market doesn't require a check at all.
Freebies don't interrupt tasks, but tactics and twitches do. Thankfully, Takers engaged in
tasks can be in cover at the same time, but they have to trust their coworkers to keep them from
getting flanked and killed.
In short, to perform a task, forgo all other actions except screaming for the Crew to help.

Z2. The Combat Round

A combat round is defined by the number of actions that can be performed by each PC (one
tactic, twitch, and freebie; or one task and a freebie) and the order in which those actions happen,
called the initiative order. Other than those two traits, a combat round has no definitive limits. In
terms of time, one combat round is usefully vague enough to allow the group more storytelling
options. Groups are free to narrate fights in a style befitting the painstaking slow-mo of a John Woo
shootout, or they can opt for a sudden, second-long burst of bloodshed ala a Tarantino stand-off.
For ease of reference, here's a summary of the combat round:

1. Initiative
⁃ The Market rolls one Red die for every Market force involved in the combat.
⁃ Players roll one Black die each and add their SPD
⁃ Players declare from highest to lowest numbers, after their SPD is added. The
Market uses Red dice from the pool to place Market forces in-between their
numbers. This is called the initiative order. (For instance, the players rolled and the
Market got a 10, 4, and 1. Bill goes first with 11, Thug A goes next with a 10, Melanie
got an 8, DeMarcus 7, Thug B goes at 4. The Market is out of forces, so the 1 is
dropped and the initiative order established)

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 2. Declare, Spend, and Resolve
⁃ The highest initiative player or Market force declares a tactic, buys-a-roll, and
resolves the action.
⁃ As the round continues, twitches and freebies are demanded by the actions of
Market forces or used at the discretion of the player. Both twitches and freebies are
unbound in the initiative order.
3. Deal Damage and Assess Penalties
⁃ Damage is recorded directly after the tactic that caused it. Damage is always the
Black. Hit location is always the Red. The weapon used determines if the damage is
Kill or Stun damage. The damage is unmodified by extra spends unless the gear is
specifically upgraded.
⁃ If using the Alternative Rule: Deadly Damage (p. XX), the Market rolls
Black/Red to determine how much damage the PC takes rather than using
the results of a failed twitch
⁃ Assess and implement any penalties as a result of health or Humanity loss.
4. Repeat
⁃ After everyone has acted, the combat round ends. Twitches unspent by the end of
the round are discarded (unless the character is specifically using upgraded gear that
allows them to be spent). The initiative order cycles back to the highest player and
repeats until the conflict ends.

Experienced RPG players can probably figure out combat from the short list above. What
follows is a more detailed description of each element in the combat round.

SIDEBAR: Charges and Narrative

Those objecting to the abstract nature of charges can read the rationalization for the
mechanic on p. XX. Those still objecting can feel free to count each volt of battery and each round
in the magazine in their character's backpack. It doesn't change the mechanic, but do whatever helps
you have fun.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Initiative
Unlike other dice checks in Red Markets, initiative is not a success or failure check. Rolling
initiative means rolling a single d10 upon which the character's Speed is added. The person with the
highest number goes first. But what happens to the Red dice?
The Market needs to determine what order their forces act just like the players, so initiative
is one of the only times the Market rolls dice in combat. Before combat begins, the Market rolls one
Red die for every NPC or Market force involved in the combat, minimum the number of players in
the combat. For instance, if the Market has two NPCs opposing a three-player crew, the Market still
rolls three Red dice. All the Reds are rolled at once and left on the table in a pool.
The players roll only their Black and add their SPD. The Market then asks who has the
highest number. In decreasing order, the Market records the character names in the order they act.
At this point, the Red dice come into play.
The Red dice are spent to insert Market forces into the initiative order.

GRAPHIC. On one side, Black d10s with modifiers added lie in an orderly column from

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most to least, labeled by name of the player. On the right sits a pool of d10s. Draw arrows from dice
in the pool to place in between the d10s of the players. Picture reflects the scenario below.

So, let's say it’s a fight between three Takers and three forces. In an even match, the Market
just rolls three Red, one for each player, and gets 10, 8, 8. The Market wants the DHQS spy to act
first in combat, thus demonstrating what a highly trained government badass threatens the crew. Bill
rolled a natural B9 and has a SPD of 2, so his final initiative is 11. The Market can't beat that, so the
DHQS guy can't be first in combat. However, one of the Reds landed on a natural 10. The Market
declares that ten to represent the spy acting after Bill. Since no one at the table besides Bill has an
initiative above 7, the Market also jams the two Red 8's underneath the spy to represent the actions
of his bodyguards. Thus far, Bill's character is too fast on the draw to be surprised, but the DHQS
goons have the drop on everyone else.
Notice that the PCs always have a slight edge on Market forces because they can have
initiative scores above a ten using their modifiers. This is because, despite all their struggles, Takers
are our heroes, cooler and more capable than your average human being. But as a counterbalance,
the Market either outnumbers the players or has more numbers to choose from, representing the
endless tide of obstacles facing the PCs.
The Market never adds a SPD modifier to forces unless they badass enough to have an
advantage (see p.XX), at which point the players better watch out.

SIDEBAR: What about ties?

If initiative scores are exactly the same (whether due to natural or modified dice) the two
characters act at the same time. Narratively, this can make for bloody shootouts or comical double
knockouts, but such things happen in the chaos of violence. Mechanically, actions on the same
initiative merely resolve at the same time and ignore penalties.
For example, if a Taker shoots on initiative 5 and a raider shoots on a 4, the raider might
never get to act. The damage of the blow might kill or disable the foe before there's a chance to
retaliate. Alternately, if the Taker AND the raider are on initiative 5, the Taker could blow the
raider's brains out and the raider could still get an attack off before death. In this example, the two
characters could easily kill each other and not hit the ground until the initiative counts down to 4.
END SIDEBAR

Initiative Example: It's an even fight: Gnat, BanHammer, and Monk battle against a rival
crew willing to kill to steal their contract. The Market has a pool of three Reds (one for each
member of the crew, and enough for all the Market forces). Everybody rolls. Only the players add
initiative modifiers to their dice.

Gnat's player gets B8+1 for a B9

BanHammer's player gets B9 + 3 for a B12
Monk's player rolls a B4 + 2 for a B6
The Market rolls 3 Reds (1 for each combatant) for a 10, 10, 7

Looks like BanHammer is going first: nothing the Market has can beat a 12. Then two of the
rival crew – Baddie A and B – are going to go at the same time with 10's. The 7 is up next, then
Gnat, and finally Monk. So the order for the fight is going to be BanHammer, Baddie A, Baddie B,
Baddie C, Gnat, and Monk. The order stays that way for the rest of the fight or until a player spends
a point of Will to jump to the top of the order.

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 For the sake of brevity, once the initiative order is established, it's recycled every combat
round until one side is killed, disabled, or withdraws.

SIDEBAR: Alternative Initiative

For players that want each round of combat as chaotic as the last, consider these alternative
initiative rules.
Bust: Individual initiative: The Market pairs off forces with individual PCs. To keep things
simple, the Market resolves actions from left-to-right. Each player rolls Black + SPD. The Market, in
descending numerical order, then has each player make a Black + SPD/Red check against each
opponent. Success moves the character up in order, failure moves them after an opponent. So, if
Han is fighting two cultists and rolls a success and failure for individual initiative, then Cultist A
would act, then Han, and finally Cultist B. Once resolved, the Market would move to the next player
down the list to see what is happening to Han's teammate that the same time. This makes combat a
simultaneous fit of individual struggles that is, paradoxically, easier for the Market to track. It does,
however, greatly increase the power of numbers, as one PC falling will then throw all of the forces
attention on another Taker.
Boom: The Last Shall Be First: In this variant, the initiative order reshuffles every round. The
PC or NPC unfortunate enough to be last gets to use two tactics in a row: one as the last action of
the previous round, the next as the first action of the next round. If the first round order is A, B, C,
D, it is followed by a second round ordered D, A, B, C. Other than cycling the slowest character to
the top, nothing else changes: the rest of the order stays the same and everyone's actions refresh as
normal. This alternative minimizes the amount of dice and bookkeeping the Market must deal with
while still adding more variation to the tactical picture. The lowest initiative number becomes a
desirable spot for players and a high-value target for Market Forces.
Bust: Fog of War: By rerolling for initiative at the top of every round, combat remains utterly
unpredictable. This variant means players have to constantly pay attention, adapt, and think on their
feet. That said, randomly ordering every round can sometimes result in farcical or murderously
difficult challenges, depending on where the dice land. Furthermore, rolling for initiative every
round slows down gameplay and demands far more bookkeeping on the part of the Market.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Declare, Spend, Resolve

Players declare what they are going to use for their tactic in the order of initiative. Nobody
has to declare simultaneously unless they are working off the exact same initiative number. In such
instances, who actually says what they are doing first means little because the actions resolve at the
same time regardless (see "What about ties?" p.XX).
One of the few benefits of being slow on initiative is the ability to see what others are doing
before deciding one's own tactics. NPC's do the same, though instead of spending for bonuses or
rolling (the Market trades power for consistency and brevity), the declaration either demands
characters use their twitch or instantly resolves.
Before a player makes a check for a declared tactic, they must spend to buy-a-roll. This could
be a charge of rations for a STR or SPD skill, or a charge required to use a piece of gear. If using
charged gear to buy-a-roll, the player can also spend additional charges to add +1's to their check (see
"Charges" p.XX). These charges must be spent before a roll; the panic and threat of deadly violence
isn't a time for frugality.
When the tactic is declared and the charges spent, the dice are rolled and resolved.
Resolution means that the numbers on the dice affect the narrative and alter the character sheet. A

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missed attack doesn't require much resolution besides describing how it missed, but a successful
attack warrants a description of where and how the blow struck. Resolution is an opportunity for
both the Market and players to craft a suspenseful story in which their characters excel or fold under
pressure.

Z4. Twitches and Freebies

A twitch is compelled by the Market's forces. NPCs don't succeed in an attack; Takers fail to
dodge. When the Market declares an NPC's tactic, it automatically succeeds unless the player can do
something about it. That's where twitches come in. A twitch is the knee-jerk reaction that can save
or doom a character's life. Spend the twitch on a successful Athletics check to duck under cover just
in time; if the check fails, the character jumps right into the bullet's path.
Because twitches are compelled by Market forces, they can go anywhere in the initiative
order. This flexibility is immensely powerful, so twitches are limited in number and scope. A
character only gets one twitch per combat round, and it can only be used when prompted by Market
forces. Furthermore, any twitches not used by the end of the round are wasted.
Whether characters succeed or fail their checks, no second twitch is provided. A Taker that
dodged an arrow is too distracted to duck a sword strike. Bumbling into automatic gunfire means
the second and third bursts hit as well. When a Market force declares a tactic against a PC that has
no twitches remaining, the Market can check for hit location and damage, or the player may be asked
to determine their own fate. Either way, when the twitch is already spent, any action declared against
that PC succeeds.
There are special moves characters can use to convert twitches into tactics, burn them for
special effects, or earn another twitch, but these combat maneuvers are tied to the initiative order
and their effects only take place after that players turn.
Like twitches, freebies can go anywhere a player wishes in the initiative order, but each
character is limited to one. A character can scream a warning, but there's not enough time for a
lecture. They can assess the scene, but no one is going to sketch a map of it with Casualties closing
in.

SIDEBAR: "Killer Market" Concerns

The person running the game is there to represent the opposition as dictated by the
narrative, so players shouldn't have to worry about the Market turning the raiders into a hive-mind
that focus-fires helpless characters into oblivion. As the Market, remember that nobody in the Loss
knows a Taker's stats or the player's personality. Forces act based on information available in the
setting, not at the table. So don't have antagonist's focus fire on the Taker with the best Shoot skill
just because the game needs more challenge. If the player with the highest Shoot skill advertises that
prowess, go for it, but anyone that takes pains to play conservatively or paint themselves as less of a
threat should be rewarded for smart play. The challenge of playing the Market is making sure all
mechanical challenges mirror narrative challenges...in combat especially. If the game gets hard, it
needs to be because the situation is hard, not because the Market knows more about the rules than
the players.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Assess Penalties

Characters do not take the penalties for injuries until after the initiative order in which they
are sustained. Once the initiative ticks down by even one number, the penalties are assessed
according to the Hit Location Table (see "Hit Locations and Damage" p.XX) and applied to any

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following tactics or twitches. Narratively, the brief pause possible with simultaneous actions
represents the adrenaline rush fading and surprising combatants with the knowledge that they've
been fighting with a wound for the past few seconds.
Most of the time, penalties in combat are going to take the form of Self-Control checks to
maintain Humanity (see p.XX). Only one type of check can be made per combat. Nobody has to
worry about taking Humanity hits in the same Threat track after the first check, and this keeps the
assessing penalties stage from dragging on endlessly. To return to the example...
Penalties Example: BanHammer got hit hard last round. That's going to mean Trauma damage if he
doesn't make the Self-Control check. BanHammer has Self-Control at 0 (he's not known for his restraint). He
defaults to his ADP of 2, but rolls over. He takes a hit on the Trauma track. Oh no! That's a crack! BanHammer's
player wants to stay in the fight, so he chooses to the...well, the Fight option. BanHammer is now berserk and remains
so for the rest of the scene.

Z3. Repeat
Unless the group is using the Alternative Initiative Rules (p.XX), the order cycles back to the
top after the last tactic is resolved. All twitches are discarded, everyone gets refreshes on their
actions, and the battle continues until one side wins, escapes, or manages to negotiate a peace.

Z2. Movement
Some RPGs require hex spaces, maps, or distance per action ratios to keep track of where
characters are in the environment. Red Markets is not one of those RPGs. Groups that are invested
in that type of play can easily adapt these rules to fit their brand of fun, but the game is only
designed to provide the minimum amount of objective spatial information. Players know enough to
make decisions based on where their characters are in relation to others and any objectives, but
that's about it.
For those that need help picturing where their character is standing in the world, here's how
movement works in combat.

Z3. Usefully Vague

How far can a successful Athletics check take you? How many seconds to run to cover?
Exactly how many feet long is that spear? The answer for all these questions and more is the same:
as long as is narratively convenient.
Notice the term "narratively convenient" is NOT the same as personally convenient; the
only characters with superpowers in the setting are trying to eat you. When performing an action in
which time, distance, and speed is a factor, players can ask the Market to describe the stakes as much
as they deem necessary. Trust the Market to quote reasonable distances and plausible times that keep
combat exciting. Conversely, demanding a scale model of every encounter slows down the game in
the worst possible place and requires a lot of prep work.
Narrative convenience can swing a player's way as well. If a player asks if there is a crane in
the shipping yard that could smash that Aberrant, the Market should always strive to reward such
engagement with the setting. Players dictating set pieces to the Market doesn't have to work every
time – dice checks can still be required, stipulations made, and absurdities dismissed – but badass
stunts are the kind of thing everybody wants from protagonists. Stipulating that the player can't
climb into the crane's control room because his movement rate is one hex too slow is the kind of
spoilsport gaming that can kill a cool moment.
As long as the Market and the players are mature and up-front in their communications,
keeping movement usefully vague should make the game easier and the action cooler.

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Z3. Using Rations
When performing physical actions (such as Melee, Unarmed, Resistance or Athletics),
charges of rations must be spent to buy-a-roll. Additional rations charges can be spent to add +1 at
a one-for-one ratio. For instance, spending one charge to buy an Athletics check adds the characters
skill to Black, but spending two charges provides an additional +1.
If a character runs out of rations, they are gassed (see p. XX) and cannot buy-a-roll for
physical skills until they refresh charges. A full combat round spent resting restores a number of
charges equal to the character's SPD, but this only works once. For example, a Taker with SPD 3
can rest to gain 3 free charges of "rations" (in reality, burning fat stores), but a second round of rest
does not add 3 more charges. Until rations are refreshed, the Taker has only 3 charges to spend on
all physical actions before they become gassed again.
Charges from rations get spent in the moment, but the narrative understands the charges to
represent a healthy caloric intake before and after combat. Nobody is stopping the fight to scarf
down canned goods; the charges represent a healthy diet in calm times and the resulting financial
burden of preventing starvation.
Basically, rations are an extremely powerful tool for some of the most tense dice checks a
player can make, but, like everything else in Red Markets, it's a costly resource in short supply.

Z3. Getting Gassed, Starving, and Pushing On

If a character runs out of rations, they are considered "gassed," meaning totally exhausted,
winded, and unable to continue at the pace the conflict demands. They can't make any physical
actions that round aside from slowly trotting or lifting light items, even if the task is required as a
twitch. Once a round has gone by without the character taking any physical actions or being hit,
characters regain a number of charges equal to their Speed. If they have rations, getting gassed can
be prevented so long as they keep spending charges off that gear. Refreshing is a free action so long
as the character has the remaining ADP points to do it..
If they don't have the rations to spend, each gassed character's usable charges stay at the
SPD rating until they sleep, eat, and rehydrate. Waiting around for a full refresh isn't an option;
bodies that must perform must be fed and rested.
If no rations are waiting for breakfast, characters take 1 Stun damage to every location due
to starvation. If the characters don't get any food the next day or Leg either (whatever comes first),
add two more Stun boxes to each location. On day three, take three Stun damage everywhere.
Continue until immobilized or fed, and don't forget the Humanity damage that results from starving.
Stun damage keeps progressively increasing until food is found or the character dies. The
Stun damage taken must be healed normally. More information on the dangers of starving and how
they manifest outside of combat can be found in "Weird Damage" p. XX.

Z2. Hit Locations and Damage

In Red Markets, the amount of damage inflicted is always determined by the natural Black
roll, and the location is always determined by the natural Red. Spend 9 charges blasting away with a
gun to turn a B1/R6 into a B1+9/R6 success? Great, but it's still just one damage done to the left
arm. The same dice are used to calculate damage on failed rolls during twitches. If a PC fails an
Athletics check with B5+3/R9, five points of damage goes to the torso; the damage doesn't go up
on account of the Taker wisely trying to get away with extra rations charges and skill. Fail a dodge
on B9/R9? Ouch. That's 18 points of damage to the chest (9 damage to hit location 9, multiplied by
a critical failure).

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 Just remember, the damage and location is always determined by the natural result of the
Black and Red. Success and failure of checks is still determined by skills, charges, and other
modifiers.
There are two types of damage: Stun and Kill. The damage type inflicted is determined by
the weapon used and any upgrades it might have. Stun damage constitutes bruising, numbness, blunt
trauma, muscle fatigue, and other non-bleeding damage. Kill damage constitutes broken bones,
punctures, lacerations, poisoning, and serious internal injury. Indicate Stun damage with a diagonal
slash ( / ) in a box. Indicate Kill damage with an ( X ).
Every character has 10 hit boxes per location, with the exception of 20 in the torso. If a hit
location is filled up with any combination of Stun and Killing damage, there are consequences. Stun
or Kill damage inflicted to a location already filled with Stun damage becomes Kill damage (turn a
diagonal into an X). When a location is filled entirely with Killing, the consequences get more severe.

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Random Damage

Using the failure of player rolls to determine damage minimizes dice checks, but it favors
Takers with light damage (low Black) to the torso and head (high Red). Conversely, Takers amputate
a lot of legs and arms (high Black for damage, low Red for location).
Normally, the only time the Market rolls in combat is to determine initiative order and
calculate damage when a Taker has no twitch to contest an attack (see "When the Market rolls"
p.XX). But for groups that want more dynamic and deadly combat, the Market can check Black/Red for every hit.
Random damage rolls don't slow the game down too much, and they raise the stakes of combat even
higher.
Think about how often the Market should be rolling before adopting this alternate rule. If
the Market rolls every time a Taker is hit and the dice land B10/R10, it's time to make a new
character...even if it was his/her last day before retirement. If the Market rolls for damage every time
the player hits and it lands B1/R5, all emptying the clip accomplished was lightly grazing the enemy's
arm. Market rolls against Takers make the game much more deadly; Market rolls against NPCs
makes combat more frustrating. Groups should make sure they know what particular flavor of
gameplay they're inviting in before adopting alternative random damage rules.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Hit Location Chart

GRAPHIC: Hit Location Chart from the character sheet

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Alternative Hit Boxes

Tired of taking and dealing leg damage? Scratch out the numbers listed on the character
sheet and fill the following numbers into the "Alt." Box.

Right Leg: 1
Left Leg: 2
Right Arm: 3
Left Arm: 4
Torso: 5-9
Head: 10

Now everyone knows to aim center mass. There's less chance of leg damage than before, but
now 60% of all hits will land in a kill location. Being hobbled might not sound so bad when a bullet
tears through your character's heart, so make sure everyone is to the challenge before altering the hit

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boxes, especially if using this rule in tandem with the random damage (p.XX).

END SIDEBAR

Z3. Stun vs. Kill Wounds

Location Stun AND/OR Kill damage Kill damage Only
Effect Effect
R. Leg Hobbled Lamed
1-2 • No Athletics checks possible • Bleeding out
until partially healed, but • No Athletics checks possible
character can still move until partially healed, and
character can't move without
assistance
L. Leg Hobbled Lamed
3-4 • No Athletics checks possible • Bleeding out
until partially healed, but • No Athletics checks possible
character can still move until partially healed, and
character can't move without
assistance
R. Arm Winged Maimed
5 • No cumbersome weapons or gear • Bleeding Out
available • No cumbersome weapons or gear
• If the right-hand is dominant, all available
checks with the other arm are at • If the right-hand is dominant, all
Precision requirements checks with the other arm are at
Precision requirements
L. Arm Winged Maimed
6 • No cumbersome weapons or gear • Bleeding Out
available • No cumbersome weapons or gear
• If the left-hand is dominant, all available
checks with the other arm are at • If the left-hand is dominant, all
Precision requirements checks with the other arm are at
Precision requirements
Torso Gassed Death
7-9
Head Unconscious Death
10

Z3. Bleeding Out

If an extremity is filled with Kill damage, the sufferer is bleeding out. Every turn they go
without healing, they take 1d10 Kill damage per round. The Taker may choose which locations the
hit points come from, but the Kill damage must be healed like any other damage. Filling the torso or
head as a result of blood loss results in death.

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 A First Aid check can be made to stop the bleeding. See below.

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Permanent Damage

Serious wounds rarely leave no lasting effects, especially considering the kind of care
available in the Loss. If an arm or leg is filled completely with Kill damage, the Market rolls
Black/Red with no modifiers. On a success, the Taker permanently loses a hit box from that hit
location. Completely color in that box with pen to represent the permanent damage left by the
injury. On a failure, the limb permanently loses two hit boxes. On a critical failure, three hit boxes.
On a critical success, the Takers can heal all hit boxes in the limb normally.

END SIDEBAR

Z3. Healing in the Field

Characters with training in Profession: Doctor or First Aid and the proper gear can heal
some damage done in combat. A successful check heals a number of Stun boxes equal to the natural
Black of the check (spent charges just indicate a greater chance of success, not better medical skill).
Kill boxes are reduced to Stun boxes at the same rate, meaning 2 profit is needed for every Kill box
completely removed. In narrative terms, this healing is represented in painkillers, coagulants,
bandages, and the other trappings of field medicine.
A Taker can make only one successful First Aid check per location. For instance, a healer
couldn't possibly get someone with a filled torso back to full health while the bullets were flying
unless the injuries were light to begin with. However, they could work on the fighter's torso one
round, and then try to repair the fighter's arm on the next. A skilled friend could check the suture
work later and make their own First Aid check on the injured torso, but the previous medic has
already done all they can do. The one-and-done principle applies.
The only way to succeed a failed First Aid check is to succeed at cost, either by using a point
of Will or, if time allows and technology is available, tapping a Reference to consult on the
procedure.
Beyond that, healers can't take any more action on a body part until it is filled with brand
new injuries. Additional treatments require the care of a doctor and rest in a safe place.

Z3. Death
Filling the torso or head (locations 7-9 or 10) with Kill damage kills a character through
cardiac failure, blood loss, brain trauma, or some combination of the three. Some weapons can do
this in one hit. This makes for a deadlier game than some players prefer, so there are Boom rules for
mitigating such sudden damage.

Boom: Will to Live: Spending a point of Will can shift damage that would go to the head to the
torso. It can also keep an incapacitated player alive for one round longer.

Boom: Lucky X: Spending a point of Will can shift damage from any hit location to a piece of
gear. The equipment and all its upgrades are completely destroyed, but the damage doesn’t effect the
Taker. Players and Market's should take care to keep the lucky intervention of objects cinematic and
not goofy. It's one thing if the frame of some Uniq Specs deflects a low-caliber bullet; it's quite
another if someone argues that a flashlight could deflect all a grenade's shrapnel.

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Z3. Weird Damage
The Loss contains a variety of dangers beyond direct warfare, but how do these atypical
threats affect Taker's hit boxes? Here are some guidelines for inflicting weirder types of damage on
the players.

Z4. Collision
Car crashes in Red Markets should only be two things: fast and cinematic.
To stay fast, there's no calculating the speed of vehicles and doing physics equations to
figure out damage. Like films, vehicles move at a narrative speed rather than a physical one. The
Market narrates how fast the vehicle feels to the PCs: decribing exhiliration or fear. They can use
actual readings on the speedometer – if everyone feels that is important – but the main goal of the
Market during a vehicle scene is to make sure characters know what kind of risk the characters are
taking. If a fight between cars is lazily circling a parking lot where the biggest consequence for falling
out of the car would be a twisted ankle, the Market should let that be known. If the vechiles are
going so fast that one pothole could send the whole thing tumbling through the air, make it known.
The Market doesn’t have to tell players the exact speed, but if something goes wrong, the
consequences shouldn’t come to playsers as a surprise.
In terms of calculating damage, don't bother with it at all if the narrative speed allows for the
vehicle’s survival. If the car can still run, focus on narrating the Road Warrior-esque battle the Takers
are having with the raider caravan or whatever.
If the wreck is bad enough to stop the ride, even temporarily, then the Market calculates
damage based on the estimated vehicle speed when the collision occurred.

Fender-bender: all passengers take 1d10 Stun to a single hit location.

Whiplash: all passengers take 1d10 Stun to all hit locations
Total-out: all passengers take 1d10 Kill to a single hit location
Disaster: all passengers take 1d10 Kill to all hit locations
Conflagration: all passengers die

Market should make sure that the players know how fast they are driving and have chances
to use their Skills to avoid a wreck. Putting the pedal to the floor is a choice – one with risks and
rewards – so make sure the PCs know the stakes.

Z4. Falling
There are two types of falling: leaps and tumbles.
Characters leap of their own accord. They know it will likely hurt when they land, but it's
preferable to the zombies, flames, bullets, or whatever else is chasing them at a higher elevation.
When a character leaps, the damage of falling is taken on the legs only. Roll Black and Red. The
player picks the lowest number and inflicts the damage to both limbs. So a B4/R6 would do 4
damage to each leg. Whether the damage was Kill or Stun would depend on the height of the drop.
But most people that fall from great heights would prefer not to. These are called tumbles.
Characters tumble when they lose their footing or suffer knockback on a precipice. The damage
taken from a tumble occurs to two random hit locations. The damage is rolled separately for each hit
location to represent an off-balance landing. A tumbling character might roll B5/R10 and B6/R2.
That would be five damage to the head and another six to the right leg as the character bounces off
the deck. Stun vs. Kill would again depend on distance.
There are three distances a character can fall from...

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 Considerable: both hit locations take 1d10 Stun damage
Impressive: both hit locations take 1d10 Kill damage
Suicidal: both hit locations take 1d10 Kill and Stun damage.

Z4. Infection
The mechanics of Blight infection are explained in-depth in "Blight: Casualties, Vectors, and
Aberrants" p.XX

Z4. Poison/Drugs
Beyond a few drugs specific to the setting, there aren't many chemicals stated out in Red
Markets. Groups are encouraged to make up their own deadly concoctions or research real world
chemicals if they want some insidious poisoners in their game. Regardless, poison or drugs come in
just two varieties: vascular and neurological.
Vascular substances target the torso. Starting at whatever hit location is used to inject the
chemical, the drug "crawls" through the bloodstream to reach the torso hit boxes at 1d10 boxes per
round. So if someone gets injected in the arm, let's assume the Market rolls a B6 for the poison.
That means the first five boxes of the arm get filled – straight up to the shoulder – but the sixth
bleeds over into the torso as the drug makes a direct line for the heart. Every box in the arm doesn’t
get filled up; the poison crawls towards the heart.
Using the above example, neurological substances work the same way except the destination
is the head. B6 wouldn't be enough to get the substance there in one round, but the next round's roll
would move the hit boxes into the head.
What happens to the hit boxes? It depends on what the substance is meant to do. A
tranquilizer would fill the head with specialty damage units until the Taker passed out. So, as the
Market rolled d10s to move the damage to the head, they would fill hit boxes with check marks to
trace the path of the contaminant. Once the Taker passes out, the check marks are erased because
the drug's narrative effect has been achieved.
If the drug is a weak poison or paralytic, the 1d10 hit boxes might use stun damage to move
to the brain or heart, continuing to fill the vital boxes until the Taker is gassed or unconscious. A
deadly poison would keep going until all the Stun damage was upgraded to Kill and the Taker died.
These methods of tracking poison and drugs are only really necessary for time-sensitive
scenes such as combat. If a Taker gets dosed with something outside of direct conflict, Markets are
advised to treat the scene as purely narrative or to utilize a series of Skill checks.

Z4. Suffocation
If a Taker can't breath – due to being underwater, immersed in a gas, choked in a grapple,
etc. – they have a number of rounds equal to their SPD before any negative effects occur. After that,
Takers receive 1d10 Stun damage per round to the torso (location 7-9). If the torso is filled up with
Stun/Kill damage and the Taker still can't get air, the excess damage bleeds over into the head
(location 10). If the head gets filled up, the Taker falls unconscious and the 1d10 damage per round
starts turning the head's Stun boxes into Kill damage. At this point, the Taker either gets a breath or
dies when the head fills up.
Once allowed to breath, all Stun damage taken from suffocation is erased automatically. Any
Kill damage resulting from suffocation must be healed normally.

Z2. Combat Maneuvers and Special Cases

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 Certain moves in combat provide bonuses, effects, and protections. Most of these
maneuvers work by spending tactics and twitches special ways. A list of combat maneuvers is
explained below and summarized in the Combat Quick Reference Sheet (see p. XX)

Z3. Block
Certain gear is meant to block incoming attacks, but it's also possible a Taker might want to
make sure damage lands on an armored limb rather than a soft, vital organ. Either way, blocking an
attack involves rolling an Unarmed, Melee, or Resistance to avoid an attack instead of Athletics.
Blocking counts as the use of a twitch.
Failure means the attack lands normally. Success means the damage is directed to the gear or
hit location used to block. For instance, if Falstaff uses Melee: Sword to block an incoming spear
thrust, a success takes one charge of the sword and does no damage to Falstaff. Alternately, if
Falstaff is unarmed and just wants to make sure the blow lands on his chainmail armored arm rather
than his vulnerable thighs, he can make an Unarmed check to direct the damage to a hit location of
his choice.
Firearms cannot be blocked and, as most human enemies will use them, blocking has limited
utility in traditional conflicts. Blocking is more useful when fighting Casualties one-on-one; the
beasts’ jaws can clamp down on an armored arm or tool while the Taker's other hand delivers the
killing blow.

Z3. Cover
The enemy can see you and you can see them. Or neither of you can see each other. Unless
somebody is blinded, this is always the case. If you're behind a shield and pop up to take a shot, the
enemy can still hit you as you pop up. If you're behind the shield and it's actually cover (e.g.
bulletproof), you can't be hit and you can't attack.
Cover requires an Athletics check to get to unless the player started out in cover by design,
such as with an ambush. Once in cover, no attacks can be declared against that player and hope to
hit. Similarly, any attacks against NPCs in cover miss.
The effects are voided the moment the character in cover makes an attack or moves out of
cover; after that, they are fair game for the rest of the round and they must make an Athletics check
to duck back down in time (requiring a twitch). If no one declares on the exposed player and the
cycle ends with the twitch unused, the player can burn it at the top of initiative order to duck back
into cover for free, without a check.
Certain weapons with tags like explosive and armor-piercing can bypass cover and make attacks
without exposing the wielder. Otherwise, to attack characters in cover, they must be flanked (see p.
XX).

Z3. Called Shots

Called shots target specific locations: a head, a grenade, a chain, etc. To make a called shot, a
Taker must spend a twitch to take careful aim and a tactic to attack. Additionally, the Taker moves
to the end of the initiative order, and the attack check has the precision requirement. A called shot
fails if the character is struck while taking aim or is otherwise distracted. On a success, the location is
struck regardless of what the Red lands on. Will may be spent to change the results. Either way, the
character does not return to their original place in the initiative order.

Z3. Firing into Melee

Firing into melee combat requires a Precision check (no extra charges can be spent). If the

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Shoot check fails, the attack hits an ally. If it's a called shot that fails, the shot misses both targets
unless it's a critical failure. In general, using a gun to interrupt a wrestling match is a bad idea if either
participant is a friend.

Z3. Flank
If an enemy is in cover, PCs can make Athletics check to go around the sides and flank the
enemy. The number of Athletics checks required is always one; if the distance is longer, the Market
should clarify the number of rounds it takes to get around the side of the target and call for a task
action. Additional Athletics checks in a lengthy flanking maneuver aren't to get into position; they
are to avoid being hit by other firing NPCs, usually burning twitches on dodge opportunities. As
such, it's wise for flanking PCs to start in cover, go on full defense (see below), and use both
twitches to stay safe.
NPCs attempting to flank can be seen running to better ground, and attacks against them are
declared and resolved normally.
If an enemy or PC is flanked, they are no longer considered in cover. The flanker can declare
actions against them, or the defender can move and open themselves to declarations from other
combatants. Suppressing an enemy in cover and sending someone else to flank is a very effective
strategy.

Z3. Full Defense

Sometimes it's wise to prioritize staying alive. In this instance, full defense is a good choice.
Full defense converts a tactic into a twitch. The original twitch can go off whenever prompted by
Market forces, but the second can't be used until the player declares full defense on their initiative
order. From that point on, twitches respond to threats normally and can be used whenever
prompted, regardless of initiative. Declaring full defense is much more effective at the top of the
round than bottom.

Z3. Full Offense

Full offense converts a twitch into another tactic and moves it to the end of the initiative
order. This allows for a second attack in the same round. Full offense must be declared on a player's
initiative and it can't be taken back; once the twitch is converted to a tactic, it can't revert back into a
twitch until the initiative cycles again. The second attack moves to the end of the initiative order and
resolves normally, factoring in any penalties accrued as a result of the player’s no-hold-barred
strategy.

Z3. Grappling
It's possible a Taker wants to restrain a target without doing damage. If the opponent is
another Taker, make an opposed Unarmed check (see p. XX), and repeat the contest for every
round the wrestling lasts.
Against Market forces, make an Unarmed check against the target. On a success, the target is
grappled. Make an Unarmed check every subsequent round to keep the target restrained. If at any
point the check is failed, the target escapes and declares attacks normally.
If the Taker is damn fool enough to try and wrestle a casualty or Vector, make an Unarmed
check to get in close without being bit. If the first check succeeds, every subsequent check in order
to maintain the hold is made with Resistance, rather than Unarmed; the undead are not deterred by
the pain of a joint lock, and they aren't trying to get away so much as burrow inside you. If the
grappled creature is bleeding, infection is also a possibility.

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Z3. Knockback
Some weapons cause knockback damage, allowing the attacker to narrate that the target is
either knocked prone or into some nearby portion of the environment (into spinning blades, for
instance). The blow itself does no extra damage, but the target has to waste a tactic or twitch to
climb up from a prone position. The effects of a knockback can't be resisted unless the target has
their twitch left, in which case they can make a Resistance check to stay stationary/upright.

Z3. Ready
Some players are methodical types that like to ensure every roll is a success. For those
players, there is the ready action.
To ready an action, the Taker must abstain from all actions for one round; they may not
perform a tactic, twitch, or task, and they may not be struck or otherwise affected by the actions of
Market forces. After a character has been ready for a full cycle of the initiative order, they can do
one of two things:

1) move to the top of the next initiative order for the next round only
2) roll Black + Skill + Potential for the next check

These effects are cumulative, so if a Taker takes two rounds to ready an action, the roll can
add Potential and moves to the top of the next cycle of initiative order.

Z3. Reloading and Rearming

If a tool runs out of charges and is static, it's just broken. If instead a tool is charged, it can be
refreshed if the player has sufficient ADP. Whether a gun is out of bullets, a crossbow is out of
bolts, a laptop is out of batteries, or a first aid kid is out of bandages, it takes a full round of combat
to fish spare charges out of a backpack. Refreshing is a one combat round task action; any actions
declared against a Taker refreshing their gear resolve if they aren't in cover. The only exception to
this rule is certain upgrades, which allow certain weapons to be reloaded with any twitch actions left
over in a round.
Drawing a new weapon costs a tactic or twitch as well, as does stowing any other tool
currently held in the hands. Drawing a weapon from a backpack is a task action costing one combat
round. Sometimes this may be too long for a Taker that wishes to survive. In such instances, the
player can declare a "quick draw." This prepares a weapon stored on the belt or back using only a
twitch action. Nothing stored in a backpack is eligible for a quick draw, and anything held in the
hands before a quick draw has to be dropped to the ground. No gear with the cumbersome quality may
be quick drawn.
Dropping something might not seem like much of a price when lives are on the line...until
that's the piece of gear you need to quick draw next time.

Z3. Rush
Takers can burn both a tactic and twitch to rush the enemy. This must be declared on their
initiative. The Taker makes an Athletics test. If it succeeds, the Taker can use their twitch as another
tactic and perform a Melee or Unarmed attack that resolves at the same time. If the first Athletics
test fails, the Market forces get a free attack. The player can choose to eat the damage and finish the
attack, or use their twitch to break off the assault and try to dodge.

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Z3. Spray
If a weapon possesses the ability to spray, on a successful attack a PC can burn 3 additional
charges for a free attack. The Shoot check must be successful first, but then, upon burning the 3
charges, the player can choose to deal damage again to the same target or make a separate hit on a
target that is close by. Against humans, the second attack only lands on a Precision check and uses
the damage of that second dice roll. Against Casualties and Vectors, the second attack hits
automatically.
NPCs can also spray if they have a capable weapon. It requires a successful hit as well, but
afterwards it is treated as another declared attack that goes off on the same round. For instance, if a
PC burned a tactic for Athletics as part of a Rush, failed and got hit, then had the same NPC spray
him, the PC could still use his twitch in an attempt to dodge the second attack.

Z3. Suppressing Fire

If an opponent is in cover and the attacker doesn't want them to leave, they can lay down
suppressing fire. To do this, a PC just spends three rounds off their weapon, knowing it will bounce
harmlessly off the cover. However, the NPC remains pinned behind that cover so long as the PC
keeps spending rounds and exposing themselves to attack. Anyone laying down suppressing fire is
not considered in cover.
NPC's can suppress PC's too. If the player still insists on leaving cover, they must make a
Self-Control check threatening Trauma AND use a successful twitch to dodge if they don't want to
get hit.

Z2. Example Combat Round

BanHammer dislikes guns; he prefers to crush enemies with his warhammer. BanHammer's
player asks if any of the enemies are in melee range. The Market responds they are not, but with
BanHammer's superior initiative he could rush to close the distance. BanHammer likes this plan. He
spends a charge of rations to buy-a-roll, and an additional 3 charges of rations for a +3. With
BanHammer's Athletics modifier (+3) and the 3 spends, that's a total of +6 to the check. He really
wants to get at these guys.
BanHammer's player rolls B7+6/R2, for a total of B13/R2. Turns out he didn't really need
to exert himself that much, but, damnit, he wants blood. The ex-raider goes tearing across the open
ground, screaming and whirling his hammer. The Market asks if BanHammer wants to burn his
twitch to make an attack immediately (the second part of a rush). Of course he does! He spends
rations for his Melee attack with his hammer. The weapon is static and the player is trying to
conserve energy now, so BanHammer's only adding his skill. He rolls and adds his Melee (+2). He
gets a B8+2/R7 for a total of Black 10. It's a hit. Normally, BanHammer would have to take a
charge off his melee weapon as it smashes into something solid, but the sledge has been upgraded to
sturdy and withstands the impact just fine. However, BanHammer's player wants the knockback
effect from the weighted upgrade, so he burns a charge off the hammer anyway.
The damage is resolved instantly: Bad Guy A takes a hammer blow to the chest for 8 Stun
and 8 Kill damage. The Market gave these forces 20 hit boxes in each location, but the blow still
almost incapacitated Bad Guy A instantly. Note that had the Black landed on a critical success, or if
Banhammer had been able to make a called shot, Bad Guy A would be dead. But he's still got 2 hit
points left. He's knocked back by the blow (knockback is a special ability of the warhammer
BanHammer's player chooses to use), but that means he can't move until he wastes a turn standing
up; he can still attack whilst sprawled on his back.
Bad Guy A obviously wants to shoot BanHammer. BanHammer's player wants to roll his

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Athletics check to dodge, but the Market reminds him that he already used his twitch to rush.
Having rushed blindly ahead in a frenzy, BanHammer is hit with a shot by Bad Guy A's rifle. The
Market rolls B7/R10. OUCH! With previous injuries, that'll kill BanHammer outright if he doesn't
have a helmet on. He doesn't, so BanHammer's player spends his last point of Will to shift the Kill
damage to his chest (see "Will to Live" p. XX). BanHammer takes 7 Kill damage to the torso as a
bullet rips between his ribs.
Bad Guy B is reasonably more concerned with the madman wielding a cudgel amongst his
ranks, and he's on the same initiative as A, so he's declaring an attack on BanHammer too. That
crazy rush doesn't seem like such a good idea now. With no chance for a twitch, BanHammer is
struck by a pistol round ...the Market rolls B2/R1...it hits the right leg (R1) for two damage (B2)
Bad Guy C is the leader of this little group and hates Gnat more than anything else. Ignoring
the struggle next to him, he aims to kill that little interloper. Bad Guy C's declaration of an attack on
Gnat demands her twitch. Gnat's player can choose to ignore the risk and take the hit, saving her
twitch for something else. But with an assault rifle bearing down on her, she decides it's time to
move.
Gnat uses her twitch for an Athletics check to dodge. She buys-a-roll with 1 ration charge,
decides she really doesn't want to get hit, and spends 4 more charges. With her +1 Athletics, that's a
total of +5 to the check. She rolls B6/R6. That's a crit success! Gnat asks if she can have her extra
charges back as a reward for the critical success and the Market says yes. She scrambles out of the
way as a swarm of bullets tears up the ground where she just stood.
Now it's Gnat's turn for tactic. She needs to hack the drone surveillance these goons' friends
are no doubt using to pinpoint the firefight's location and send reinforcements, and she doesn't want
to get shot in the process. Her player asks if there is any cover around (see "Cover" p.XX), and the
Market says there is: an outcropping of rocks she can duck behind lies a dozen yards away. She
spends a ration to buy another Athletics check and leaves it at that. She rolls B1+1/R4. Her +1 in
Athletics isn't enough to get her there that round; she's still stumbling from her desperate bullet
dodging, after all. She'll be eligible for declared attacks next round.
Monk sees that BanHammer is hurt and outnumbered. With no one left to shoot at him and
no one moving under him in the initiative order, he burns his twitch to take a called shot (see
"Called Shots" p. XX) to the uninjured Bad Guy B's head. All called shots are precision shots, but
since he's firing into melee that would be the case anyway (see "Firing into Melee" p.XX). He spends
a round from his pistol to fire, hoping that his +2 in Shoot is enough to get him the profit he needs
for a hit (skill mods count for getting the Black high enough for a precision check to succeed). If he
hits, the Market force will be killed, regardless of the damage. Called shots to the head kill Market
forces instantly (see "Staff vs. Management" p. XX). If he fails, he'll hit BanHammer (see "Firing
Into Melee" p. XX)
Monk rolls B7+2/R4; that's B9/R4 with Monk's skill added. Success! The pistol-wielding
thug slumps to the ground with a round between the eyes, dead instantly. With only a single, prone
foe left gunning for him, that helps the injured BanHammer survive the next round.

Z2. Looting The Dead

To the victors go the spoils. Players are going to want to ransack the bodies of anyone they
kill. That's fair; making a garage sale of anyone dumb enough to fuck with you is a viable business
model in the Loss.
Looting Casualties is it's own challenge (see "Looting the Undead" p.XX). For humans,
anything the Market narrated the enemy as having is fair game. So, if the Market said the forces were
shooting mortars at them, the mortar tube is still there when artillery team is defeated (provided, of

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course, it wasn't damaged). If the plot revolved around retrieving the Maltese Poodle, the enemies
have it so long as the Market says so.
The same goes for allies. If it was on one your buddies’ character sheet, you can pick it up
off his corpse.
If the Market doesn't know what the forces were equipped with either, the choice goes to
the players. For every slain human combatant, one Taker can make a Scavenge check. This DOES
NOT mean every member of the crew can rummage through the pockets of every single corpse
until they find something. How tiresome.
Total # of Scavenge checks = number of slain Market forces ≤ number of available Takers.
So if a group of five Takers kills one raider, one member of that crew can make one
Scavenge check. If two raiders were slain, the crew could make two checks, but the other three
members of the crew have to stand guard duty. If a crew of five Takers kills ten raiders, they're still
only able to make five Scavenge checks. The one-and-done rules still apply; anything a character is
capable of finding is found on the first check and only on the first check.
Before rolling to Scavenge, players can say they are looking for one of three things while
looting:

• Any tool under 3 bounty in upkeep.

⁃ Success: They find it.
⁃ Critical Success: They find it with an upgrade, or they can pass their success on to
the next player making a Scavenge check, allowing them to search for gear of any
upkeep cost. If the next player succeeds as well, the item is found.
• Bounty
⁃ Success: Enemies were carrying bounty equal to the natural Black of the Scavenge
check
⁃ Critical Success: Bounty equals the natural Black, times two.
• An upgrade to a specific piece of gear they already own
⁃ Success: They find the upgrade they're looking for or materials to craft it.
⁃ Critical Success: They find enough material for two upgrades

Markets should keep in mind that looting the dead takes time. Casualties that hear gunfire
and smell blood are sure to cut short any graverobbing. Furthermore, there exists no level of
badassary that makes rifling through the pockets of a person you just murdered pleasant. Self-
control checks threatening Detachment and Trauma could be in order, and Stress might damage
Humanity if nothing is found and all that sin turns out to be for nothing.

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Z2. Combat Quick Reference Sheet
RED MARKETS: COMBAT SUMMARY
Action Economy
Every character starts a combat round with one tactic, one twitch, and one freebie. Lengthy actions, or
tasks, take up an entire turn or more and sacrifice tactic and twitch.
Tactics resolve with initiative. Tactics include:
• Firing a weapon
• Making a Melee or Unarmed attack
• Drawing or holstering a weapon
• Running to cover
• Reloading a weapon or refreshing charges on other tools
• Administering First Aid
• Barricading a door
• Full defense (converting an tactic to a twitch)
• Full offense (converting the twitch to a second tactic, which moves to the end of the initiative order

Twitches go off when prompted by Market forces. Twitches are limited and are almost always either…
◦ Roll Athletics checks to dodge attacks
◦ Roll Athletics checks to get under cover
◦ Block an incoming Melee or Unarmed attack
◦ Recover from knockback
◦ Quick draw an item by dropping previously held gear
◦ Reload or perform another quick action, as allowed by a specific gear’s upgrade

Freebies include intellectual and verbal actions that can be carried out while performing tactics, twitches, or
task. Characters get one multitask per combat cycle.
• Foresight rolls to get tactical information
• Awareness rolls to spot something
• Shouting or whispering, or CHA skill checks where appropriate
• Making a Self-Control test
• Command using Profession: Animal Handling or Profession: Drones
All freebies are under the one-and-done rule. If the freebie required a roll, the Taker either made it or did not.

ORDER OF COMBAT
1. Players roll Black and add their SPD
2. Players declare from most to least. The Market spends Red dice to place Market Forces in-between
their numbers. This is the initiative order.
3. The highest initiative player declares a tactic, spends to make a roll, and resolves the action
a. Black is damage. Red is hit location. The gear used determines the difference between Kill
and Stun damage. The damage is unmodified by extra spends unless the gear is specifically
upgraded (or use the “Alternative Damage” p.XX)
b. Twitches are demanded by the actions of Market forces and may go wherever the player
wishes. Twitches unspent at the end of the round are discarded.
4. Assess damage and any penalties
5. Once ever player and Market force has had a turn, return to step 3 and repeat (or use “Alternative
Initiative
p.XX)

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 Special Maneuvers
Block: Make a Melee check to direct an attack to a specific piece of gear. Make an Unarmed check to direct
damage to a specific hit location. Firearms cannot be blocked.
Cover: Characters in cover cannot be attacked as long as they are in cover. Characters are out of cover if they
attack. Twitches can be used to return to cover. A tactic or twitch must be used to move to cover if the
character doesn’t start out there.
Called Shot: Player declares a called shot on their tactic and moves to the end of the initiative order. If the
Taker’s twitch remains unspent, the Taker can make a precision check to hit the target of their choice. On a
success, the player can dictate the narrative of the success, up to and including the death of the target.
Firing into Melee: All rolls are precisions rolls, and failure hits an unintended target.
Flank: To hit an enemy in cover, they must be flanked. This requires either an Athletics or Sneak test to
move into position. If the Sneak test fails, the Forces get to declare a free attack. If the Athletics test fails, the
forces get to declare a free attack. Dodges can be attempted normally if the Taker has a twitch left.
If an enemy moves to flank and isn’t stopped, Takers they moved against are no longer considered in cover.
Full defense: Convert your tactic into a twitch. One twitch can go off whenever prompted by Market forces,
but the second can’t be used until the player declares full defense on their initiative. From that point on,
twitches respond to threats normally.
Full offense: Turn your twitch into a second attack. You must declare this on your initiative and it can’t be
taken back. The second attack moves to the end of the initiative order.
Grappling: Make an Unarmed check against the target. On a success, the target is grappled. Make an
Unarmed check every subsequent round to keep the target restrained. If the target is a casualty, make a
Resistance check instead.
Knockback: Certain weapons have knockback, which lays a target out prone. It costs a tactic to get up from
the prone position.
Ready: Abstaining from all actions for one round (no tactic, twitch, or task) allows the Taker to do one of
two things: 1) move to the top of the next initiative order or 2) roll Black + skill + Potential for the next check.
Reloading: Refreshing charges costs a tactic if it is an item worn on the belt; refreshing gear is a task action if
it is stored in the backpack.
Rush: Takers can burn both a tactic and twitch to rush the enemy. This must be declared on their initiative.
The Taker makes an Athletics test. If it succeeds, the Taker can use their twitch as another tactic and perform
a Melee or Unarmed attack. If the first Athletics test fails, the Market forces get a free attack. The player can
choose to eat the damage and finish the attack, or use their twitch to break off the assault and try to dodge.
Spray: If a weapon possesses the ability to spray, on a success a PC can choose to burn their twitch and keep
firing. The Shoot check must be successful first, but upon burning the twitch and spending 3 charges, the
player can choose to deal damage again to the same target or make a separate hit on a different target nearby.
Suppressing Fire: A Taker spending 3 charges on a ranged weapon and burns one tactic to suppress an
enemy in cover. That means the enemy cannot move or attack that round.
Takers that are suppressed must make a Self-Control: Trauma check to move from cover, and the enemy gets
to declare a free attack against them.

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Z2. Market Forces
Most people advertise their strength, and hiding one's ability while carrying actual weapons is
a sophisticated form of deception. Even children can tell whether a fight is a good idea or not:
bullies steal the lunch money of the chess club member and not the captain of the wrestling team.
All of this is to say that there is no reason for Markets to keep the abilities of their forces
secret: it complicates bookkeeping, slows down play, and doesn't make much sense. While there isn't
much paperwork necessary for the Market to run NPC antagonists, it's included here because there's
no reason to keep that information away from the players.

Z3. Forces on Paper

Markets have enough to do describing, randomizing, and tracking the endless facets of the
Carrion Economy. Running a combat shouldn't be a chore. What follows are the only statistics
Markets should keep track of for human-on-human violence. As always, zombies present their own
unique challenges, which can be found in "Casualties and Vectors" p.XX.

Z4. Numbers
Uh...how many people are fighting? Pretty important thing to know.

Z4. Weapons
There's no need to know exactly what kind of weapon an enemy is using except for purposes
of narrative immersion. Mechanically, it operates off Melee or Shoot. It does Stun, Kill, or Stun +
Kill damage. It's explosive or it isn't. It can spray or it can't.
Feel free to search through the gear list and equip forces with specific armaments, but doing
so isn't a requirement to run a combat. Remember: don't give the NPCs anything you don't want the
PCs to loot off their corpses.

Z4. Charges
Market forces don't use charges because their success or failure is determined by the Taker,
not their own rolls. Don't track them. It's too much work.
This isn't to say that antagonists have endless ammo: if it makes sense for them to run out,
the Market can just say so. It's even better to let the players do it. Inflicting scarcity on the NPCs is a
great way to utilize critical success. Roll double-evens on Athletics check and the player can say the
attacker's gun is empty. Crit a block and describe the sound a shattering sword makes.

Z4. Armor
NPC armor negates one attack, it only applies for hit locations where it makes sense to wear
it, and the damage type could feasibly be stopped. Don't track charges for armor and don't let it
endlessly absorb attacks to the point of player frustration. Markets should also describe where armor
is worn for any player that asks so that Takers can incorporate that into their strategy.
In short, NPC wearing a helmet gets hit in the head? They're okay. Same guy gets hit in the
head again? Helmet breaks and the NPC takes damage.

Z4. Other Equipment

Market forces carry whatever the Market wants, but if it isn't a piece of equipment
established in the narrative, don't worry about it. The exact specifics of what's in each opponent's
pockets can be determined by the players using the Scavenge mechanics (see "Looting the Dead' p.

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XX).

Z4. Hit Boxes

Aside from the number of opponents, the main way the Market can adjust the difficulty and
length of combat is through hit boxes. There are three presets:

Part-time: These forces only have a general pool of hit boxes. Damage to any location eats
away at the pool (unless there is armor on that location). Once the pool is filled with any mix of
Stun/Kill damage, the NPC is incapacitated and/or dead. Hit locations can still be used to
determine the narrative resolution of attacks. For instance, a part-time Market force is still hobbled
by a shot to the leg, even though the damage goes to a general pool.
Ten hit boxes is a good baseline for part-time forces. Armor makes them slightly tougher, as
does increasing the pool. Part-time forces are sufficient – and preferable – for the majority of
conflicts in Red Markets.

Full-time: These forces have 10 hit boxes in each location (almost like a Taker, but with 10
less in the torso). So, for instance, an NPC that takes 7 Kill damage to the left arm would be
recorded by the Market as "7 l. arm" on a piece of scratch paper. If the next attack hits for 3 Kill
damage to the right leg, it's recorded as "3 r. leg" and the NPC keeps fighting. Once any location fills
with Kill/Stun damage, the NPC is incapacitated and/or killed.
Full-time forces increase the difficulty of combat by lengthening the amount of time and
precision required to down an enemy. Armor increases this time even more. If even more challenge
is needed, upgrade to...

Management: The Market will need a hit box man, as found on the Character Sheet p.XX,
for each NPC at the management level. These Market forces utilize all the same damage rules as the
PCs.
Management makes combat quite lengthy and difficult, but at the cost of maximizing the
amount of paperwork the Market must track. Management-level enemies should be reserved for
serious antagonists.

If even more tools are required for manipulating the challenge, Markets can add levels of
Advantage (see next).

Z3. Advantage
On occasion, the Market may wish to up the challenge with a particularly dangerous foe.
Aberrants (p. XX) and Vectors (p. XX) work great for this, but humans remain the deadliest on
average. Singularly skilled opponents gain the upper hand in multiple ways, but these special rules
are called "advantage."
The point of throwing extra challenging forces at players is to make the characters' struggles
more desperate, terrifying, and heroic. Therefore, the Market never completely ambushes the group
with high-threat enemies; once battle begins, the skill and prowess of the opponent becomes
immediately apparent and the Market tells the players what modifiers they need to overcome. Since
advantage is supposed to effect the group's tactical decisions, the details of each level are listed
below for the benefit of players and Market alike.

Z4. Trained Advantage

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 Most Takers didn't professionally risk their lives before the Crash; the same can't be said of
some of the military and rebel groups they might encounter. The trained advantage represents the
benefit of extended education in survival and combat.
The trained advantage is a modifier that rates the program the forces went through. A 1-
point advantage would work for an experienced SWAT officer, whereas a DHQS super-spy might
wield 3-points or higher. The number is the modifier applied to dice rolls declared against that NPC.
To be clear, the trained advantage modifies players' rolls targeted against AND prompted by the
NPC. Market forces never roll for anything, even if forces have advantage. The modifier could be
added to the Red or subtracted from the Black: choose only one. Add or subtract depending on
whatever your group finds easier to calculate. Critical success and failure resolves normally.
So, if a crew was fool enough to take on a trained team of DHQS stewards with a 2-point
trained advantage, a B8/R6 attack wouldn't hit; the advantage would negate the success by adding to
Red (mod B8/R6+2) or subtracting from Black (mod B8-2/R6). Regardless, the adjustment to
success/failure rate is the same, and ties still go to the Market. Similarly, an B8/R6 attempt to dodge
attacks from the Stewards would fail, but damage would be calculated according to the dice as
normal (hint: fighting forces with advantage sucks). A natural B6/R6 would still be critical success,
regardless of any trained advantage.
Advice for trained advantage: People with professional combat skills are valuable commodities
not easily risked and, when they are actually deployed, most aren't fool enough to get into a fight
where the outcome is in question. As such, Markets should throw trained forces at the players rarely.
To overcome the skill of such forces, bring overwhelming logistics to bear. Try to elicit help from
NPC allies, then focus on charged gear and tactics to overwhelm the opposition with big spends.

Z4. Gifted Advantage

Some people are peak performers: natural-born savants in certain areas. Sometimes those
innate skills happen to be in the area of violence. And, sometimes, gifted killers are out to get
Takers.
The gifted advantage should be reserved for singular foes; legends of the Loss whose
exploits are as much the subject of rumor as fear. The nearly preternatural skill of such an enemy is
long foreshadowed before encountered, and the realization that conflict is incoming should provoke
Self-Control tests. After all, the crew is facing down the gunslinger Tenpenny Blood, the Denim
Ghost, the Vector Twins, or whatever other larger-than-unlife characters were developed over many
contracts.
The gifted advantage represents the 1% killers that might draw a bead on the PCs.
Mechanically, all rolls against the gifted character are precision rolls. Charges may only be spent to make a
check. There's no bonus for material advantage; everything becomes a contest of raw skill and luck.
If Ribbit is boxing against Tooth-cracker, the best MMA fighter Distributy's mafia has to
offer, a B8+1/R10 isn't going to save her face – no matter how many ration charges she spends.
Ribbit's Athletics skill is either fast enough or not. Her level of exertion means nothing against the
skill of the terrible Tooth-cracker. In any fight, the bruiser of Distributy predictably breaks another
jaw, or someone bests him with raw skill and becomes the new champion. There's no such thing as
"wanting it more" and spending big against a gifted opponent.
Advice for gifted advantage: Market's should never spring gifted enemies on their players without
warning. Doubly so if the force is both gifted and trained. The entire point of the endeavor is to
emphasize the risk facing such a skilled opponent entails. When the importance of materialism in
Red Markets gets internalized by the players, the gifted's ability to negate the power of their charges is
intimidating. Knowingly facing such an opponent makes for a powerful character moment.
The very nature of gifted enemies limits their numbers, so crews would be wise to gang up

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when possible. Otherwise, the one edge PCs have is their investments in skills and Potentials,
especially Will.

Z4. Determination Advantage

The will to survive against enormous odds is what defines Takers. But they're not the only
ones in the Loss with internal reserves, and that same determination can turn towards hate. When an
NPC loathes the PCs enough to plot schemes, vow oaths, and single-mindedly pursue their
destruction, the Market gives that adversary a determination advantage.
Determination is the most dangerous of the advantages because it gives Market forces points
of Will to spend in combat. The NPC still doesn't roll, but the Market can spend points of Will to
flip any check for or against the PCs. If Mr. U is aiming down the sights towards his sworn enemy,
the promise of blood sharpens his senses. The player may roll a natural B10/R1 to dodge...but the
Market has Mr. U spend one of his points of Will to flip the dice. Now it's B1/R10.
As they are immensely dangerous as enemies, Market forces with determination advantage
are reserved for climaxes of job lines and campaigns. The power of Will points is such that it
shouldn't be used by anyone save the story's primary antagonists.
Advice for determined advantage: Since it has the power to snatch victory from the very hands of
players, it's a sign of good intentions if the Market states how many Will points an antagonist has at
the outset of combat. It's also good only to declare Will spends in line with the determined NPC's
personality. For instance, Mr. U is more likely to spend Will on the character he blames for his
financial ruin, but a more disciplined NPC might reserve Will for the most tactically opportune
moments. Both of these guidelines keep the gamemaster's tense climax from descending into
accusations of favoritism.
Players facing a determined foe have no doubt been gearing up for the inevitable showdown
for some time, but so has the antagonist. Determined foes rarely fight alone, and defeating one is all
about spending character resources carefully. A player can spend a point of Will to upgrade attacks
to unflippable criticals or re-flip dice altered by the opponent, but that means getting through the
rest of the job without blowing such a powerful resource on some lesser challenge.

Z4. Other Advantages

Giving a Market forces more than one type of advantage makes them extremely deadly.
Players are going to call bullshit if Mary Sue combat demon comes out of nowhere and kills the
entire party. If someone is badass enough to have multiple advantages, the prowess should be
advertised far in advance. When PCs choose to go up against bad odds for love, family, or other
character motivations, getting slain can still add to the narrative. Getting dismembered by an omni-
competent wasteland ninja out of nowhere is just confusing.
Other types of advantage exist in Red Markets, but they're individualized to Aberrants. Since
Aberrants remain a topic of speculation to some and abject terror to a few, these advantages are
supposed to come as a surprise to players. If you work in a zombie apocalypse for a living and
something about one of the undead looks weird – aside from the whole walking corpse thing – you
should run. Not knowing what mechanical bonuses the monster is bringing to the table reinforces
this narrative truth.

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Z1. Blight: Casualties, Vectors, and Aberrants
Infected, undead, biters, walkers – the media had a hundred damn names for them before
the Blight made them real. What's one more? Takers ironically refer to zombies as "Casualties," the
censored nomenclature used late in the Crash by the government-controlled media (see p. XX).
Most shorten the term to "C's" (pronounced sees).
Casualties are the "traditional" undead: slow-moving, poorly coordinated, cannibalistic
corpses. This chapter tells players everything about the mechanics of how they work in the game. It
also deals with Vectors – the fast, hemorrhagic stage of early infection – and rules for their use.
Lastly, rules for the different types of Aberrants – victims of the Blight that seem to violate
the disease's own principles – are included here. Players are encouraged to skip this final section, as a
more detailed description of what a Taker would actually know of Aberrants is included in "The
Loss" (p. XX). Furthermore, the rules on how to use the creatures are mere suggestions that Markets
are encouraged to alter, so there is little strategy to be gained by researching the metagame. Still, as
Aberrants are a type of zombie, the rules for their use are included here for ease of reference.

Z2. Dead Weather

Casualties are not the antagonists of Red Markets.
They're too dumb to be villainous. They're so uncoordinated that they end up following the
path of least resistance. Most stumble and trip in harsh terrain until they get turned around and
wander out of it. They pool around pavement and low elevations like water. If they move with any
purpose, it's either towards food or some innocuous location misfired from their dead memories.
Stay away from lowlands and landmarks, stay quiet, keep moving, maintain line of sight – most
people can get across the Loss just fine.
But since the aimless wanderings of Casualties are funneled by geography, and their infection
likely happened in a major population center, the things are never alone. For every one you see,
dozens are creeping closer. They easily corner and devour the unwary. One bite can make a Vector,
and those sprinting disease carriers can destroy an enclave in minutes.
Despite the very real danger of that omnipresent threat, it's hard to hate them. Sure,
Casualties want to eat anything they see, but it's a compulsion. There's no light in their eyes, no
animosity. Every single one was once somebody's wife, husband, brother, sister, mother, father, best
friend, favorite actor, employee of the month, friendly face, etc. Each casualty is a painful reminder
of a dead reality and a rebuke to promises of the future. Takers like to tell themselves Casualties are
monsters when they aim the gun, but they never truly convince themselves they aren't shooting
human beings in the face.
I repeat: Casualties are not the antagonists of Red Markets. There is nothing intentional about
their actions, and they're entirely too easy to thwart or pity. Other Takers, believers, corporations,
and military groups serve as antagonists in a Red Markets game. It's best to think of Casualties like
the weather.
People can plan for, defend against, and try to predict the weather. Often, this preparedness
saves lives. But sometimes, it doesn't matter. The Loss will consume whom it pleases. It can creep
through vulnerabilities people didn't know they had, or it can come with the insurmountable force
of a flood.
The dead weather works the same. Plan for it. Avoid it. Fight it. Just don't expect to stop it.

Z2. Casualty Placement

Markets have the power to place as many Casualties as they want, wherever they want,
whenever they want.

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 This means that, yes, the Market could parachute a thousand zombies inside the enclave
while the team is out on a job, killing everyone, wiping out savings, and destroying everything the
characters ever loved. The Market represents the cruel, capricious uncaring weight of history, and
that's a thing that could happen.
If your Market actually does something like that, consider playing Red Markets with someone
else... dude sounds like a real asshole.
The reason Markets have the power to put zombies wherever they please is because the
placement of Casualties can tell a powerful story about the job site. It's not a tool meant to abuse
PCs. If, for instance, all the undead in an abandoned megachurch are found locked up in the
daycare, that suggests a far more horrific end than if a roll of the dice places all the Casualties safely
outside the building. The Market has carte blanche in placing Casualties in order to craft better
stories.
Aside from that purpose of crafting a more interesting narrative, the Market should place
Casualties randomly whenever possible. One of the few rolls the Market makes is to generate
undead, and it goes a long way towards establishing the unpredictable and dangerous nature of the
Loss. Like everything else in Red Markets, generating random zombie mobs is done through the
Black and Red.

Z2. Casualty Stats

Casualties come in two sizes: mobs and stampedes. Both types use the same stats, but we'll
deal with mobs first. Groups of Casualties are generated with two numbers:

◦ Mass: determined by Black, this is the number of individual Casualties in the mob. As Takers
make headshots, mass goes down.
◦ Shamble: determined by the Red, this abstraction of distance measures the number of
combat turns before the Casualties reach the nearest player. Shamble can be altered by the
movement of PCs.

So, if the Market needs to know how many Casualties are in a grocery store, roll the dice.
B6/R3 means there are six undead (mass) roughly 3 combat turns (Shamble) away from the group.
The zombies will attack at the end of the third round.
How are these stats tracked? Well, Market's should use whatever makes the job easiest, but
the dice themselves make a good counter. As opposed to scratch paper, using the Black and Red
help both the Market and players keep track of how close the Casualties are to striking.
In the above example, the Market could use the B6/R3 dice as they lay. If the Takers kill a
zombie, the Market moves the Black to show a result of five rather than six (mass reduced by one).
After the whole crew has acted, the Red goes down to two, representing the mob coming closer.
After another round, the Shamble will move down to one and the Casualties will be able to attack
anyone close to them at the end of the round. If the characters run away, the Red could be raised to
represent the distance gained.

Z2. Casualties In Combat

The undead are slow. They always go last in any initiative order.
If Shamble reaches one and mass remains, the mob attacks the character they just reached.
Players may use a tactic or twitch to make an Athletics check and avoid the grappling horde. If the
check fails, damage is done just like in regular combat. A Black die's worth of Kill damage is done to
the Red hit location. If the player has no actions left, the Market rolls the dice and damage is

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calculated the same.
If the mass is above one, the Market has a choice. They can add +1 to the damage for every
additional zombie, or they can ask the player to make a test against knockback (see p.XX). To go for
additional damage, add additional damage to the same hit location as the zombies focus in on the
precious blood. If the Market chooses knockback, the player makes a Resistance check, adding any
bonuses from additional rations spent. On a success, the character manages to avoid being dragged
to the ground. On a failure, the mob piles onto the victim.

Z2. Frenzy
Casualties that get within one Shamble of a player smell blood and enter "frenzy." This
means the promise of food has the zombies aroused and moving faster than usual. To move out of
melee range, a Taker must either…

a) go full defense, spending both tactic and twitch to get some distance. The Market can
make this two rolls or one task, according to taste.
b) reduce the mob by one, stagger the zombies on their own dead, and use a twitch to get
away
c) have a comrade reduce the mob by one, stagger the Casualties on their own dead, and use
either a tactic or twitch to get away
d) reduce the mass to zero before the end of the round.

For instance, if Prole is engaged with a mob and needs to escape, just making an Athletics
check for his twitch action won't cut it. A success only means he dodged the clawing hands and
snapping jaws for that round, not that he's out of reach. To escape, he needs a successful twitch and
tactic. He can go on full defense. To minimize dice-rolling, rather than making two Athletics checks
in a row, the Market can say one successful check gets him a number of Shambles away equal to his
SPD.
The other option is to kill a casualty, use its body to trip up the remainder of the mob, and
use a twitch action to escape. Unlike full defense against Casualties, this does require two separate
checks: a successful attack and Athletics check to move SPD in Shambles away. If the attack fails,
the twitch has to be spent dodging attacks rather than flat-out running. If the tactic succeeds but the
twitch fails, Prole takes damage from the mob. Attacking and then running is riskier than focusing
entirely on escape.
Conversely, one of Prole's crew could slow the beasts down with a successful attack and
provide the Taker two chances to escape with Athletics. However, a comrade that comes to assist
with a melee weapon exposes themself to the same frenzy, and mobs with more than one mass can
easily split attacks. Coming to assist a harried Taker usually means firing a projectile weapon into a
melee fight, which brings its own risks (see p. XX).
Finally, if all the Casualties are decapitated, there's no problem when Shambles get within
range. By using a tactic or going full offense, a Taker within the range of frenzy has one last chance
to eliminate the mob before it digs in. This is the riskiest tactic, as it leaves the Taker little recourse if
the attack fails.
In short, it's hard to escape Casualties once they are in frenzy. Plan accordingly.

SIDEBAR: Latents and Immune to the Front

The tough spots of "Latent" and "Immune" make for good melee fighters because they
don't have to worry about infection every injury. Takers are one of the few groups that seek these

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people out for reasons other than persecution and exploitation. They serve a vital function in most
successful crews. If someone that isn't Latent or Immune is going hand-to-hand with Casualties,
something has gone wrong. They better hope to have some Will left to spend, armor in the right
places, or some luck with the dice.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. Damaging Casualties

Casualties don't take damage traditionally: anything that isn't a headshot has little effect.
However, since Casualties can't do much besides walk straight towards their target at a slow pace, it
is much easier to score a headshot than it is on a human target. Called shots aren't necessary.
Furthermore, decay of muscle and bone tissue means any Kill damage to the head is enough to put
the zombie down for good.
To reduce the mass of mob by one, a player needs a successful attack. That's it. Just one
successful attack kills a casualty... but it only kills one. Easy headshots don't mean much when dozens
of monsters are attacking at once. As Takers say, every kill is easy until you meet the one that bites
you.
To take down the mass of a mob by more than one, players need weapons with special
upgrades and qualities: explosive, spray, etc. Instead of increasing damage, weapons capable of hitting
multiple locations at once or upgrades that allow charges to be spent after the check can be used for
additional kills against mobs.

Z2. Loud Weapons And Attracting Casualties

Casualties are silent. They don't aspirate audibly and can't talk. They only make noise when
they stumble into things or clack their jaws together in anticipation of a meal. As a result, the Loss is
an eerily silent place, and loud noises mean only one thing: fresh meat.
For every loud weapon used in a scene, the Market can roll to generate a new mob that
arrives in the scene, attracted by the noise. The noise only attracts new casualties for every loud
weapon that is used; not every time that loud weapon is used. After the first casualty in the mob has
its head blown off, the second one doesn’t cause a second reinforcement mob to show up. The
dinner bell has already been rung.
The Market decides when to add the reinforcements. Using loud weapons against new mobs
counts as a separate use, so the Market gets to roll again. See where this is going? Good Takers fight
and run, or they just plain run. Heroic last stands are for those dumb enough to stand their ground.
The only exception to the Loud weapon rules attracting additional mobs is quarantined
locations. Takers that secure all entrances and exits before breaking out the big guns can
methodically exterminate every Casualty in that area. They just have to worry about being locked
inside with the ravenous undead and finding a way to escape the horde slowly surrounding the
building, trying to get at those delicious gunshots.

Z2. Casualty Specific Maneuvers

A few combat maneuvers are specific to Casualties only: peeling, luring, and chumming. All
of these maneuvers count as a tactic.

Z3. Peeling
Peeling is used to reduce the size of mob headed towards someone else. If the player
declares they are peeling for their action, they need to move closer to the mob than the person

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currently setting the shamble. So, for instance, if Prole has a mob closing in a 4 shambles, Kapital
would have to move to at least 3 shambles in order to peel.
Once closer to the zombies, the Taker needs to use a freebie to get the attention of the
undead. The Market can either roll randomly to determine how many Casualties "peel" off from the
mob, or it can be decided merely by dividing the mob in two. All peeling does is create two mobs
out of one; it might make the monsters more manageable, or it might just provide them a second
victim.
The benefit to such a distraction is a reduced Mass for the mob heading towards another
player.

Z3. Luring
"Luring" kites zombies behind a Taker, leading them to a specific location. To lure, make a
successful check with a CHA skill (player's choice). Failure means the mob is too distracted by its
current prey. Unless a Taker gets close enough to the mob to become the closest target (peeling), the
mob continues after the original victim. A success is loud and boisterous enough to draw the
attention of the entire mob and Shamble is reset. However, Casualties do not respond to subtly:
anything loud enough to get their attention is treated like the use of a loud weapon. Thus, Takers
can't just play "keep away" with mobs endlessly without being overrun, but they can keep amassing
followers up until they get cut off from every direction.
Once a mob is successfully attracted, the Taker can keep luring them at the cost of one
ration per round (you have to stay close). The Market might say difficult terrain or obstacles cost
more or call for an Athletics check.
Luring in a vehicle can potentially go on as long as there is open road and fuel. Herding large
numbers of Casualties away from certain areas is a common contract for Takers, and enclaves have
been destroyed by rivals chumming a massive horde to the city's gates.

Z3. Chumming
Chumming involves temporarily directing Casualties to an area by providing them a free
meal. But the Blight only wants live victims. If a crew wants to ensure the zombies go into the
containment area or stick around for the explosion, sacrifices must be made.
Animals work; Casualties eat anything living, including the carrion eaters that attempt to feed
off them. Humans work even better, especially if they're competition.
There's no skill check required for chumming besides whatever the Taker had to do to get a
fresh victim offered to the dead. Once a sacrifice is secured, the victim need only be closer than the
Takers for the tactic to work. The Casualties always go for the easy kill. The only difficulty in
chumming is the psychological damage of watching it happen, which prompts level-2 Self-Control
checks against Detachment or worse, depending on who is on the wrong end of the mob.

Z2. Example Casualty Encounter

Teapot is on guard duty while his partner, Killy, picks the lock on a door to the abandoned
school's nursing station.
The Market thinks this scene needs a bit more tension. The dice are rolled and land B7/R2.
The Market is nice and gives Teapot an Awareness check. It's a success. Teapot hears footsteps
coming from inside what he thought to be an empty classroom right before the door burst open.
Teapot now has to deal with 7 mass worth of walking corpses before they close reach him in 2 turns
(or 2 Shamble).
The Market calls for Teapot to make a Self-Control check (you never really get used to being

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attacked by zombies). The dice land B3+1/R1. A professional keeps himself together, despite the
unfortunate turn of events.
Teapot heard them coming and has an assault rifle ready. Killy can't do anything while she's
picking the lock. The Casualties, as always, act last. Teapot makes his tactic an attack against the
7M/2S mob. He has a total +2 to his check (+2 Shoot). Firearms are charged weapons, so he buys-a-
roll and spends an additional charge to make the total +3.
Teapot rolls B4+3/R6. A B7/R6 is good enough for a success, and successes are good
enough for headshot against the slow-moving Casualties. Then the Market asks him if he wants to
use his spray upgrade, which grants additional damage at the cost of 3 charges spent after the check.
Teapot thinks about it and chooses to spray. He has spent two charges so far, meaning he'll need
three more to get the effect. He marks his charges and burns his twitch to take down an extra mass
with a spray. Now, Teapot's weapon is down 5 charges, but the mob lost 2 mass instead of 1.
In terms of narrative, either the Market or Teapot's player could describe a clean hit,
followed by a reckless burst that pops another head and chews uselessly through the remaining
corpses' torsos.
Killy is busy trying to pick a lock on a security door, but reasoning that Teapot's death
means the task of lockpicking is going to get too difficult, she spends her twitch to put her lockpicks
away and her tactic readying her gun.
The next round starts with the mob down to 5 zombies, one turn away (5M/1S). Teapot is
confident now and declares full offense. He spends a charge to buy-a-roll and gets B5+2/R9 for
Shoot. Close but not quite. He asks the Market if he can spend his remaining charges to score a
success. The Market says no because he didn't declare before rolling, and spray only works after
successful aim. He'll be within reach of the mob at the end of this round.
Luckily, Killy sees her comrade's distress and opens up with an automatic rifle of her own.
She buys-a-roll and gets B2/R2. Critical success! She didn't even need her +3 Shoot. The Market
describes a single bullet threading between the eyeballs of two, perfectly aligned skulls. She request
to spray and end the combat. It's a badass roll, but her request to spray is denied. The mob is in
melee range and extra rounds might hit Teapot; all Shoot checks require precision when firing into
melee. Still, the mob is down to 3 mass and Teapot has a better chance than he did before.
Since he declared he was going full offense, Teapot uses his twitch to attack as well (second
attacks move to the end of the initiative order, but humans do everything faster than Casualties). He
buys-a-roll and gets B10+2/R3. Sweet. He spends his last 3 charges to spray again. Two more
Casualties go down in a guillotine of bullets, but then the rifle clicks empty (Teapot's player was
keeping track of charges; 1 spent on the failure and 4 spent on the success with a spray ate the rest of
his magazine. He'll have to use a point of ADP to refresh).
One Shamble is within striking range for Melee and Unarmed attacks. The last remaining
member of the mob goes into frenzy and reaches for Teapot. Since the character has no more
actions left, the Market assumes a hit and rolls for damage: B1/R4. The Market describes the
casualty tripping over the pile of dead and landing first in Teapot's left thigh, biting through the
pants and breaking skin. It's only one Kill damage to the leg, but it might be enough.
The Market calls for a Self-Control check against the Trauma threat; Teapot is not Immune
and could be infected. He's got a +1 Self-Control. The dice land B3+1/R9. Suck! That's 2 Humanity
damage to Trauma, but thankfully just shy of a Regret.
Teapot decides this has to end. He uses his twitch to quick draw, dropping the empty rifle
and unsheathing his machete. He can't dodge anymore, but he won't have to if he kills the last
casualty before its next attack. Teapot spends a charge of rations to buy a Melee attack as his tactic.
He gets B1+1/R1. Total whiff.
Killy sees her opportunity and buys another shot. She scores B10+ 3/R4. The creature's

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head explodes with its teeth inches away from Teapot's groin.
The Market asks if the crew has a blood testing kit they want to use. They do not. So the
Market rolls in secret and is about to add Teapot's STR... but the dice land B7/R7. Turns out the
lucky bastard is naturally Latent and didn't know it! The Market smiles – just to fuck with 'em – and
play continues. They'll need to have packed a blood test if they want the results.
Meanwhile, the Takers just made a lot of noise. Neither rifle had a silencer, so the Market
starts coming up with new mass and Shamble ratings for the two loud weapons used.
Let's hope Teapot's gratitude protects Killy from the 3 mass/7 Shamble mob about to break
through the barricade at their back and the 4 mass/4 Shamble coming through a window from
outside. She better get that door open soon....
But then the Market describes Teapot's screams as a wave of black veins begin crawling up
his neck. The players cuss, aware of what's happened. Even on a success, Teapot's Humanity would
be damaged enough by the agony of turning Latent to take a Trauma Regret. The character drops to
the ground, crippled by pain as the Market begins rolling to tally up Kill damage inflicted by the
sinew.
Now Killy needs to figure out what do. She can drag her seizing, infectious partner down the
hall and try to pick the lock before the Casualties pouring inside eat them. Or she can try to ignore
the sounds of Teapot being eaten and get back to work.

Z2. Looting The Undead

Casualties never carry anything of worth beyond a bounty or two. To make matters worse,
not everyone fled the Crash carrying a wallet, and fewer still have managed to keep it in their grimy
pockets in five years of wandering the Loss. For jackpots — like a deceased father carrying all his
family’s important documents — crews have to hack through dozens of “blanks” that aren’t worth
the bullet that put them down.

As a result of these circumstances, looting casualties is a little different than those laid out in the
Combat chapter (see “Looting the Dead” p. XX). Here’s how things differ.

◦ Casualties only carry bounty; nothing else

◦ Casualties are looted as mobs; not as individuals
If a Scavenging check discovers bounty amongst the bounty, the natural Black is how
much was located amongst all the zombies in the mob. So if the crew put down a
mob of 10 and a mob of 1, they could make two Scavenging checks (using only two
PCs). They couldn’t make 11 Scavenging checks, or two Scavenging checks each 11
times.
◦ You don’t want to critically fail a Scavenge check while looting casualties.

Critically failing a Scavenge check on the undead means one of two things: one of them is
still alive, or one of them had something sharp — and infectious — it its pockets.

Z2. Stampedes
Stampedes are huge masses of Casualties heading towards a single food source. As far as the
narrative is concerned, encountering a stampede is not an enemy so much as a natural disaster.
Stampedes carry numbers that would be suicide to oppose. Most groups are content to call the
number of undead in a stampede "too many" and plan from there.
However, some groups might prefer more exacting rules, or perhaps the crew has gone to

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great lengths to acquire the kind of heavy weapons capable of exterminating a stampede. Either way,
the rules for stating up a stampede are as follows:
Stampede Mass (Black): Mass is measured by a factor of 10. That means that a B3/R2
stampede has Mass of THIRTY Casualties. Unless the players have fully automatic weapons firing
explosive rounds, the only real option is to run. One successful attack by a stampede follows almost
exactly the same rules for mobs: add +1 for every additional Casualty (in the previous example, this
would be 1d10 +29 Kill damage) or make a knockback test. In the case of the latter, knockback
from a stampede can't be resisted.
Stampede Shamble (Red): Stampedes stumble and claw against each other in such away that
they achieve a momentum greater than their typical shuffle. All stampedes reduce 2 shambles per
turn instead of 1. There are also so many Casualties that the term "wave" might be more
appropriate. If a Taker misses a chance to dodge a mob, they can still wrestle free in the next round.
This is not the case with stampedes. After the first missed Athletics check, the horde encircles the
victim and escape becomes impossible unless the poor soul can reach a ladder, stairs, or door.
If the players encounter a stampede of Vectors... something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.
The PCs should be too worried about getting the hell away to care about the horde's statistics.

Z2. Vectors
Vectors are freshly infected humans hijacked by the Blight's hot strain, but not yet killed by
it. The contagion controls their minds by ramping up all sorts of violent hormonal responses and
excising certain sections with quickly forming viral sinews. The infected person hemorrhages from
every orifice as the contagion begins seeding the body with its parasitic nervous system. The process
is agonizing, but by the time it starts, the victim has already become a frothing killing machine. For
more on Vectors in the setting, check out "The History of the Crash" (p.XX). For a more
condensed description of how the hot strain works, read this chapter's entry on "Infection" (p.XX).
Thankfully, there aren't many Vectors left five years after the Crash. Currently, most derive
from either a Latent dying or a new infection. But one "freshy" can create a thousand inside of an
hour. They're stronger, faster, and more durable than any human, and the Blight is more infectious
than ever in its live state. Vectors are one of the most serious threats a Taker can ever face. What
follows are the rules for using them in the game.

Z3. Vectors At-a-Glance

The main rules for Vectors are...

• Murder Modifier: Equals the Vector’s in-life SPD; affects their undead movement and
strength in addition to equaling their Advantage (Red bonus) in checks against PCs and on
skill checks declared against the Vector
• Fast: Vectors can move their Murder modifier in shambles per round
• Strong: All successful Vector attacks add the murder modifier to damage, in addition to
dealing knockback.
• Psychological Warfare: Fresh Vectors (those turned within the last few hours) scream
"apologies" that cause Self-Control checks in all who hear them.
• Hard to Kill: Vectors are harder to damage than Casualties
⁃ Turning Vector heals/ignores all previous wounds.
⁃ If the Vector started as a random NPC, headshots kill it instantly (via called shots or
lucky hits). Otherwise, the Vectors total hit points have to be depleted as if it were a
management-level Market force.

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 ⁃ If the Vector started as a PC, the Vector has the same hit locations. All boxes in the
torso or head have to be filled to kill the creature. The Vector cannot bleed out.
⁃ Killing a Vector with anything but a headshot sends it into torpor. It will rise again as
a Casualty in a few days.
⁃ Latents that “go Vector” can only be killed with headshots.
• Hot Strain: Vectors are more infectious than Casualties.
⁃ Victims of a Casualty bite turn in a matter of hours or days. Vector bites cause
transformation in a matter of turns equal to the Red of the failed infection check.

Z3. Fast
The brain imposes limits on human strength via the central nervous system. Anatomically,
humans can wield savage power only slightly less than that of wild apes, but developmental priority
is given to our cerebral growth, which means our structurally similar musculature is much more
prone to strain and tear. Certain extreme situations and drugs can generate enough adrenaline to
bypass the limits that pain places on human strength, but by and large, one of humanity's greatest
evolutionary adaptations is the way our nervous system can stop exertion before it reaches
dangerous levels.
The Blight doesn't care. The first thing infection dismantles is the central nervous system's
protections against muscle stress. The early stages of Vector creation are almost miraculous – the
lame walk, the mute scream, the feeble flex – but they do so through an agony they can't escape.
When Vectors sprint at a victim, they are snapping the tendons in their glutes and quadriceps to do
so. When they bite, cracked teeth and unhinged jaws do nothing to stop the feeding frenzy. Vectors
don't have super-powers; they're just humans without the brakes.
In the game, this means that Vectors are faster, stronger, and more resilient than seems
possible. Vectors move a number of Shambles per round equal to their in-life SPD. This is their "murder modifier."
For Market Forces that were never completely stated out, the Market can default to whatever SPD is
appropriate.
The murder modifier places Vectors in the initiative order. For instance, if a Latent with a SPD 3
turns, the resulting Vector starts with an initiative of 1d10+3 (an initiative check + the murder
modifier). The character's initial place in the order doesn't matter; it's recalculated after the person
transforms.
When rolling against a Vector, add the murder modifier to the Red every time, or deduct it from the
player's skill modifier and spends. This is equivalent to the "trained" advantage mentioned in the
combat chapter (see p. XX).
A Vector's sprint is slowed one Shamble for every hit it takes that round, but only for that
round. Blows don't affect the murder modifier in the long term, but a shotgun blast to the leg can
still make the thing stumble. They can also climb walls, dodge obstructions, sprint up stairs, and
work door handles.

Z3. Strong
If within one Shamble of a Vector, failed Athletics checks cause Kill damage like any other
casualty, but the damage is increased by the murder modifier.
Additionally, all Vector attacks have knockback. They plow into victims like linebackers.
Damage goes to the same hit location as the Red, and infection checks follow.
For instance, imagine Scapegoat is fighting a Vector with a murder modifier of +2.
Scapegoat attacks with his +2 Shoot, but that skill bonus is negated by the murder modifier. The

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dice land B1+0/R9 for a miss. Next, the Taker spends his twitch and uses Athletics to dodge, but
his +3 bonus gets whittled to a +1 by the murder modifier. Scapegoat rolls and gets B4+1/R6.
Instead of the usual 4 Kill damage to the chest, he takes 6 Kill damage (+2 from the murder
modifier). There's also a knockback effect, and Scapegoat has no actions to spend on a Resistance
check. He'll start the next round pinned by the frothing cannibal, and that's before he even knows if
he's infected or not.

Z3. Psychological Warfare

Though the terrifying transformation of infection seems instantaneous enough, it is not. The
brain of the victim does not die all at once. The worst part isn't a Vector's speed or ruthlessness; it's
the loved one still staring out of bloodshot eyes, screaming through a mouth that simultaneously
hungers for flesh.
Those recently turned scream in panic and terror at their condition. Eventually, the sinews
worming through their frontal lobe destroy any reason left in the brains, but this doesn't happen fast
enough. More often, victims are semi-conscious while eating their loved ones, lucid and able to
watch. The language centers break early, but not so fast that a few pleas for mercy don't break
through the cannibal screams. These are called "apologies."
Vector apologies are terrifying for everyone. It's a constant reminder of the fate awaiting
everyone who survived the Crash. When a character hears a Vector apologize, it calls for a Self-
Control check against either Detachment (if witnessed from a safe distance) or Trauma (if
threatened by the Vector), regardless of mental fortitude. The Market may call for more severe
checks if the Vector was once a friend or lover. The sorrow and guilt of having to kill a family
member can make anyone hallucinate guilty rebukes inside an unintelligible scream. The Market can
role-play these cries directly or they can describe the screams of the damned and ask the player what
their character hears in the cries.
Characters that have been Vectors for a few hours but have yet to die don't shout apologies;
they are entirely lost to the Blight.

Z3. Hard to Kill

If a Vector started as a Market force with a simple pool of hit boxes, turning effectively
"heals" all wounds. Since Vectors are still technically alive, all hit boxes in the torso or head must be
filled up before the creature goes down. This means aiming center mass can still be effective, at least
in the short term
However, a Vector felled by body shots is just a casualty waiting for the torpor to end.
Destroying the brain is the only way to keep a zombie down for good. Called shots and headshots
bypass any hit pools/hit locations and provide instant kills, as is tradition of the genre. Just
remember that the murder modifier is going to be making that precision check all the more difficult.
If a PC is the Vector, things get that much worse. The player passes his newly doomed
character to the Market. The Market plays the character as a Vector, healing all hit boxes and
factoring in any worn armor. Slaying the former friend requires filling all hit boxes in either the torso
or head with killing damage. Called shots no longer work as instant kills. Worse still, bleed out
doesn't contribute to the damage. Latents going Vector are even worse – turned Latents are
technically Casualties without the limitations of rigor and rot; only a headshot takes them down.
In conclusion, Takers must adopt the same panicked fear and rage fueling the monster.
Spend big, spend quickly, and leave nothing in reserve, or join the blood-vomiting hordes.

Z3. Hot Strain

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 Finally, if all goes wrong and a Vector infects somebody, things get much worse. Failing an
infection check against the hot strain means the Blight is already in the midst of exponential
replication. There is no unpredictable phase between infection and symptoms; the victim turns into
a Vector in a number of rounds equal to the Red on the infection check.
This means that, if bitten by a Vector, there may not be time to use a blood test, even if the
crew has one in reserve. Hard choices have to be made to stop a hot outbreak.

Z2. Infection
If a character isn't already Latent or Immune, they must make a check against infection
whenever they receive Kill damage from a casualty, Vector, or Aberrant. This is one of the few times
the Market rolls dice in secret. The Market rolls Black, adds the character's STR, and then rolls Red.
If the character was wise enough to bring a blood testing kit (p. XX), the player can make a check
instead, and WILL can be used to shift results. But no matter who rolls the dice, the modifiers and
results stay the same.

On an infection check:
• If the Red is higher than Black + STR, the character is infected.
• If Black + STR is higher than Red, the character is uninfected
• If it's a critical failure, the character is naturally Latent.
• If it's a critical success, the character is Immune.

The following descriptions should help everyone translate the results of the infection check
into the game space.

SIDEBAR: Bust: God's Blight

In this variant, a Taker's health has no effect on the Blight. The disease is totally inscrutable,
and luck is the only determiner of who survives. Check Black/Red, but add nothing. Critical failures
still mean latency and critical success still mean immunity, but the results of exposure are based only
on blind chance.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Speed of Infection

Though multiple types of zombies exist in Red Markets, the characters will likely only witness
people turning into Vectors.
The lifecycle of the Blight is explained more in-depth in the "History of the Crash" p. XX.
For now, the takeaway is that a freshly infected person can only turn into Vector, not a casualty. Though incurable
cannibalistic monsters, Vectors are still technically alive. Stopping the heart of a Vector kills it, but
only if the blow fills every hit box in the torso. Vectors can also die from exposure, starvation, and
dehydration, but only when those circumstances would also kill the most hormonally-flooded
human imaginable, such as a psychotic in the midst of PCP binge.
The death of a Vector, without a destruction of the brain stem, is impermanent. Shooting a
victim full of holes only accelerates torpor: the period in which the Blight, now distributed
throughout the body, begins hijacking genetic material to form the sinews that allow it to preserve
and puppet a corpse's musculature. The dead body of a former Vector eventually rises as a slow-
moving casualty. Though these creatures now make up the majority of the Loss's inhabitants, each
was once a Vector.
Abberants...well, no one knows where Abberants come from.

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 This means that it's never a matter of what an infected PC turns into eventually: the remaining
crew will have to dispatch their former friend or be killed long before another stage of infection can
develop.
While the end result is not in question, the speed at which they occur depends on which
creature did the infecting. The rates of transmission are detailed in order of their commonality.

Z4. "Cold" Bites: Casualties and Latents

If the infection is from a regular casualty bite, transformation into a Vector happens at a
dramatically appropriate time, according to the Market's whims.
Remember that the Blight takes longer to resurrect into its living state after transferring back
into a living host, and the wildly differing time period between becoming infected and turning
symptomatic remains a major obstacle to understanding the disease. Markets could roll a die and
decide that the victim turns in that number of minutes, hours, or days. Or they could just wait until
the worst possible moment and spring it on the players. The unpredictability of the time it takes a
casualty to make a Vector – and the uncertainty as to whether or not the character is infected at all –
should do a lot of damage to the entire crew's Humanity.
Since latents are infected by the "undead" version of the Blight as well, accidentally or
intentionally becoming infected by one works the same as a casualty bite.

Z4. "Hot" Bites: Vector and Aberrant

If the infection is caused by a Vector or Aberrant, the change occurs in a number of combat
turns equal to the Red of the infection check. Blight is already in the active state when transferred
from these more deadly creatures, and the rapid transformation of their victims is what made the
Crash so deadly. This doesn't mean that the wait time between infection and symptoms is any less
damaging to Humanity; the anxiety just doesn't last as long.

Z4. Latents: "Take a Shot or Take the Shot"

Taking Suppressin K-7864 before the Blight resurrects into the hot strain makes the
character Latent. Even if they were not actually infected by initial contact with the undead, injecting
K-7864 results in the condition anyway.
Latents may also occur naturally, due to some unpredictable flaw in Blight's genetic code that
occasionally prevents it's typical resurrection into the hot strain.
Whether a character uses drugs or becomes Latent naturally, the effects of latency occur
immediately, even faster than Vector infection. The cold strain – which constantly reengineers
human flesh into the parasitic nerve tissue and musculature referred to as Blight sinew – assumes
that the body of a Latent is merely a cadaver that has yet to be parasitically converted. The process
of torpor begins immediately, but rather than causing a long-dead corpse to seize and slowly
reanimate, the victim is alive and aware, their mind undamaged and spared the catastrophic damage
of the disease's hot strain. As a Latent's flesh is rent asunder from the inside and rearranged into
invasive, alien tissue, the person can feel the entire thing.
A character becoming Latent must immediately make a level-4 Self-Control check against the Trauma
threat. If the Humanity damage doesn't result in a Regret, the Taker can still manage to move, despite
the agony. However, if they do suffer a Regret, the character is incapacitated by the sensation of
razor wire crawling underneath the skin. The Market should also treat the event as if a loud weapon
was fired. The screams don't stop.
The sight of black veins coursing throughout the afflicted's extremities causes Self-Control checks in all
present.
Finally, the Market rolls 1d10 Kill damage for every hit location on the Latent and inflicts the damage to

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each limb separately. It's entirely possible for Latents to bleed out or die outright as they are riddled by
Blight sinew. In fact, it's a common occurrence. Medically trained Takers nearby can administer aid,
mediating damage, and sedating the patient. But, of course, any exposure to the Latent risks
secondary infection, so assisting is not without its risks.
Latents make for tough Takers, but the transformation's tendency to draw more mobs as the
victim thrashes around and vomits blood doesn't make it easy to treat in the field. A lot of crew's
just put the poor bastards out of their misery.
If Latents die, they technically become a casualty as the viral sinew "wakes up." However,
since the transformation occurs immediately after brain death, the body has no rigor mortis or
decomposition to slow it down. Effectively, treat such foes as Vectors in terms of strength and
ability.

Z4. Immune and Uninfected

Characters only learn if they are naturally Immune one of three ways:

• Use an upgraded blood test at the sight of infection, directly after exposure
• Undergo extensive and sophisticated lab testing
• Suffer an exposure to the Blight so severe that immunity is the only explanation for survival
• Take Suppression K-7864 to no effect

The reason thousands of Immunes aren't aware of their own gifts is because, to test for the
condition, both Blight cells and Immune blood must be in contact at the exact moment of analysis.
An absence of reaction is the only indicator of the condition reliably discovered by science.
Standard blood tests produce false positives for immunity too easily, as many escape
infection for entirely mundane reasons. For instance, older Casualties tend to dry out, losing the
majority of the black preservative ooze that leaks from the Blight's sinews. Some bites just don't
exchange enough fluids to infect a person. Or wounds may not have come from a casualty at all, but
close encounters can drive anyone with broken skin to paranoia.
In fact, the Blight's head games killed far more Immunes than the zombies during the initial
outbreak. The Crash was the single most terrifying event in human history, and almost everyone got
to witness the Blight dismantling someone they loved. Exposure to undead fluids has a powerful
placebo effect, and a panicked mind can manufacture many of the symptoms indicating pre-Vector
transformation. The only way to know for certain is to wait for the change, but people usually start
putting guns-to-temples long before then.
What symptoms, you ask? Well, regardless of whether a character is Immune, uninfected, or
waiting to turn, the Market should describe the same set of bodily changes to keep the entire group
paranoid.

Z3. Describing Symptoms

Narratively, what happens when someone begins to turn?
Well, if the character is Latent, Markets should read "Latents" on p.XX for a description of
events.
If the crew has a blood test, administer it and make the infection check.
For everyone else, use the following description to narrate a character's symptoms. Make
sure every PC that was exposed experiences these symptoms – regardless of whether they're actually
infected or not. Five years after the Crash, everyone is aware of the horror awaiting the bitten, and
fear is enough to psychosomatically mimic infection up to a certain point.

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Z4. Early Infection: Placebo Effects and Actual Signs
Those infected by Casualties show few outwardly visible signs. The Blight's resurrection
from the undead, "cold" cells spreading into the hemorrhagic, "hot" strain of Vectors is slow,
invisible, and little understood.
Symptoms only manifest once the fully resurrected cells begin attacking the brain, killing and
coopting living neural tissue in preparation to house a central ganglia of viral sinews in the
brainstem. Once this process begins, the infected person has minutes before transformation. At
most.
Internally, the viral replication of hot Blight starts in the frontal cortex and replicates at a rate
utterly unprecedented in the scientific record. Meanwhile, more sophisticated, specialized cells
similar to prions differentiate and hijack the endocrine system, flooding the victim with a variety of
stress hormones. A certain percentage of the new Blight cells produced by metabolizing the brain
tissue of the victim redouble the attack on the mind, but the majority become "seeder" cells and
disperse among the tissues via the circulatory system. These heretofore-unclassifiable
microorganisms serve no function until the victim's death, at which point they activate and begin
converting dead tissue into Blight sinew.
Externally, sweats and tremors characterize the early stages. There have been reports of
high-grade fevers developing as well, but such claims could be apocryphal. Common wisdom holds
that strange urges, hallucinations, and a tendency to slur or stutter speech precedes the first violent
outbursts by a few moments, but the degree to which these symptoms can be explained by the
extreme stress of the situation cannot be known. Suicidal ideation correlates strongly with infection,
though self-termination is arguably the sanest of reactions.

Z4. Transformation: Turning Takers into Monsters

At this point, any infected PCs lose control of their characters if they've yet to inject
Suppressin K-7864.
For characters infected directly by the hot strain (through Vector or Aberrant exposure), the
symptoms begin here after the randomly rolled number of rounds passes. Either way, placebo effect
is no longer a possibility once the transformation reaches this stage.
As damage to the brain increases exponentially, effects become more pronounced. Victims
may scream or clutch at themselves, though a sudden onset of catatonia has also been observed.
Spasms and seizures set in seconds later. The disease begins secreting a new form of extreme anti-
coagulant into the bloodstream – currently theorized as a means of embedding seeder cells deeper
into host tissue – and this development leads to hemorrhagic symptoms. The victim vomits,
defecates, urinates, perspires, and/or cries blood.
Around the time bleeding begins, hosts lose all control and begin attacking the nearest living
creature, owing to widespread damage, hormonal imbalance, or some yet-to-be understood from of
parasitic behavioral modification. Cannibalistic urges may not yet be present at this phase, but the
overwhelming, psychotic aggression of Vectors means that biting remains common. Language
centers sometimes survive, which leads to the disturbing "apologies" even as the condemned attacks.
Thankfully, the Blight's severe neural abrasion continues until only the victim's autonomic functions
remains, so these periods of nightmarish awareness end after brain death is achieved.

Z2. Aberrant Mechanics

Aberrants may not even exist. It's up to each individual Market to determine how much

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evidence for their existence is real and how much is internet bullshit. And even if they are real in
your group's version of the setting, the Market is free to change the way their mechanics work or
make up brand-new types. In short, players reading up on the mechanics of how Aberrants work
may be feeding their characters bad intelligence.
Still, ten types of Aberrants are included in the book as examples. If the group wants to use
these types in your version of Red Markets, the special mechanics each are included here for easy
reference. Besides the exceptions listed below, assume every type otherwise behaves like a regular
casualty.
For a more in-depth description of Aberrants, see p.XX.

Aerosol
A casualty, usually found amongst large mobs or stampedes, that emits an aerosol form of
the Blight as a cloud of invisible spores. Humans that come within range of the cloud before it
dissipates risk inhaling the Blight.
In game terms, anyone within mid-range of an aerosol must make an infection check unless
they are Immune, Latent, or wearing a breathing apparatus. Those that are infected change as if
bitten by a Vector, meaning the transformation occurs within a matter of turns. Identifying an
aerosol requires specialized equipment, a successful Awareness check up close, or a successful
Foresight check if analyzing the area with footage or other data sets.

Converts
Infected children that die during a certain stage of neruroplasticity sometimes retain a certain
level of intelligence, even after death. But the consciousness steering this cognition is purely
predatory.
Mobs around a convert may be strategically placed, blocking off exits or flanking enemies
tactically. Casualties can also resist the temptation to attack so long as the convert is in the area.
Lastly, a convert can direct mobs to do the most rudimentary labor, such as pushing objects or
digging by hand. All Casualties lose these increased capacities when the convert is killed.
Converts can operate rudimentary tools themselves. Jobs involving keys, shovels, rope,
chain, and other simple machines are not beyond them, and they often work mechanical elements
into their hunting grounds. Anything with moving parts – such as guns or computers – tends to be
beyond the reduced motor skills of the undead, but a convert can understand how such things work.
Beside their intelligence, converts have no special abilities.

Empties
Empties are casualties that have no predatory instinct. They do nothing besides repeat a
single task – usually something from the victim’s life – endlessly. They don’t respond to humans,
other casualties, or any other stimulus. Seeing an empty implies unsettling, uncomfortable thoughts
about the nature of a mind infected by Blight.
Empties don't to anything, so they don't need special stats. However, the severity of the Self-
control check suffered by discovering an empty depends on the context of the action being
performed. An inexplicable or darkly comic action would just be level 1 check, but a whole group
performing the same action would risk level 2. An empty that mimics or mocks something dear to
the PC could provoke a level 3 check or higher.

Ever-Vecs
Sometimes, a Vector doesn’t die. It just keeps running, feeding, growing stronger. It builds
new muscle tissue from the protien it’s metabolized and Blight sinews until it’s stronger and faster

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than human anatomy would allow.
Treat an ever-vec as a Vector with a murder modifier of 5 or higher. Aside from making the
monster exceptionally fast and strong, the Market could also use the modifier to increase the
creature's hit points.

Ganglia
Blight sinews often break the skin during torpor. It’s theorized that when a number of
casualties transform in close proximity, their different nervous systems intertwine and can’t
distinguish one body from the next. Somehow, the Blight copes with this and pilots all bodies in the
network as one. The result is a mob of unbelievably fast, coordinated corpses strung together by a
web of taut, dripping Blight sinews.
Ganglia's are basically cooperating mobs. They have mass equalling the number of Casualties
caught in the web. They don't have Shamble; the hive consciousness developed by the Blight makes
them far faster than even Vectors. The only way to kill ganglia is to separate all its nodes by
decapitating individual Casualties, or by separating the web of sinews that connects the mass.
Headshots require called shots (they ain't slow and stumbling no more), and severing the sinews
requires explosive or immolating weaponry.
A ganglia's effectiveness isn't stopped by damage. A ganglia comprised of six Casualties can
still move without any penalty so long as one still has a single head. Being attacked by ganglia does
damage like being attacked by any mob, except the Market need not choose between additional
damage and knockback. If the knockback isn't resisted, the victim is entangled in the web of sinews
and takes damage every round they remain there. Infection checks occur normally.

Malignant
For some reason, the Blight sometimes doesn’t stop metabolizing a cadaver’s tissue once the
parasitic nervous system is made. Sometimes, it keeps going until the entire body is turned into a
sprawling, pusating mass of black awfuleness.
Pockets of malignant Blight don't move or attack. Exposure to the flesh causes infection
checks, but this aberrant primarily serves as an area denial weapon. Moving on or near it makes
every step precarious and causes frequent attacks on Humanity.

Mutants
The Blight can’t hop the species barrier. Until it does. No one knows how or why.
Mutants are stated out like feral animals, meaning they have initiative and run faster than any
human. Depending on the species, the Market might make them resistant to damage, increase the
damage of attacks, or provide the creature additional tactics or twitches. The exact specifics of how
the monster’s stats are buffed depends on the species that mutated. Regardless, successful attacks
cause infection on humans and animals.

Scarecrows
A lot of theorists propose that the Blight is a form of fungus. They’re wrong, of course;
everyone is always wrong. But Scarecrows make a strong case for the plant life argument. Their
sinews lock up inside the cadaver’s body, calcifying as they drive themselves out of the flesh and into
the soil. It leaves the casualty immobile, stuck to the ground in a crucified pose. Meanwhile, the
sinews grow into the ground – spreading and spreading like some cancerous weed.
Each scarecrow has a "kill zone" determined by the Market. Within that radius, the
scarecrow can attack anyone standing on the earth with its roots, once per turn and at the end of the
initiative order. Takers have a chance to dodge. If struck, the attack always lands on both legs of the

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victim, and that person is considered grappled. Kill damage continues for every round until the
character is dead or escapes. Infection checks for damage are made normally.
Standing on stone or equally dense material prevents a scarecrow's attack, as does elevating
oneself beyond the tendrils' reach. Any Casualties operating within the kill zone share awareness
with the scarecrow and can hunt prey anywhere within the sphere of influence, with or without line
of sight.
Decapitating a scarecrow stops all special abilities within its kill zone.

Shuffled
Headshots don’t work. THE HEADSHOTS DON’T WORK.
Shuffled Casualties almost always travel in groups. They don't differ in any way from regular
Casualties save from the fact that they are unharmed by headshots. Some other hit location, besides
the head, holds the nexus controlling the Blight sinew. Finding where this nexus is located requires
trial and error. Additionally, the loss of the only certainty a Taker had on the battlefield provokes
Self-Control checks, and striking an unfamiliar target requires called shots.
The shuffled tend to harbor their new hearts in the same location. If the Market randomizes
kill shots for each individual casualty, the crew has lost all advantage and should run.

Stalkers
Survivor’s guilt has tricked the mind of many in the Loss into imagined hauntings by loved
ones. They see the casualty of the person they let down perpetually advancing over the horizon,
waiting for them to fall behind or make a mistake so they can claim revenge beyond the grave. Most
learn to dismiss the hallucinations as just that…which makes it all the more tragic when, in rare
instance, it turns out the stalker is real.
Stalkers hold no special abilities besides tracking individual humans with supernatural
precision. There is no way to elude the attention of a stalker besides killing it, but this is harder than
it sounds. They are somehow aware of firearms and traps, maintaining distance if the intended
victim has any protection. Skittish as they may be, stalkers are never too far away, shilloueted
perpetually on the horizon, in view of their intended prey.
A stalker's primary danger is psychological, especially towards the individual of their fixation.
Stalkers approach the objects of their fixation only when victims are at their most alone and
vulnerable.

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Z1. Humanity
The last few decades of mental health research reveal that biology and chemistry bear more
responsibility for mental illness than we ever thought possible. As anyone that has witnessed a loved
one suffer from schizophrenia can attest, no one starts hearing voices because merely they saw
something scary, but many games with sanity systems emulate just such a situation. RPGs often
depict fantastic worlds, and part of that escapism is the comforting notion that mental illness can be
prevented by behavior, just like washing hands lowers chances of the flu. In reality, much madness is
in the blood and it will take those of us it so chooses.
But if any part of insanity is a communicable – a malady of nurture as well as nature – there
could be no better home for the infection than poverty. Socioeconomic status is correlated with
every mental illness: everything from depression to psychopathy. The question of whether insanity
causes poverty or vice versa is a false dichotomy: why have it one way when we could be getting
screwed from both directions? Madness deprives people of support services, relationships, and relief
even as it increases the likelihood of emotional trauma from every source.
This isn't to say that this game seeks to simulate reality on any level. Red Markets is a horror
game, and in horror fiction, the world breaks characters' minds as well as bodies. But while Takers
may "go insane," it's got nothing to do with their genes and everything to do with the Loss. The
supernatural terror of the undead gets added to the scraping dread of capitalism. Characters are as
likely to snap under the pressures of crushing debt as they are to lose it while fighting monsters. The
sleepless horror of living on the edge can wear down any human. Letting go of some of that
vulnerable Humanity is sometimes the only way to survive.
Hardening oneself against the constant assault of the Loss can work for a little while, but
everyone breaks eventually – great mountains of strength worn into sand by the constant, rhythmic
waves of madness. The business of Takers is not about staying healthy; that's never going to happen.
It's about getting out before the point of no return.

Z2. The Threats to Humanity

Humans are defined by what they do beyond the work of survival. But life in the Loss
doesn't leave much time for anything beyond the bottom line. Drowning pain in drugs, cutting ties
with risky relationships, expecting betrayal at every turn – these are all essential survival mechanisms
in the Carrion Economy. But past a certain point, the act of staying alive becomes all consuming,
and the Taker no better than an animal.
Out on the edge, these personality shifts don't have a name. Enclaves have few doctors
trained to diagnose and treat them and, even if they did, no survivor of the Crash is healthy enough
to stand in judgement of someone else's crazy. Collectively, a Taker's mental health is referred to as
their Humanity. It rates the Taker's remaining ability to stay a person, or imitate the person they used
to be. Without it, PCs become creatures of the Loss or another one of its victims.
Mechanically, a Taker's mental health is tracked along three threats to Humanity:
Detachment, Trauma, and Stress. Threats measure the common ways the Loss can scrape away at a
Taker's well being. When something in the game threatens Humanity, the Market calls for a Self-
Control check against a certain threat. If the check succeeds, the character holds it together. If it
fails, the PC takes damage in that threat. There's more on the type of Self-Control checks the Market
can call for on p. XX. For now, let's talk specifically about the three threats and what they represent.

Z3. Detachment
Detachment threatens the ability to connect meaningfully with other humans and,
eventually, even the connection to one's self-concept. Everybody lost somebody in the Crash, and

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people have been betraying and backstabbing each other ever since in fearful, misguided attempts to
save what's left. It can be hard for experienced Takers to find relationships worth the risk anymore.
When new friends are nothing more than future appointments with pain, why make the effort?
Many don't even find themselves worthy of love after the things they've had to do to survive.
Real-world ailments related to the Detachment threat are depression, blunted affect, and
antisocial behavior.

Z3. Trauma
Trauma occurs when characters suffer from a violent act or the fear of violence to come.
The threat damages the ability to overcome fear and maintain perspective in survival situations. The
Blight encouraged acts of violence unheard of in human history. Survivors of these events have
suffered physical and emotional pain for which the pre-Crash world left them completely
unprepared. Takers that survive life-threatening injuries and agony must often volunteer to repeat
the experience, but such wounds take their toll even after the flesh heals. Collect enough scars and
healthy caution gives way to paranoia, phobia, and delusion.
Real-world ailments related to the Trauma threat are post-traumatic stress disorder and
various phobias.

Z3. Stress
Stress harms a character's ability to stay cool and resist panic in the face of prolonged
struggles. Stress is affected by nearly everything, including the other two threats, but the Stress threat
is primarily about the grind. The bad luck of seeing a loved one get ill (Detachment) or suffering a
major injury (Trauma) can cause Stress in extreme cases, but the Stress threat is most dangerous
when a character finds the pantry bare. It attacks when a spouse in the Recession stops returning
emails. It strikes as the price for supplies rises and the time between paydays stretches. Stress
measures the everyday bullshit of trying to get by and get out of this nightmare; it's the many straws
that break a back.
Real-world ailments related to the Stress threat are panic attacks, obsessive behaviors, and
other symptoms of anxiety disorders.

Z3. Other terms

Regrets refer to moments when a character loses control from taking too much Humanity
damage in a single Threat. Regrets are so named because there's no taking them back. Once a
character suffers a Regret, their Humanity can never heal below that point again. Characters suffer
regrets for every five points of Humanity lost in a single track; once all the boxes in a track fill up,
the regret occurs and all boxes to the left of the regret are permanently filled for that threat.
There are three levels of Regret: cracks, crumbles, and breaks. Each level has three choices
as to how the player wants to roleplay that Regret. There's more on taking Regrets later in the
chapter (p. XX).

Z2. Self-Control Checks

The Market calls for Self-control checks when something particularly disturbing, shocking,
or horrific happens in the game. In addition to calling for a Self-control check, the Market names the
threat. In general, threats correspond to the following events.

◦ Detachment: witnessing or inflicting pain upon teammates, loved ones, and other humans.
◦ Trauma: experiencing personal injury or illness; fear of the same

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 ◦ Stress: suffering financial and professional setbacks; anxiety over persistent problems; fear of
the same

Finally, Markets can increase the difficulty of the check depending upon the severity of the
event. There are four levels of difficulty. For simplicity’s sake, they are referred to by the amount of
Humanity damage that might be done. If the Market needs even more severe levels of Self-Control
checks, the general rule is that a successful check can't mitigate more than two points of Humanity
damage at any time: it pays to be mentally tough, but Takers are still only human.

Level 1 Checks: Success does no damage, but failure costs one Humanity in the threat. Here are
some examples of appropriate difficulty on each threat:
◦ Detachment: watch helplessly as some horrible crime is inflicted on your fellow man
◦ Trauma: see a deadly threat coming for you, such as near-miss gunfire or Casualties on the
march; suffer physical pain
◦ Stress: be forced to borrow money from your crew to meet upkeep or fail to meet financial
goals like projected earnings (see "Upkeep: Paying the Bills" p. XX)

Level 2 Checks: Success does no damage, but failure costs two Humanity in the threat.
◦ Detachment: lose faith in a teammate (certain Regrets suffered by other players can be
interpreted as betrayal, such as a personal addiction putting everyone in danger); watch a
Dependent suffer for your failures
◦ Trauma: get seriously injured; get (possibly) infected by the Blight
◦ Stress: make no profit from a job; lose a vital piece of equipment; withdraw from the
retirement plan to make upkeep

Level 3 Checks: Success does one damage to a threat; failure costs three Humanity in the threat.
Things are so bad that no one, even the hardest among the group, is going to ever be the
same.
◦ Detachment: watch a Dependent or teammate die as a result of your failures; kill in cold
blood
◦ Trauma: fight an Aberrant, stampede, massive Vector outbreak, or other supernatural event
pulled straight from nightmare
◦ Stress: Lose all your gear in the middle of a mission; find yourself unable to pay back a loan
shark

Level 4 Checks: Success still does two damage to the threat; failure destroys four Humanity in
the threat. At this point, only the hardest and most privileged Takers can avoid succumbing
to a Regret.
◦ Detachment: kill someone you know in cold blood; allow dozens to die through inaction
◦ Trauma: get caught in an enclave or settlement wide outbreak; lose control of your own
body
◦ Stress: sever a Dependent as a result of your inability to fulfill responsibilities; lose
everything in a bad investment.

Unless the Market says otherwise, assume all Self-control checks are at the "Level 1"
difficulty. The Market has no obligation to say how much Humanity damage is riding on a check
until after the check is made.

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Z2. Regrets
When a Taker suffers five or more Humanity damage in a single threat, they take a Regret.
On the character sheet, this means a Regret occurs the second the bar is filled, NOT when it goes
over.
Regrets are roleplaying moments where the facade of toughness breaks down and characters
reveal just how much the Loss has worn them down. A Regret is a loss of control that puts the
Taker, their teammates, and the success of the contract in danger. The player, on the other hand, still
has some options when it comes to roleplaying the Regret, which we will go into momentarily.

GRAPHIC: Show the Humanity Threats on the character sheet. An arrow from a smiley
face points to the fourth box filled in, indicating things are still okay. In the next image, the fifth box
is filled up, but another check mark has been made in the crack Regret. The arrow points to the
Crack Regret, linking it to a frowny/crazy face.

First things first – here are the rules regarding Regrets:

1. Characters start with 15 Humanity in each threat. A Regret is triggered after every every
box beneath that Regret is filled. The only way to start out with less Humanity is to assume a
tough spot that reduces the starting amount in character generation (see p.XX)
2. The player always chooses the Regret from the available options at that level. The
Market has no say in what the player chooses.
3. The same Regret can't be taken twice. For instance, at the crack level, the player might
choose "freeze" when they hit that Regret in Detachment. If the character later cracks along
the Stress threat, they can't pick "freeze" again.
4. Humanity cannot be healed past the level of the last Regret taken. A character that's
suffered a crack in the Trauma threat is never going to forget that moment; neither are their
teammates. No matter how helpful Dependents may be or how much bounty is spent in
recovery, the character never again has more than 10 Humanity in the Trauma threat.
Threats other than Trauma may be healed normally, but additional Trauma still counts as the
"furthest" damage taken for purposes of healing columns using Dependents.
5. Regrets consume excess Humanity damage when they are reached. For instance, if a
Taker takes three Humanity damage in the Stress threat, but only has one point left in Stress
before hitting a Regret, the additional two damage disappears. The character can take more
damage in that threat later, but any excess Humanity loss is soaked up until the Regret is
fully played out.
6. Characters that take a Regret at the break-level are removed from the game. The
player still gets a choice in how their player goes out, but the character is so emotionally
shattered that they become an NPC.

Z3. Regret Levels

There are three levels of Regret, each referring to facade of normalcy Takers have to cling to
get through the day: cracks, crumbles, and breaks.
Cracks refers to momentary lapses of control. These perfectly understandable reactions to
extreme hardship are no less dangerous for being sympathetic. Cracks are short, in-the-moment
behaviors that put the Taker and crew at greater risk. A Taker can recover as soon as the next scene,
but the crew must forever have to wonder if they can rely on that person in the next crisis.

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 Crumbles refer to persistent, debilitating personality flaws that develop from prolonged
exposure to the Loss. Crumble Regrets aren't immediate, but they are constant. Markets call for Self-
control checks against crumbling once per game. On a failure, the player must choose to take additional
Humanity damage or indulge in unfortunate behavior that very moment. This consistently puts
contracts and crew at risk. Other Takers watching friends crumble know it is just a matter of time
before the person snaps completely.
Breaks remove characters from the game. The Taker just can't handle it anymore and is
removed from play. How this occurs is up to the player. Regardless, the characters Dependents,
crew, and enclave are going to be seriously damaged in the process. Nothing degrades people faster
in the Loss than watching their loved ones break under the pressure.

Z4. Crack
Characters crack in one of three ways: fight, flight, or freeze. These Regrets take place the
instant they are received.
Fight means just that: the character fights... with irrational, suicidal fervor. The character goes
berserk and attacks a single enemy until one party is dead. Characters undergoing a fight response
stop at nothing to destroy the target. If their arms are bound, they use teeth. If the crew is trying to
be stealthy, they charge screaming from the shadows. If the enemy is already dead, they keep beating
the corpse into paste as the building burns down around them. Physically dragging the sufferer from
the scene is the only thing that stops the rage. When a character picks fight as a Regret, treat all
weapons as if they have the loud quality (on account of all the screaming). Witnessing a enraged
teammate dismember the body of a fellow human can also threaten Trauma in teammates, alarming
the crew with sheer savagery.
Flight is the total opposite. The character does everything they can to get away. They ignore
cries of help from allies, drop precious loot, and flee towards certain doom so long as it means
getting away from the original object of terror. When flight is chosen, the character may come out of
their panic in the next scene with no idea where they are or how they got there. If it takes place in
combat, other Takers have to make Self-control checks threatening Detachment: their supposed
teammate just abandoned them in a time of great need.
Freeze means the Taker can take no actions at all for the remainder of the scene. In
negotiations, they shut up and stare blankly in wall-eyed catatonia. They wander through the middle
of a firefight looking confused and listless. They gibber nonsense, recounting grocery lists as the
undead beat down the door. The shock of the event has shut down their ability to process the
environment around them. Unless the rest of the crew takes control and leads the helpless Taker to
safety, the Regret could get the shell-shocked character killed. This can threaten Stress for
teammates; the last thing a Taker needs on a job is to babysit the helpless.

Z4. Crumble
When characters begin to crumble, the damage to their Humanity becomes permanent and
consistent. This doesn't happen instantly. When a character starts to crumble, the player lets the
Market know so it can become part of the scene, but the character doesn't lose control. However, in
every game for as long as that character remains alive and unretired, they continue to crumble. The
Market calls for one Self-control check related to the character's specific Regret once per session.
This occurs at a time of the Market's choosing. If the check fails, the character must either take
Humanity damage in the threat or indulge in the Regret again.
Players can choose one of three ways to represent persistent psychological damage:
disassociation, delusion, or dependency.
Disassociation occurs when relationships no longer seem worth the effort or pain they require.

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The Taker has lost too many people and seen too many hopes dashed. In every interaction, all the
character can think about is how it's only a matter of time before this person becomes another
ghost. The disassociation Regret affects relationships. If a character fails Self-control with a
Dependent or Reference, they can no longer maintain the illusion of normalcy. Emotional affect
flattens, tact is lost, and the entire interaction turns sour. Mechanically, this deprives the Taker of
favors and the healing power of Dependents. A successful CHA skill check is required to even get
the person on good terms again. How the player chooses to roleplay this scene is up to them, but
note that even a successful Self-control check just means the facade is successful. The Taker forever
feels distant from the rest of mankind as a maladaptive coping mechanism.
Delusion means a recurring hallucination that the Taker must struggle to remember is false
and impossible. The exact nature of the delusion is up to the player, though the Market and other
players can make suggestions. Perhaps the Taker imagines seeing her dead husband walking in the
wasteland, unharmed and beckoning her to follow. Maybe a character believes he can hear God
whisper between the reports of gunfire. Remember, the delusion is a comforting fantasy that's a
desperate escape from a too-harsh reality; the hallucination doesn't come from a chemical imbalance
or genetic disorder. As such, the Self-control check gives Takers a chance to see the delusion for a
lie. But success only gives the character a chance to hide seeing and hearing things that aren't there;
it doesn't stop the hallucination. When the Self-control check is failed, the Taker believes in the
hallucination and it becomes a delusion. The player can do nothing for the remainder of the scene
save treat the delusion as absolute truth. Depending on the delusion, this can lead the character into
danger or cause Self-Control checks amongst the crew when they see their friend slipping towards
madness.
Dependency forces the Taker to rely on some external item as a crutch to get through the
agony of existence. More often than not, this takes the form of drugs or alcohol, but players can
pick other addictive behaviors such as nymphomania or compulsive gambling (adjust according to
your group's comfort level and avoid triggering subject matter). Regardless, it is the thought of the
next fix that gets the Taker to wake up in the morning. They secure the next contract to feed the
habit. They maintain ties with Dependents only to ensure no one interferes with feeding the need.
The next fix is everything. Sometimes, things in the field just get too stressful and a Taker has to dip
into an emergency stash. When characters suffer dependency, they must pay double their break
point in upkeep for the remainder of the game. The new costs come from enabling the addiction. If
there isn't enough bounty to go around, it requires a Self-control check to spend on things other
than the addictive behavior. If the check is failed, the Taker buys more drugs, booze, poker chips,
etc., even if their Dependents are starving as a result. Assuming the Taker can meet the added cost,
they remain functioning addicts. However, the Market still gets to check the addiction once per
game session. If the check fails, the Taker must feed the addiction and damn the consequences (i.e.
drunken parkour over casualty-filled streets) or take additional Humanity damage.

Z4. Break
When characters break, they exit the game. There is no more left for them to lose; there is
no person left to rescue. The forgone conclusion has been reached, and all that remains to be seen is
how much damage the shattered mind does on its way out.
Like crumbling, characters that break do not do so immediately. Unlike the last Regret, the
player shouldn't tell the Market anything has happened until after the game is over. It's a big deal
when a character breaks, and it's going to be a major focus in the next session. As always, the player
gets to choose the specific Regret, but try to work with the Market to make a memorable exit.
In addition to the player needing a new character, a break does a lot of damage to the group
as a whole. It's meant to make characters paranoid about their teammates in the future, wondering

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whether or not it might be wiser to cut an ailing friend loose rather than deal with the fallout. While
no one can get 'fired' in Red Markets, being wary of the crew's emotional state should be a recurring
conflict that appears in the roleplaying. Breaking a character is as much about the burden carried by
survivors as it is about removing a Taker from the game.
Players can choose one of three ways to break a character's psyche: self-destruction, betrayal,
and convalescence. The same rules for Regrets are in effect: if this is the second character that's
gone mad for the same player, they must pick a different Regret the second time around.
Self-Destruction means suicide. Be careful when selecting this Regret; don't ruin anyone's fun
by dragging in real world hurt. However, even if someone has been unfortunate enough to lose a
real loved one to suicidal impulses, this Regret can still be saved by zombie tropes. Wading into the
crowd of undead and taking down as many as possible is fairly common in the literature and there's
no reason the character can't do the same. More gritty, realistic depictions of suicide are on the table
for groups comfortable with that level of intensity in the game. Regardless of whether the character
goes out with a bang or quietly with a note, self-destruction forces everyone in the crew to make
high-level Self-control checks threatening Detachment. Seeing someone you love and trust succumb
to hopelessness risks dragging the whole crew down. And what to do about those abandoned
Dependents?
Betrayal opts for physical and financial damage over psychological pain. The character loses
their cool and can't wait one second longer – they have to get out of the Loss now, even if it means
no one else gets to come along. The character betrays the enclave to an enemy for a big payday, or
they steal bounty from the crew and run. Players shouldn't pick the betrayal option unless they are
okay with the Market playing their character. The Taker is now an NPC and likely a major villain in
the campaign. Markets can let the original player keep controlling the character if they feel it can be
done objectively and within the story, but ultimately, the former friend has become a selfish bastard
out of desperation. The unshakable rule for the betrayal Regret is that a crew must always have
ample chance to get revenge and reclaim their lost bounty. The dice may not support the crew's
payback, but nobody gets to disappear suddenly with everyone's hard-earned loot, never to return.
While the animosity of betrayal certainly lessens psychological blows, having a trusted colleague
make off with a big payday or try to have you killed is bound to threaten Stress and/or Detachment.
Convalescence might, at first, seem to be the best option. The character's mind breaks and is no
longer fit for going out on the job, but no one dies. Hell, the same player can even control the
character, just like before. Except it's not just like before. The character is broken – completely and
totally – catatonic, delusional, paranoid, hysterical, or everything at once. When a character
convalesces, they won't be getting better. Those that don't get years of serious psychiatric treatment
can't hope to recover and that's not going to happen out in the Loss. No enclave employer is willing
to deal with the wild mood swings. Instead, the family has to cope with screaming night terrors, bed-
wetting, and slow decay of a loved one eaten alive by mental illness. It's up to the remainder of the
crew to take care of their ailing friend. This means paying any outstanding debts to References
shouldering the cost of the player's Break Point for the remainder of the campaign. Seeing the old
friend is also a burden in its own right. Lucidity is rare and it's heart wrenching to watch it slip away
every time. More psychopathically profit-oriented outfits might decide to put the character out of
their misery, but anyone opting for the Of Mice and Men option can expect a far more brutal hit to
Humanity than the daily disappointment of bearing witness to a friend's fall.

Z2. Regaining Humanity

Besides Dependents (see below), the only way to recover Humanity is by spending bounty to
relax and recover between jobs. Time spent on recreation, healing, and recovering is not spent

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working towards survival. The opportunity cost of staying sane eats up capital, and the price of
healing invisible wounds stacks up fast.
To heal one Humanity damage in a single threat, spend a bounty. There is no limit as to how
much may be spent except for Regrets, which permanently limit a Taker's available Humanity in that
Threat.

Z2. Dependents
Dependents, or loved ones a Taker must support financially, are a vital part of any Red
Markets character. As such, they're explained more in-depth in Character Creation (see p. XX)
However, Dependents do play an important mechanical role in maintaining Humanity. In
the interest of making rules easy to find, some of the more salient rules regarding Dependents are
repeated here.

Z3. The Power of Connection

For every fully supported Dependent available (not Needy, Strained, or Broken), the Taker
heals one column's worth of Humanity damage after completing a vignette at the beginning of the
next session. The term column is meant literally. A Taker suffering from 2 Detachment, 3 Trauma,
and 3 Stress could reduce the damage to 2 Detachment, 2 Trauma, and 2 Stress. Detachment
wouldn't go down because it wasn't aligned with the threat that had taken the most Humanity
damage. In this example, another Dependent could heal the Taker down to 1 Humanity damage
across all three threats.
Players can use Dependents to heal once per session (Score or contract). In advanced play,
the effects of Dependents can be gained twice in per session or not at all, depending on how the
Taker uses Work/Life Balance (p.XX).
To heal, players can request a vignette scene between their character and an available
Dependent of their choice. This can happen either at the end of the current contract or the
beginning of the next session. The player, the Market, and any other players stepping into to roleplay
a Dependent can negotiate any kind of scene they wish. Regardless of the narrative details, the goal
of these vignettes is to show the PCs recovering from the trauma of the Loss in the company of
loved ones.
It should be noted here that, for Takers suffering from the disassociation Regret, Self-
control checks are required to receive the healing benefit of Dependents.

Z3. The Cost of Friendship

If a Dependent doesn't receive at least one bounty in a session, the relationship with the
Taker begins to degrade.
In advanced play, skipping a vignette with Dependents causes all costs associated with
Dependents to double, according to the Work/Life Balance (p.XX).
After one missed bounty, the Dependent is "Needy." This means the NPC has to do
without and suffers for it by going hungry, cold, alone, or any other way the Market describes. The
Taker must make a Self-Control test against Stress upon seeing the struggling loved one.
After another missed bounty, the Dependent is "Strained," hanging on by a thread
physically, emotionally, financially, or all three. The Taker must make a more severe Self-Control
check threatening Stress as the situation worsens.
At "Severed," the Taker loses all contact with the Dependent. The Market might kill them
off, have them lose contact, or inflict a fate worse than death. Regardless, a severed Dependent is
lost forever. The Taker picks the threat they've suffered the most Humanity damage in and rounds

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up to the nearest Regret (see p.XX). There's no way to mitigate the damage; it hurts to lose the ones
you love.
Relationships can be healed much the same way as Humanity: one bounty erases one dot of
damage. If a relationship is needy, spending one bounty on the Dependent for that session would
only keep the situation from getting worse. It would take another bounty to erase the damage done.

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Z1. Negotiation
"The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
--H.P. Lovecraft

In economics, fear lives in the unknown as well. Not knowing the origin or amount of the
next paycheck is enough to drive people mad in the real world, and the possibility of getting eaten
on the way to work certainly doesn't help.
In Red Markets, a big part of this uncertainty is handled by the negotiation mechanics. But
though the shifting tides of the economy aren't within the control of any single person or group,
smart Takers can learn how to swim with the currents.
In a negotiation scene, the dice are going to generate the random forces of the economy
outside most people's control, such as the starting price of certain goods and services.
The Market is going to assume the role of the client. The Market roleplays the person with a
job that needs doing, and the goal of that person is to find the cheapest crew available that can still
succeed at the task. Clients use everything at their disposal to get the price down. After all, no one
saves enough surplus bounty to hire Takers by being generous.
Amongst the players, one character (usually the one with the best CHA skills) takes on the
role of negotiator. This character is the contact person for the whole crew, and it is their job to
convince the client to pay more. In negotiation, each of the negotiator's CHA skills gains a special
ability specifically geared towards pushing the price higher, but in order to roll checks for those
special abilities, the negotiator needs to cater their roleplaying to the skill they want to use. For
example, a player that wants to use the Intimidation skill needs to say something intimidating in-
character before they roll. The Market, playing as the client, is tasked with doing the same.
The strategy used to manipulate the dice mechanic for the highest chance of success also
determines how verbal sparring match between two characters is roleplayed.
What is everyone else doing? Well, no one is keen to let their kids starve just because the
negotiator screwed up. Takers that survive do so by doing everything they can to support their
negotiator before and during the actual conversation with a client. The variety of actions other
players can take in-between rounds in the client/negotiator conversation are called Scams, and they
either provide a mechanical bonus for the negotiator's next roll or increase the price of the contract.
While the negotiator is in the room proving how suave he/she can be, everyone else has
scenes demonstrating just how much better Takers know the Loss than anyone else. They can
manipulate clients before they ever show up to the table.
The basic structure of a negotiation scene has the client (played by the Market) and the
negotiating Taker sharing a brief verbal exchange, followed by a dice roll that determines the
conversation's effect on the price. The narrative then flashes back or cuts away to show what the
rest of the team has done to help. The cycle repeats until the negotiator can no longer push the price
and the contract's compensation is agreed upon. By the end, the complex social maneuvering of the
whole crew decides exactly how much risking their lives will be worth that week.
Negotiations are more complex and tactical than what's described above, but the following
chapter details everything players and Markets need to know about negotiations, as well as providing
in-depth examples of each mechanic in play.

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Z2. Negotiation At-A-Glance
0. Non-negotiables
• One-on-one: Only one Taker per round may speak to the client.
• Clients are Competent: Clients never make a skill check but always succeed. Takers can only
defend against or outperform a client's success.
• References Only in Scams: Negotiators may not use References while speaking to a client.
• Simultaneous Resolution: Nothing moves on the Sway Tracker until both parties have
spoken and the round ends. Dice on the Sway Tracker then move at the same time.
• Heads Up: Dice on the Sway Tracker cannot intersect (i.e. they can be parallel, but not
perpendicular) and must "push" each other with Sway until negotiations end.
• Payment on Delivery: Nobody brings bounty to the meet up.

1. Prep Work
• Before negotiations, every Taker gets one prep action. The skill used depends on the method
used to get the information and the context of how the player describes the scene.
• Successful checks entitle the Taker to the answer for one of the following questions:
⁃ What contracts are available to us?
⁃ What will a specific contract likely require?
⁃ What is the starting value (equilibrium price) of a specific contract?
⁃ The Market rolls Red + Black to generate this price and consults the
Supply/Demand chart. This check always occurs during the Prep Work
phase, but Takers need to successfully discover it in order to find out the
price before negotiations begin.
⁃ What competition is vying for a specific contract?
• Failed checks can succeed by tapping References.

2. Leadership Opens
• The Taker serving as the crew's negotiator meets the client and makes a Leadership check.
The result determines the number of rounds negotiations will last.

Result of Leadership Check Resolution

Critical Success Move up one in Sway to start; Rounds = Black d10/2
Success Rounds = Black d10/2 (rounded up)
Failure Rounds = as above, but rolled in secret by Market
Move down in Sway to start
Critical Failure
AND same resolution as failure

3. Negotiation Round
Negotiator/client verbal sparing, taking place "in the moment."
• Winner of the Leadership check determines who speaks first.
• Taker decides what skill to use, roleplays according to the choice, and makes a check. The
Market decides what skill the client will use and roleplays a pitch, succeeding automatically
• Negotiation-specific uses for CHA skills can be found on the Sway Tracker.

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 • Dice resolve on the Sway Tracker simultaneously: moving, pushing, or sticking according to
the amount of Sway.
• Negotiation pauses as other members of the crew perform Scams.
• Repeat until rounds end or the Taker successful exits the negotiation.

4. Scams
Scams are actions roleplayed between negotiation rounds, taking place before or concurrent
to the negotiator/client conversation.
• Scams are only available between negotiation rounds. A three-round negotiation would only
have two Scams: between the first and second round, as well as between the second and
third.
• Each Taker may only perform one Scam.
⁃ MBA Rules: a Taker might be afforded one, two, or no Scams, depending on
Work/Life balance.
• The skills used in a Scam and the number of checks required depends on the context of the
scene decided between the scammer and the Market.
• Regardless of the skill used, each Scam can only fulfill one of five possible purposes:
⁃ Partners in Crime: The scammer is in the room with the negotiator. He or she can
"step in" and perform a CHA skill check instead of the negotiator.
⁃ Negotiator Support: A scammer's actions provide the negotiator a one-time +2
bonus to one of the negotiator's skills
⁃ Discourage Competition: The scammer sabotages competitors and prevents an
undercut (see #8)
⁃ Price Manipulation: The scammer's actions add bounty to the equilibrium price equal
to the natural Black of the check.
⁃ Intelligence Gathering: The scammer learned one of the client's Spots, providing
more leverage for the negotiator.
⁃
5. Repeat 3-4 (until rounds are used up or the negotiator checks Intimidation to leave early)

6. Leadership Closes
• After the dice resolve for the last round, the Taker rolls a Leadership check. The result is the
same whether the dice are heads up or not.
⁃ Success: Black moves right to align with the Red for a higher price.
⁃ Failure: Red moves left to align with Black for a lower price.

7. Last Chance to Back Out

• Takers don't have to accept the contract. They can move on to a different client, but they
start at the lowest rung of the Sway Tracker and receive no additional prep work, Scams, or
Will.

8. Undercut
• If the competition wasn't sabotaged, they threaten to do the job for one rung cheaper than
the PC crew. Any Taker present can make a final CHA skill check against the client to
prevent this.
⁃ Success: clients believe they're paying for quality and keep the higher price.

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 ⁃ Failure: the Takers have to meet the lower price or chase a different contract.

Z2. Mind Games Before Blood Sports

Playtesters have argued that negotiations in Red Markets constitute another game entirely.
The skills and other mechanical trappings of the system get expanded to encompass new meanings.
The themes of horror and violence are suddenly reprioritized in favor of political intrigue and
psychological manipulation. Whereas many traditional RPGs encourage using boardgame elements
like grids and miniatures to track the minutia of combat, this game only breaks out the visual aides
to keep track of price-fixing.
There are four reasons the negotiation mechanics in Red Markets take up their own chapter.
Most importantly, it's because they are optional. Groups that don't find the social combat of
negotiation interesting can set the price for a contract via Market Fiat (p.XX) or design a Score
(p.XX). Those that want to jump straight to the action are encouraged to do so.
But negotiations warrant specialized rules because Red Markets is a game about economic
horror. One of the central tenets of modern economics theory is that humans are not rational actors.
This irrationality is the central tenet of economic horror. In the real world, goods and services that
promise high quality despite sizable risk, grueling labor, and constant demand aren't always rewarded
accordingly (Don't believe me? Work on a fishing boat or in an inner-city high school for a few
years). Conversely, some people can turn so little effort into so much profit that the public deems
them thieves. Navigating the disconnect between these two extremes and roleplaying what it does to
human relationships is what Red Markets was designed to do.
Furthermore, negotiations are really about rhetoric, which is a unique skill set in the world of
RPGs. Actual skill with a gun or melee weapon isn't rewarded in most games. Hell, considering the
medium's reliance on emulating other entertainment media, practical experience might actually hinder
an action scene. That's why the character sheet exists: to mediate between the expertise of the player
and the character. However, the veneer of mechanics grows very thin in scenes where two
characters are talking. To tell a lie as a character, the player has to come up with something at least
vaguely plausible before a Deception check is made. After all, the Market wouldn't ask players to
make a Drive check when they aren't in a vehicle, or a Shoot check when they don't have weapons
("Pew pew pew!" went the finger-gun. Critical hit!). All RPGs reward players for good roleplaying
and the ability to communicate well, either explicitly or implicitly. Red Markets chooses the former,
and negotiation makes the rewards financial.
Lastly, the negotiation mechanic demands the same thing from PCs as every functioning
economy demands of its workers: specialization. The ability to maintain a network of contacts, trade
favors, engender goodwill, and manage contracts is enormously important to a crew's survival.
However, the skill set required for negotiating a fair (or unfair) price demands time and effort... time
and effort not spent on the expertise needed to navigate the Loss or the ferocity required to survive
it. Having to keep the underpowered sales rep alive makes encounters more dynamic and interesting,
allows for a wider range of character concepts, and works to ensure every PC gets time in the
spotlight.
The Loss is always trying to kill Takers; a good negotiator might get you paid for the trouble.

SIDEBAR: "That's my final offer!"

No. It's really not. Stonewalling will not work. PCs must haggle to survive.
Most RPGs assume a fixed price model similar to the postindustrial Western economies in
which the games were written, even when the game is trying to convey a setting where bargaining
would be the norm (see: the overwhelming majority of human history). There are many reasons for this: it's

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hard to conceive of economic models outside one's own experience; haggling makes some people
very uncomfortable; it's difficult to meaningfully bargain when one isn't experiencing a genuine
need; it interferes with the hitting-zombies-with-swords part; etc.
Red Markets includes haggling because haggling is a game. Sociologists and game theorists
have been studying the intricate mechanics of price negotiation for decades, and practicing in a low-
stakes situation (e.g. zombie make-believe) can be fun once the risk of real-world financial ruin is off
the table. Furthermore, the rhetorical structure of haggling is largely invisible, which means
roleplaying a negotiation makes for sophisticated character moments.
It would be a mistake to think of negotiations as a repetition of numbers until someone
gives up due to boredom. Entire social constructs exist exclusively around bargaining. Consider
current Western norms, for example. Most Americans would consider a person paying sticker price
for a house a fool: bargaining is expected as prices rise in US culture. However, the same bargaining
principles one brings to the car lot would seem insane in the grocery line. All that has changed is the
starting price. So when can I haggle for goods? Is $101 the haggling starting point? $102?
Southeast Asia also frowns on negotiating the price of something like vegetables, but only
because throwing the price of food into question is seen as poor taste, inconsiderate of the
unfortunates who can't afford such necessities. Everything else – be it T-shirts, cab rides, or lawn
mowing services – remains up for negotiation. Paying sticker price in some African countries is
viewed as an atrocious, classist insult. It flaunts one's own wealth as beyond frugality and could be
seen as akin to lighting cigars with thousand dollar bills.
And all these customs only scratch the surface of national and ethnic differences. Consider
the weirdness of negotiating prices in various subcultures. Due to concerns about law enforcement,
complex protocols and body language are used to fix prices for drugs and sex work, layered
contracts hashed out without a single piece of paper where the cost is never stated but always
understood. To bring the example closer to home... ever tried to explain a crowdsourced RPG to
someone that's never heard of Kickstarter? What is crowdsourcing if not a bizarre negotiation
between producer and consumer?
So, yeah, Takers have to negotiate every time they pick up a job. Don't worry; the only real-
world requirement is a willingness to roleplay. The mechanics take care of everything else. As for the
specific sociological practices of negotiating contracts for excursions into a zombie wasteland?
That's up for the players to decide. Whatever you come up with, it can't be weirder than some of the
ways people do it in the real world.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. Prep Work (Before Negotiation)

No economy is a perfect information system. Even when the actors take the time to research
options, that time isn't spent researching other, potentially more lucrative options. Essentially, just
because characters always have a choice between jobs, doesn't meant the choice will be easy or well
informed.
But beyond emulating economics, Red Markets is as susceptible as any RPG to the delays of
players too anxious to commit to a decision. As such, the game limits the amount of information
players can learn before actually bidding on a contract, and that limited information must be spread
amongst all available jobs.
This phase of negotiation is called "prep work." Every Taker can make one check to learn
information about available contracts before committing to one of them. Each success answers one essential
question about the job (see "Doing Your Homework" p. XX).

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 SIDEBAR: Breaking the GM Monopsony
A monopoly occurs when there is only one provider for a good or service. To prevent a
monopoly from removing challenge from the game, Takers must constantly compete against NPC
factions and crews. When an NPC group holds a monopoly, it's up to the PCs to break it up so they
can make a living.
But there's a flip side to this coin. A monopsony occurs when there is only one buyer for a
good or service. A real-world example would the original Standard Oil; the economy suffered
because, with only a single group purchasing the product, the buyer (in this case, a massive
corporation) could name whatever price they wanted. Essentially, this is the situation in most RPGs.
Since the Market is playing all the NPCs, the Market is the only one buying what the players are
selling. If the players don't consent to the monopsony's price, they go "out of business" and there is
no game.
This is why Red Markets streamlines scenario writing with a standardized structure, random
roll tables, and lots of player-generated content. With less writing time required, the Market can
provide players with numerous possible jobs per game session (see p. XX). Thus, the first part of
every negotiation is figuring out which jobs are available and desirable.

END SIDEBAR

SIDEBAR: MBA and Prep

The advanced rules provide a wider variety of options for the economy of actions using the
Work/Life principal (see p. XX). However, these rules do not affect prep work. Contracts have to
be found, and even if the crew is doing Scores, the prep work is eaten up by the research that would
be required of the characters to even learn the opportunity exists. One can't forgo prep work to get
extra scams or vignettes.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Which Skills to Use?

It depends. How does your character learn about the world?
Social characters should check Persuasion down at the local bazaar to convince an
acquaintance to give up a hot tip. The quiet types might use Awareness to notice the new blood in
the enclave. Brainiacs might use Foresight to predict GMO corporations usually shop in the Loss
around harvest time. The more hands-on type might beat information out of Crafty Carl, who seems
to know everything going on in the enclave.
The skills characters use to do prep work depends on the skill they are best at and the type
of scene the player wants to roleplay.
Anyone stumped for an idea should consider Networking. In Red Markets, finding a job
requires navigating a variety of Ubiq forums, listservs, and internet rumors to find work in the area.
Rather than roleplay every fruitless lead, investigating available work can be abstracted using the
Networking skill. On a success, the Market provides an available job. On a critical success, Takers
learn of a job and the answer to one of the prep work questions. On a failure, the Taker can't find
any leads. They can tap a Reference, spend some Will, or go without.

SIDEBAR: Why Prep At All?

Since every adventure is built around a contract, some might ask why make a Networking
check at all? Why not present the players with all their options, or have the Market simply declare
the contract the players pursue? Well, those are certainly options, but Networking checks make for

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more interesting player dynamics. If a one job would benefit an individual Taker's finances or
situation more than the group, the fact that the whole crew doesn't have the same information
becomes an interesting source of conflict. For instance, if I.P. really wants to meet with the Moths
because they're essential to his retirement plan, he can choose to lie to his crew about the better
paying work he discovered in his Networking check. Players see the lie of omission, but the
characters don't... unless they make that Sensitivity check. This resentment and petty conflict makes
for a more interesting group dynamic when the crew has to cooperate to survive. Conversely,
choosing to sacrifice self-interest for the sake of the crew is an equally character-defining choice.
Others might ask what happens if everyone fails their checks? It's certainly possible, but
that's what References are for. Buy a favor, roleplay the tip, and get on with it.
If no one is willing to ask for help, the players can design a Score for just such an occasion
(p.XX). They might even hash one out beforehand, so the Market can have it ready to go for a rainy
day.
Finally, if no other options are available, the players are always guaranteed a game. At least
one contract is always available, regardless of prep work, but it doesn't make itself known until late.
Getting a lead on a contract by default always means the competition have already bid on it. The
PCs must undercut their prices to earn anything from the job.

END SIDEBAR

Z3. What Can Prep Work Do?

There are four questions that can be asked as a result of successful prep work. One question
finds a potential contract; the other three provide details about contracts the Takers already know
about. The number of questions that can be asked equals the numbers of players at the table, and
even then only if everyone succeeds. There's no time for more investigation while still allowing
Takers to prepare to negotiate for one contract well (see "Scams" p. XX).
If players want to know more than their questions allow before bidding on a contract, it's up
to the Market whether or not to provide it. The books default answer is deal with it. A job gone
horribly wrong is an interesting story; a bunch of people squirming with indecision and follow-up
inquries is decidedly less interesting.
Besides, the leisure time required for endless interrogation makes little sense in the setting.
Nobody is paying Takers to be safe or well informed. They take the job or they don't. The Carrion
Economy has no time for anything else.

SIDEBAR: Freelance Contracts vs. Job Lines

If the players want to learn anything about a freelance contract (a contract offered by a one-
off client or during a one-shot), they must do prep work. But in campaign play, recurring clients are
one of the easiest ways for the Market to compose a broad, sweeping story. This repeat business is
called a job line, and one of the ways Market's can incentivize going after job lines is by making prep
work easier.
Once a crew successfully completes the first job on a job line, the client makes sure they are
the first to know when another job becomes available. Takers never again have to make a check to
find work from that particular client. As the relationship continues and the crew becomes the client's
preferred provider of service, more questions can be answered up front until the Takers know
everything they can about a contract before it starts.
Less required prep work, combined with immunity from competition, makes selecting
contracts on a job line that much easier. However, clients often prefer working with the same people

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because they already know which buttons to push, so negotiations with these friends gets
increasingly difficult. For more on job lines, see p.XX.

END SIDEBAR

Z4. What contracts are available?

Succeeding on a check for prep work and asking this questions reveals one of the contracts
the Market has prepared for the session. Knowledge of the job includes the clients name or alias,
whatever they are willing to reveal about the affiliation, and a basic description of the task.
If players ask this question and all the contracts have already been revealed, they can ask one
of the other questions instead.
Example: Sigma burns a charge off her laptop and makes a Research check. It succeeds. She
tells the Market she's looking online for any jobs currently bidding in her enclave. The Market says
BeeMail (affiliation) has subcontracted Cutthroat (client) to find them a hit squad to take out the
pirates shooting down their drones (task).
Sin-ergy is looking for a job as well. After some thought, his player decides to lie to the
mayor of the enclave, claiming the deputy mayor recommended him for a job but he was told to ask
the mayor about it in person. He succeeds on a Deception check. The mayor falls for it. She reveals
that DronePunk (client), leader of the Hawks raiding group (affiliation), wants someone to escort
their inventory of drone parts back to the enclave's market (task).
Six makes her Networking check as well, but the Market has no more contracts prepared for
this session. He says she can use her skill in Networking to ask a different prep question about the
two jobs already on the table.

Z4. What will a specific contract likely require?

Takers ask this question to get a more specific picture of what the job likely requires. Since
clients need to keep as much classified as possible before negotiations start in order to prevent their
opportunities from being stolen, this information is normally based of rumor and conjecture. This
means answers to this question may end up being inaccurate or invalidated by the contract's
complication. The only rule the Market need follow is that a success entitles a character to some
actionable intelligence; whatever rumor they end up overhearing, it has to contain some information
that might be relevant to making a decision.
Example: Six uses her Networking success to look up rumors about the BeeMail contract.
Rumors on the LifeLines indicate that hiring a local middleman to organize retaliation against
groups assaulting BeeMail drones is a standard tactic for the corporation. They like using guys like
Cutthroat as cat's paws in case officials in the Recession start looking into their illegal drone
smuggling over the border. Meanwhile, they make sure the crews hired to do the job advertise that
BeeMail put out the hit. Anyone working for them will likely have to keep things completely
deniable on the Recession's end while making damn sure everyone in the Loss knows damn well not
to mess with the yellow drones.
Now that Six knows the job will involve some brutality, the group can make a better
decision on which job would be best to take. If everyone in the group has taken a lot of Humanity
damage, slaughtering a bunch of desperate pirates for a corporation might not be worth the risk to
their souls. But... BeeMail's need for discretion could be leveraged for a bigger payday...

Z4. What is the equilibrium price of a specific contract?

The Market rolls Red + Black to generate the equilibrium price for each contract. The sum
of the numbers added together makes the base price for the contract. It's where negotiations start.

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It's the price the job would be offered at if there were international corporations of Takers that
could provide economies of scale; the lowest possible price for the goods and services themselves,
without accounting for risk or worker compensation.
The combination of Red and Black also determines where the contract lands on the
Supply/Demand chart (p.XX). The chart describes how the local economy values the goods and
services needed, and this gives the Takers ideas on how to best manipulate the price during Scams.
Obviously, equilibrium is better learned sooner than later. If no one asks about it using their
prep work, the price isn't rolled until negotiation begins, and this could leave groups scrambling to
come up with Scams or stuck with a big wage gap to cover.
Example: Audit hasn't done any prep work yet. He checks his Profession: Accountant skill. It
fails, but he taps a Reference and quickly roleplays a scene with his friend Deduct. Together, the pair
figures out that a hit job for a major corporation would score B1/R1 on equilibrium price. No way!
Nobody wants to do it, and there's not enough demand to make it profitable. The negotiator would
have a really hard job making that contract worthwhile. The crew decides to work for the drone
pirates instead.

Z4. What competition is bidding for a specific contract?

Crews that want to ensure nobody comes in and undercuts their bid need a warning as to
whom else is sniffing around the contract. Finding out who is else is likely to bid for the job requires
a prep work action. Otherwise, crews are left to deal with undercuts after the fact (see p. XX).
Example: The crew has decided to pursue the drone pirate job, but they're out of characters
capable of doing prep. This means none of their Scams can go towards eliminating the competition.
They'll have to deal with the FUGOTMINE crew trying to snake their contract at the last minute.

Z2. The Sway Tracker Explained

Rather than try to keep the math from a dozen bids and counter-offers fixed in one's mind
while still trying to roleplay, Red Markets employs the Sway Tracker to track the status of a
negotiation visually. The tracker's only purpose is to reduce the complex rhetorical strategy of a
negotiation down into a simple, visual goal: push the opposition as far into a corner as possible.
Put simply, the Taker and the client each put a die representing their current standing on the
tracker. The goal of the Black (the Taker) is to push the Red (the client) as far right as possible,
increasing the price. The goal of the Red is to push the Black as far to the left as possible,
discounting the price. The way the representative dice move and push each other is through Sway,
which measures the social leverage employed in the characters' roleplaying as moves along the
tracker.
The Sway Tracker also includes formulas for calculating final prices and a cheat sheet of
rules reminding players of all the rhetorical tactics of which their CHA skills are capable. The
formulas will be explained more in depth here, whereas strategy for the negotiator's skills can be
found in "Sway Skills" on p. XX.

Z3. Nomenclature
GRAPHIC: Pictures of the Sway Tracker handout in miniature, with zoom in and graphics
on the tracker for visual examples of each term.

The negotiation mechanics have their own vocabulary. Here are some of the more important
terms:

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 Client (Red): the person purchasing a good or service from the provider. Clients are almost
always NPCs controlled by the Market. On the Sway Tracker, the client is always represented by a
Red die.
Contract: the subject of the negotiation. The contract is the agreed payment for completing
a service and/or providing a good. Payment is provided upon delivery and doesn't include any
bounty discovered enroute to the job site.
Heads Up: The client and provider, as represented by a Black and Red die, can't share a
space on the tracker until the very end of negotiations. As such, while any unopposed Sway results
in a movement of the dice, when the dice rest across from each other they are said to be "Heads
Up." At this point, movement requires overpowering the other party's Sway.
Provider (Black): the person seeking to get paid for providing a good or service. The
providers are the PCs. On the Sway Tracker, the provider is always represented by a Black die.
Scams: every Taker in a crew not involved in negotiation can perform one action between
rounds of conversation, called scams. Scams can provide the negotiator a variety of bonuses (see p.
XX). It is understood that scams take place before or during the conversation between client and
provider, and the scenes in which they are decided are flashbacks to the crew's careful planning.
Spots: these character traits exist for NPC clients as well as Takers. "Playing a spot" refers to
exploiting these traits to provide +1 Sway to normal rolls.
Starting Position: This is where the dice representing the client and provider start. Starting
position is affected by turning down jobs, competition, and Leadership checks.
Sway: The measure of how far a client or provider can move in a single round of
negotiation. A Sway of 1 would move one space; a Sway of two would move 2. The dice can't
intersect until negotiation ends, so Sway also measures how hard each party is pushing. A Sway of 1
against 1 would cancel out, where a Sway of 2 against 1 would push one space on the tracker.
Rounds: The number of exchanges that take place before negotiations have to agree on a
price. A round consists of one attempt to gain Sway by the client and one attempt by the provider.
Rounds are usually separated by Scams.

Z3. Where Do I Put the Dice?

The center path on the Tracker is where the price is set. When negotiations end, the two
dice finally rest on the same space and come to "meet" in the center. Until then, the dice move on
separate tracks and in opposed directions.
The Black represents the Taker doing negotiations. It moves along the bottom space of the
tracker, starting at the "Buyer's Market" step. It might start underneath the "As A Favor" step if one
of the following happened.

• Everyone in the crew failed prep work and they bid on the contract late.
• The crew already passed up a contract after negotiation and they're trying to undercut
competition.
• The negotiator critically failed the opening Leadership check.

If the Leadership critically succeeds, the Black can start on "At Value."

The Red represents the client. It moves along the spaces above the tracker. The client always
starts at the "Expenses" step.

Z3. As a Favor

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 "The contract is offered at the Demand price only (Black result only on the equilibrium roll) and the client
earns a rep spot to use against the crew in future negotiations."

The price of the contract is the Black result on the equilibrium roll only. Whereas B9/R6
would normally mean 15 Bounty, in a "Buyer's Market" it's only worth 9 Bounty. Frankly, the client
doesn't care how much supply is available. They're in no hurry, feel no pressure, and remain
confident they can find a dozen other people willing to do the work. In order to keep the client
from waiting for a more favorable price, the crew must bid the job below its acknowledged market
value.
To make matters worse, they also have to make a major concession in the form of a rep spot
as they beg for work.
Agreeing to do a contract "As a Favor" is a total failure of business acumen and common
sense. It only occurs when the client has completely outclassed the provider's negotiator. The Takers
will be lucky to be able to pay enclave rent by the end of the session. Feeding their families and
recouping costs? Yeah right. "As a favor" equates to begging; the crew has to use the promise of
future favors to convince the client to take a chance on them.
But Capitalism puts us in desperate places. A little Bounty and a lot of shame is better than
starving to death. It might come to this, and crews that pretend they're too good for a handout end
up dead.

Z3. Buyer's Market

"The contract is offered at the Demand price only."

Like "As a Favor," "Buyer's Market" indicates the negotiator failed to convey the crew's
limited availability and unique skill set. But at least working for half the price is a one-off failure,
without complicating social issues that follow the crew's brand.

Z3. At Value
"Contract is offered that value of Supply + Demand (Black + Red)"

Agreeing to do a contract "At Value" is still an enormous hardship for most Takers. The
Market determines the equilibrium for a good or service with a dice check on the Supply/Demand
chart (see p. XX). Takers may have manipulated the equilibrium with Scams before the price was
agreed upon, but the compensation still doesn't account for labor, expenses, risk, or anything else.
It's the value of the good and/or service as if it fell from the sky. Unless the crew is minimally
equipped and staffed, it's almost certain the Takers will be losing bounty on the job.
Takers that didn't do the prep work (p. XX) only learn the equilibrium of a good/service
when the reach the "At Value" price point.

Z3. Labor
"Client agrees to add the crew's break point to the price (Black+Red+crew's break point)"

Clients that agree to pay for "Labor," begrudgingly recognize that being a Taker is an act of
desperation, fueled more by responsibility than greed. Compensating labor means that the break
point – the minimum amount of bounty required to keep a Taker and related Dependents alive –
gets factored into the price for each member of the crew. So, for a crew with break points of 3, 3,
and 4 bounty, 10 bounty would be added to the total price.

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 "Labor" adds sizably to the overall price, but it still does nothing to save against large
expenditures of time or supplies. But while all lower price points are certainly exploitation, the labor
price point is, at least, arguably fair.

Z3. Hazard Pay

"Add on bounty per Taker per Leg to the price (Ex. A crew of four on a three-Leg run earns 4x3 bounty)"

Takers that convince the client to give "Hazard Pay" have forced an acknowledgement of
the danger they face. This price recognizes that every second in the Loss increases cost and risk, so
the distance to the job site is taken into account. One bounty per Taker, per leg, is added to the price.
"Hazard Pay" on a 3-leg job means that a 3-person crew would mean making 9 bounty more
on the contract. It's harder to miss out on profit when the client agrees to compensate for
unforeseen hazards.

Z3. 100% Mark-up

"Double the cost of the job before Labor"

Takers aren't universally regarded as heroes for a reason. That's because they gouge the hell
out of clients when the opportunity arises. Whether or not the crew is really worth the cost is
irrelevant. Once clients are convinced they're over a barrel, the truth no longer matters. When a crew
gets the client to agree to a 100% mark-up, the price before labor is doubled. The Market takes the
equilibrium for the contract, multiplies it by two, then adds in labor and hazard pay.
Let's consider all the examples discussed thus far. Let's say a job's equilibrium is 15 bounty
total. Add in the crew's break point (10b) and hazard pay (9b). The price is 34b before the mark-up.
After the mark-up, the equilibrium is added again. The new price is 34b + 15b = 49b.
Unless the crew spends extravagantly or dies, its hard not to profit from a mark-up job, but
the crew can expect serious consequences if they end up not being worth such an exorbitant price.

Z3. Expenses
"The equipment upkeep of every participating Taker is added into the price (no one pays upkeep this
session)."

Convincing the client to pay expenses means the big payday. The client recognizes that
nobody survives in the Loss on hope and a prayer; supplies are necessary and resources expended in
pursuit of another person's needs deserve to be reimbursed. At this point, the combined equipment
cost of every Taker participating in the contract gets added together and added to the price. Securing
expenses effectively negates an outfit's entire overhead, aside from seriously unfortunate incidental
costs. This is a dream scenario for most real-world business ventures; Taker should be downright
thrilled when their equipment costs get reimbursed.
Calculating "Expenses" is easy: nobody pays upkeep this session. If the gear is already
owned, survives the contract, and can be refreshed, it automatically refreshes. Those that desire to
keep their books more fastidiously can just add in the crew's equipment cost from the Crew Sheet
(p.XX)

Z2. Leadership Opens (Starting Negotiations)

Every CHA skill has a special function in negotiations, and Leadership is foremost among
them. But while other options have a roleplaying component, Leadership in a negotiation measures

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the Taker's overall presence. How commanding is their voice? How imposing the stature? How
confident the expression? Leadership determines all these aspects and the checks affect both the
beginning and close of negotiation. It's the intangible combination of variables that forgives
interruptions, demands attention, and draws eyes. Since so much of human interaction is determined
by these non-verbal cues, Leadership opens and closes negotiations, framing the whole process.
Keep reading to learn how Leadership begins the negotiation process. To see how
Leadership ends the talks, see "Leadership Closes (After Negotiations)" (p.XX).

Z3. First Impressions

In Red Markets, a Leadership check represents this oh-so-important first impression. Succeed
on a Leadership check, and the negotiation lasts longer, giving the Takers more time to push the
price up. Failure means the client can sense the upper hand and use it to earn discounts.
The number of rounds a negotiation lasts is always equal to the Black + Leadership, divided
by two and rounded up. To put it simply:

Black Die Number of Negotiation Rounds

9 or above 5
7-8 4
5-6 3
3-4 2
1-2 1

On a success, negotiations last the number of rounds determined by the Black+Leadership

divided by 2, and the players know it. They can plan any Scams and play spots accordingly. On a
failure, the Market rolls one Black die in secret, never telling the players how many rounds they have
to work with. This puts the PCs at a huge strategic disadvantage.
A critical success puts the players at the next highest stage on the Sway tracker: something
about the negotiator just screams "competent." Conversely, a critical failure drops Taker's down on
the Sway track (but never below "As A Favor").

Result of Leadership Check Resolution

Critical Success Move up one in Sway to start; Rounds = Black d10/2
Success Rounds = Black d10/2 (rounded up)
Failure Rounds = as above, but rolled in secret by Market
Move down in Sway to start
Critical Failure
AND same resolution as failure

Success also determines who talks first. The winner of the check gets to determine who
speaks first. While simultaneous resolution (p. XX) negates most bonuses from initiative, order can
inform roleplaying and might be crucial to an Intimidation check to end talks early.

SIDEBAR: Why Leadership?

Neuroscience and sociology suggests that, more often than not, people judge each other in

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seconds and spend the rest of the interaction compiling a narrative that justifies their snap decisions.
When you walk into a job interview, the boss likely knows whether you got the job the moment you
walk through the door. The discussion only exists for as long as it takes for the boss to explain his
own irrational choice.
Some people know how to manipulate the instantaneous prejudices of others. In
negotiations, Leadership measures that ability.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. The Task of the Negotiator (During Rounds)

Now that all the prep work is done and the Sway Tracker is explained, it's time for the
negotiator to come to the table.
As we will see in the "Scams" section, successful negotiation is group effort, but one player
still has to take on the responsibility of strategically catering the roleplaying to secure the best
possible dice checks. The negotiator has to deal with the client face-to-face, and the blame for a bum
deal usually only falls on the one in the room.
Players that prioritize skills in CHA skills to build the best negotiators possible represent a
core truth of economics: interpersonal skills will always have value. History has shown that, no
matter how dire and extreme survival circumstances may get, there are always some that manage to
survive through wits alone. The "soft skills" required to deal with people may not decapitate a
zombie or stitch a wound, but the bounty required to perform such feats is the responsibility of the
boardroom.
Being the negotiator doesn't mean you can't have any action movie moments in the Loss,
but it does means those moments are a crappy allocation of resources. Who is going to get the big
payday if you go down? Negotiators have people for that; they're meant to shine in different
climates. Haggling over a card table in a disused storage unit may not be quite as grand as the
conference rooms and car dealerships where the negotiator honed the necessary skills, but the stakes
have never been higher.
In addition to understanding the Sway Tracker, playing the negotiator requires the player to
know the essential rules of negotiation and the special uses of the CHA skills. Everything someone
needs to strategize for the most Sway is included in the section.

Z3. Non-Negotiables
Certain aspects of the negotiation mechanics are essential if the game is to work properly.
These are the "non-negotiables" and are detailed below:

Z4. Payment on Delivery

Nobody dumb enough to bring the money to the meeting lasted five years in the Loss. The
PCs never have the option of just sticking up the client and making a run for it. Additionally, no one
is dumb enough to pay in advance either, so no one can grab a contract and stop returning calls.
As for the clients refusing to pay once the job is done...that's always a possibility. But then
again, that's one of the many reasons Takers tend to carry all those weapons.

Z4. One on One

No one negotiates terms individually with every single worker in a company. To that end,
there should never be a situation where five PCs shout over each other while debating with a single
employer. Negotiations are personal affairs. The crew elects somebody to represent their interests,
and that person goes in. The representative makes all the skill checks and calls the shots as to

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strategies. If other players want to help, they can pull a Scam (see p.XX). Though some Scams put
other PCs in the room, only one person can make the skill check that round. Nobody can fail a
check, then tag in someone else to try again, because it violates the "one-and-done" rule.

Z4. Clients are Competent

In combat, the Market never rolls for the attacks of his forces; NPC success in combat
depends on PC failure. The same is true for negotiations. If the client wants to move one Sway, the
client automatically can. If the client wants to make a Sensitivity check to learn one of the PC's
spots, it automatically succeeds. When a client plays that spot, they automatically get +1 Sway unless
the provider is successful at Deception. Assume that client earned enough bounty to hire a crew by
being good in business; they will dominate the negotiation unless the Takers pull Scams and leverage
spots.

Z4. Heads Up
The Black and the Red can never intersect on the tracker until the very end of the
negotiation. If the final Leadership test fails, clients push prices down to meet providers. If the
Leadership check succeeds, providers move the price up to meet the client. Otherwise, the dice can
only ever be unopposed (open spaces on either side) or heads up. When dice are heads up, they lock
horns and push each other according to who has the most Sway.
The price can only be "pushed" when dice are heads up; that's why they can't intersect. Initiative is not a
concern in negotiations – it's merely a matter of who has the most Sway when the dice meet because
both dice move simultaneously.

Z4. No References
Failing a CHA skill is a one-and-done roll, but in most situations, Takers can succeed-at-cost
by tapping a Reference. This is not the case in negotiations. Failing to impress the client is bad
enough, but pausing the conversation to phone a friend is only going to make things worse.
References can be used to repair failed checks in Scams, but Will is the only mediator for failure in
the negotiation itself.

Z4. Simultaneous Resolution

There is no mechanical bonus for going first. Dice representing the provider and client do not move
until both have had their say that round. Players should keep this simultaneous resolution in mind when
planning strategy; it affects the way dice become heads up and push Sway.

Z3. Sway Skills

Sway refers to a character's combined influence: political, financial, rhetorical, etc. The
interaction between the client and provider is measured on the Sway Tracker (see p.XX). Each party
pushes the other around until a price is fixed.
Make a successful check on a CHA skill to gain one Sway. Make a successful check that
exploits a spot? That's two Sway. The only problem is that Sway cancels Sway. Clients and providers
that are heads up and wielding the same Sway stay deadlocked. The only way to make progress is to
play spots for leverage at the right time.
All CHA skills have some function in the fight for Sway in negotiations, in addition to their
normal functions (see "List of Skills" p. XX). These special uses are detailed here.

SIDEBAR: Where Roleplaying and Dice Meet

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 What rhetorical appeal counts for what skill? It can be difficult to tell sometimes. Let's
assume a Taker asks the client, "Can you really sleep at night, knowing those things are piling up
against the gate?" Is it a Sensitivity check, meant to gauge the client's grit? Is it a Persuasion check, a
strictly rhetorical question meant as a pathetic appeal? Or is it Intimidation, meant to scare the client
at the prospect of losing this crew of Takers?
In edge cases such as the example above, Market's are encouraged to ask players their
intention out-of-character and let them make whatever skill check they planned their roleplaying
around. However, the Market gets final say on what mechanical skills the roleplaying qualifies for.
Takers can't "convince" a client they really will cut his tongue out if he doesn't hire them, no matter
how many more points they might have in Persuasion. That's an Intimidation, plain and simple.
Players are always allowed to "rewind" the story and roleplay a different appeal if the Market
vetos their last play.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Persuasion
Persuading a neighbor to turn down the music is one thing; convincing him to fund a suicide
mission is quite another. Persuasion is the primary means of moving across the Sway tracker. A
success moves +1 Sway, and a success is necessary to defend against an opponent's Sway when dice
are heads up (unable to move without sharing a space).
Leveraging a weak, soft, or tough spot – or using a + Rep spot – requires the player to work
that information into their persuasive pitch. If the Market deems the information properly
incorporated, playing the spot is worth +1 Sway even if the Persuasion check fails. If the negotiator
is successful and the spot is used? That makes a success worth +2 Sway. Knowing when to bank on
simple success for a +1 and when to gamble on a spot for a +2 is the key to good negotiation.
Persuasion can also be used to prevent an undercut by competition, so long as the negotiator
advocates paying a premium price for premium quality. On a success, the client views the
competition as "bargain bin" and sticks with the quality providers. A failure means the crew has to
meet the competition's price in order to keep the contract.
To sum up, Persuasion can do the following in the negotiation:

• On a success, move the Black +1 Sway towards a higher price by pitching your crew's
abilities.
Example: "We're still alive; that's the greatest recommendation a crew can have. We can get
this job done, and we'll be here when you need us again."

• Incorporate a spot into roleplay for a +1 Sway bonus, regardless of success or failure
Example: (for the soft spot: Animal Lover) "Have you met Spot? He's really our manager.
You know how it is: feed the dog and you get the scraps, right? We'd be lost out there without our
boy, wouldn't we Spot? WOULDN'T WE?!"

• On a success, convince a client to stay away from competition

Example: "Look, if you want to trust a bunch of cultists with your money, that's your
business. But my crew doesn't have an ideology; as long as your bounty spends, we get the job done
without distractions."

Z4. Sensitivity
Good negotiation is about reading the opponent, but if the mark is competent, no
information is going to be offered willingly. Still, particularly observant negotiators can spend a turn

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on a digression, asking a question or digressing with the sole purpose of gauging the opponent's
reaction. If successful, the Taker learns one of the client's spots and can exploit it in the next round.
The problem is that playing mind games wastes time that could be spent pushing the price
and it isn't guaranteed to succeed. Making a check of Sensitivity wastes a turn, whether it is for a PC
or NPC, but a success reveals one of the opponent's spots.
Spots are enormously powerful, but losing a turn for uncertain returns is a risky prospect.
That's why learning a prospective client's spots so often ends up being one or more of the crew's
scams.
To sum up, Sensitivity can do the following in negotiations.

• Sacrifice a turn to make a check. On a success, learn one of the client's spots.
Example: "Seems a little odd, keeping such an average job so hush-hush. What's really going
on here?"

Z4. Deception
The client needs a combat specialist with experience in military-grade computer encryption
and paratrooper certification. The most badass occupation anyone in your crew had before the
Crash was "Temp." Yet all of you hold a powerful need to eat, so it's time to lie on your resume.
Deception is used to make promises the negotiator has no intention of keeping or
bullshitting about the team's abilities in order to secure a higher price. More often than not,
Deception checks only arise when the crew is trying to exploit a contract's tough spot without the
required expertise to do so. "We were all long-haul truckers before the Crash," the Taker lies, hoping
he can figure how to drive a stick that afternoon. The Market calls for the Deception check to see if
the client buys it.
Deception designed to exploit a client's spot works the same way as in Persuasion: the player
must have learned the spot through an action and it must be present in the character's speech, but
the bonus +1 Sway always happens if those requirements are met.
A more common use of the Deception skill is to resist a client's use of a spot. If the NPC
learns the negotiator's weak, soft, or tough spot by sacrificing a turn to Sensitivity, they can play it
automatically for +2 Sway. The only hope the negotiator has is maintaining a poker face, hiding the
emotional impact of the verbal barb, and forcing the opponent onto another tactic. A successful
Deception check reduces the Sway of a playing a spot down to the +1 of a normal success.
Finally, Deception can be used to prevent competition from undercutting an agreed-upon
price. Get the client to believe a lie about the other crew's reputation and tie the job down.
However, if this strategy is overused, the Market may give out - Rep spots for slandering the names
of others.
To sum up, Deception can do the following in negotiations:

• On a success, lie about a crew's abilities for +1 Sway.

Example: "Oh yeah. We've got a couple of anti-material rifles actually. Those tanks won't be a
problem."

• Incorporate a spot into roleplay for a +1 Sway bonus, regardless of success or failure
Example: (for the soft spot: The Faithful Must Stick Together) "I, too, drink deep the holy blood
of the Immune, brother! You need not worry about me selling the details of your little human farm
to, say... relatives thirsty for revenge."

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 • On a success, negate the bonus Sway normally provided when a client exploits one of the
Taker's spots (i.e. keep a poker face)
Example: "Well, I'm glad you did the research on my church, but all that God stuff is really
just good for networking. I don't let it affect my work, you know."

• On a success, lie to scare the client away from competition.

Example: "Okay... but don't let them lure you into a dark alley. I think they recently sold the
last of the organs leftover from their previous 'client.'"

SIDEBAR Bust Rule: No Hiding the Truth

For added difficulty, a GM can disallow the use of Deception to resist client's playing spots
on characters. Clients are competent, after all, and their shots always land. The only way to weather
the abuse is to bring more social ammo to the table.
For even more challenge, the Market might say particularly brutal verbal jousts provoke Self-
Control checks.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Intimidation
The eye contact, intimacy, and trust of good-natured haggling run counter to the prison-yard
mentality that rules much of the Loss. Survivors carry a lot of baggage, and many aren't keen to have
a stranger rifling through it in an attempt to squeeze a few more bounty out of a deal. Clients that
push too many emotional buttons might find themselves reminded their employees are experienced
killers.
For the cost of one turn, Takers make an Intimidation check to scare NPCs away from any
further Sensitivity attempts. On a success, the negotiator's dead stare or whispered threat is enough
to dissuade any further attempts to play spots. On a failure, they "doth protest too much" and reveal
a spot in the process.
Players can end a negotiation early by threatening to walk out with Intimidation. Empty
threats to leave the room are great for negotiations that go well early but face the challenge of
additional rounds without the resources to accrue more Sway. Intimidation cuts the conversation off
early, allowing Takers to quit while ahead on a success.
Finally, Intimidation is another skill available to prevent competition from undercutting the
final price. Roleplay a threat to rivals and make an Intimidation check. On a success, the other crew
withdraws their bid in fear.
To sum up, Intimidation can do the following in negotiations:

• Sacrifice a turn to make a check. On a success, the client can't learn any more spots.
Example: "Stick to business. You try and get in my head again? I'll paint yours across that
wall."

• On a success, force an early end to negotiations. Instead of simultaneous resolution,

negotiations end the moment the Taker succeeds. The process moves directly on to
"Leadership Closes" (p. XX) and price fixing. On a failure, the client doesn't buy the threat
to walk out.
Example: "I don't have time to prattle all day with you. You want to risk your ass with some
Bait-ass crew, be my guess. I got shit to do."

• On a success, scare a competitor into removing their undercut for the contract.

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 Example: "You can snake my job and lose a lot of bounty paying your medical bills, or you
could keep walking and save us both the trouble."

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Peasants Don't Scare Me

To add challenge, Market's can disallow Intimidation checks to prevent further Sensitivity
reads by the client. No one gets enough bounty to hire out Takers by being shit at reading people. In
this Bust variant, sacrificing a turn means the client learns a spot. Always.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Leadership
Leadership's use in negotiations is dealt with more in depth in "Leadership Opens" section
(see p.XX)

Z3. Playing Spots: The Art of the Deal

Adam Smith may have believed in rational choice, but no logic survives contact with a
human. Even the most deadened sociopaths have buttons to push, and negotiation rewards
emotional manipulation above all else. Playing spots is all about learning where to leverage an
opponent for maximum profit.
Once the dice go heads up on the Sway tracker, the only way to break the deadlock without
giving in is to get the other party to start thinking irrationally. Spots are the most powerful weapons
either side can use in a negotiation and absolutely essential to success.
You don't have to play spots to negotiate – just to win.

Z4. Spots At-A-Glance

All spots must be learned before they can be played, either through Scams or through
Sensitivity.

Spots for Takers to use against Clients:

• Weak Spot: Work a mention or exploitation of the client's personal flaws into the roleplaying
for a bonus +1 Sway
• Soft Spot: Work a mention or exploitation of the client's virtues into the roleplaying for a
bonus +1 Sway
• Tough Spot: Work a mention or exploitation of the contract's requirements into the
roleplaying for a bonus +1 Sway
• + Rep Spots: If the crew has earned a + Rep Spot for a notable deed, work it into the
roleplay for a bonus +1 Sway and erase the + Rep Spot from the crew sheet.

Spots for Clients to use against Takers

• Sensitivity: Clients can sacrifice a turn to learn one spot of the provider in negotiations. They
never start off knowing spots unless they've already worked with crew in a job line, but they
always succeed on Sensitivity checks.
• Character Spots: The spots listed on the negotiator's character sheet, once learned, can be
incorporated into the Market's roleplay for a bonus +1 Sway. Takers may be able to resist
the bonus with a successful Deception check.
• Gift Spot: Once per negotiation, a client may "sweeten the pot" with a piece of gear, earning
a bonus +1 Sway. No skill can resist this Sway bonus.

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 • - Rep Spot: If the crew has done something unprofessional, incompetent, or dishonest in the
past, the client can use it once for a bonus +1 Sway. No skill can resist this Sway bonus.

Z4. Roleplaying Challenge

Playing a spot is, above all, a roleplaying challenge. The entire negotiation mechanic already
requires some careful acting if the negotiator is to utilize the best skill for a given check. Saying "I'll
kill you if you don't give me the job" isn't exactly persuasive, and the difference between Persuasion
and Intimidation skills might be a +5. The negotiating player that can't cater their character's speech
to the dice is putting the fate of everyone in the hands of blind luck.
Since spots are so powerful, incorporating one increases the roleplaying challenge even
more. Now, instead of merely catering their speech to maximize the impact of skills, the negotiator
has to work the spot into the pitch as well. So if a group has a skilled improvisor amongst their
ranks, maximize the crew's profits by having the thespian play a high-CHA negotiator. The challenge
then becomes keeping the golden goose character alive when it comes time to fight.

Z4. Gift Spots

Everyone likes presents. When the present might keep you from being eaten alive, it's really
hard to be ungrateful.
A gift spot is an intrusion of the barter system on negotiations. A client can offer the crew a
piece of gear for free and get an automatic +2 Sway for "sweetening the pot." The gear doesn't have
to be useful, and it's up to the crew to decide who keeps the profits or pays the upkeep, but the gift
always works. The client cannot use a gift spot more than once in a negotiation, but the initial
gesture can't be denied without committing a social faux pas that cuts off negotiations altogether.
Markets should take care to make sure the gift warrants the extra Sway, though. Bribing the
Takers with an extra Haul of rations is condescending rather that ingratiating.

Z4. Rep Spots

In long-term play, the Market offers Rep spots for particularly noteworthy actions (see
p.XX). When the Takers are documented or witnessed doing something heroic or impressive, word
spreads. The outfit gains a +Rep spot that they can play for an automatic +1 Sway, regardless of the
associated skill check's result.
But the same rule applies for public disgrace and failure. In the event the Takers get caught
being unprofessional, the outfit's reputation gets damaged. Clients can burn a - Rep spot for an
automatic +2 Sway. No skill check can prevent this maneuver. Like the gift spot, NPCs wielding a -
Rep spot can push the price way down.

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: The Loss Never Forgets

In this variant, reputation never goes away. It can be used in every negotiation, by both the
client and the Takers. The only way to get rid of a - Rep spot is for the crew to burn a + Rep spot to
cancel it out. If the crew chooses to level out it's karmic accounts, erase both + and - Rep spots
from the crew sheet.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Limited Usage

Whether used by the client or by the Taker, a spot can only be used once per negotiation,
and sometimes only once per campaign.
All characters have weak, soft, and tough spots, but wailing on them over and over creates
bad blood and causes contracts to break. Each one may only be played once per negotiation, and

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only after it has been learned. The only way to replay a spot would be if the same negotiator and
client met again as part of job line, but even then, the client's tough spot would shift to reflect the
new contract.
Similarly, gift spots are irresistible, but the client can't endlessly bury a crew in presents. The
first gift is hard to argue with, but the cost of fencing extra crap would make any contract not worth
it. Clients only get one gift spot per session.
+ and - Rep spots are "burned" once they are used. The Loss has a short memory, and using
the crew's brand for or against them has a limited shelf life. Once the spot is used, it can't be used
again in any other negotiations during that campaign. However, there are some bust rules that make
Rep spots reusable (see p. XX)

Z4. Always Powerful; Sometimes Enough

Spots always count for +1 Sway, regardless of whether the associated skill succeeds or fails.
Leverage remains leverage even when inexpertly applied.
Example: So, let's say Whitman wants to employ the tough spot: Time is of the Essence. He's
heads up with the client and needs the extra push. The character says, "The Philosopher Kings aren't
only professional; we're available. We have no other obligations at this time, and we can start work
immediately."
Whitman's player rolls B6+2/R8. Damn! Ties go to the Market. The reminder of the ticking
clock is good for +1 Sway, but his delivery seems paper-thin. It won't be enough to push the client,
but using the spot at least keeps the dice where they are for this round.

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: All or Nothing

For an increased challenge, the spot means nothing if the associated check fails. That means
playing a spot can result in either 0 or 2 Sway: nothing inbetween. The spot is gone after the check is
made, even if the skill failed.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Defending Against Manipulation

One non-negotiable is the fact that clients are competent. So long as a turn's not being
sacrificed to learn a spot, the client always has at least +1 Sway available to them. The same goes for
playing spots against the PC. In the event of a failed skill check, the client's success is assumed. A
Deception check is the only way to cut the +2 Sway from a spot down to the regular +1.
Like an Athletics check used to dodge an attack, it's best to think of Deception as a twitch
action compelled by someone attacking a character's spots. The skill check doesn't even have to
represent any actual speech; it could be something as simple as a poker face. If the Deception check
succeeds, the client's Sway drops down to +1 again, allowing the provider to push the price by
playing a spot of their own.

Z4. Obtaining Spots

For the cost of a turn, negotiators can check Sensitivity to learn a client's spots in the
moment. But turns are precious and time spent reading the audience isn't spent working it. It's best
to know what makes clients tick before ever even meeting them, and that's where Scams come in...

Z2. Scams (Inbetween Rounds)

Clients seemingly hold all the cards in a negotiation. They have the bounty to pay, a
desperate workforce, and all the time in the world. However, true power lies with the people and

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good Takers know this. The successful crews don't leave anything to chance when it comes to
payday and, as far as the Loss goes, they're the experts.
While the negotiator is extremely important in price setting and ultimately calls the shots, the
whole crew cooperates to fleece the client as much as possible. PCs not directly negotiating with the
client engage in Scams that boost the price, sabotage the competition, and support their negotiator's
plays.
Players that don't want to play a CHA-heavy character but still want to contribute to
negotiations should read the following and familiarize themselves with Scams.

Z3. Scams At-A-Glance

Scams
Scams are actions roleplayed between negotiation rounds, taking place before or concurrent
to the negotiator/client conversation.
• Scams are only available between negotiation rounds. A three-round negotiation would only
have two Scams: between 1-2, and between 2-3.
• Each Taker may only perform one Scam.
⁃ MBA Rules: a Taker might be afforded one, two, or no Scams, depending on
Work/Life balance.
• The skills used in a Scam and the number of checks required depends on the context of the
scene decided on between the scammer and the Market.
• Regardless of the skill used, each Scam can only fulfill one of five possible purposes:
⁃ Partners in Crime: The scammer is in the room with the negotiator. They can "step
in" and perform a CHA skill check instead of the negotiator.
⁃ Negotiator Support: A scammer's actions provide the negotiator a one-time +2
bonus to one of the negotiator's skills
⁃ Discourage Competition: The scammer sabotages competitors and prevents an
undercut
⁃ Price Manipulation: The scammer's actions add bounty to the equilibrium price equal
to the natural Black of the check.
⁃ Intelligence Gathering: The scammer learned one of the client's Spots, providing
more leverage for the negotiator.

Z3. Nonlinear Time

Planning in RPGs can be laborious, hindering the progression of the story. Even if a group
cooperates well enough to agree on a scheme quickly, once that scheme is executed, everyone at the
table is still stuck watching the provider and client talk. Scams are designed to prevent both
problems and keep the game engaging for everyone.
To this end, Scams operate off of nonlinear time. What does that mean? In the middle of
conversation, if it turns out the negotiator really needs to know the client's weak spot, one of the
other crew members can use a Scam to say they figured it out already and relayed the intel before the
negotiation even started. How did the crew know they'd need that information? Because they've
been surviving in the Loss for five years, that's how. Takers are the peak performers in the Carrion
Economy. Though it may not be enough to survive in the long run, PCs are competent badasses.
Alternately, if the negotiator needs a distraction that very second in order to assist a
Deception check, a coworker can spend their Scam to trigger a diversion as the negotiation is going.
It doesn't matter if the Scam happened before or during negotiations, so long as the skill check

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succeeds, the scheme succeeds.
At the table, Scams always take place between rounds of a negotiation: after both provider and client
have determined their Sway but before the next round starts. While the scam can determine whether
the character is acting before or during the conversation, the player always describes that action
between one round and the next.

SIDEBAR: "Nonlinawha?"
While nonlinear, time-hopping story structure might seem obtuse at first, it's really very easy
in practice. Anyone who has ever seen a heist movie or read a novel knows how this structure
works. What at first seems like an insurmountable obstacle ends up having been conquered at a
previous point in the narrative... a point left out by the author until such a time as a flashback could
relieve that artificial suspense. For instance, it looks like the Ocean's gang is going to be caught...
until we find out they're disguised as the SWAT team. Voldermort has certainly won... until we learn
about the secret histories that both Dumbledore and Snape have been hiding for six books.
It's a cheap writing technique, but it's less of a cop-out in games: those flashbacks still need
to be played out in the moment and the dice don't always cooperate. If the scheme failed, but the
negotiator had to go ahead regardless, it still makes for satisfying drama rather than stopping the
negotiation dead. A failed Scam can only ever deny a bonus. It's never a matter of life or death.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Limited Resources

The ability to hop back and forth in time endlessly would completely break Red Markets, so
Scams are limited to the number of the players outside of negotiations. In a 3-person crew, 2 Scams
would be available: one for each of the players outside the conversation. The negotiator cannot scam
because their work action is used actually talking to the client (see "Work/Lift Balance" p.XX)
Scams are also limited to one or two skill checks apiece. While that might not seem like
much, keep in mind that References can be tapped to succeed at cost during Scams. It's not possible
to interrupt a tense negotiation to phone a friend, but Scams operate off nonlinear time, remember?
Between planning the Scam, executing it, and roleplaying any networking used to compensate for
failure, a complex Scam could eat up ten minutes of time at the table. The goal is to keep any single
player from dominating the spotlight entirely, so players aren't encouraged to go off on never-
ending, one-man side quests.

Z4. MBA Rules and Work/Life Balance

In it's basic form, Red Markets assumes the Work/Life Balance of every character. Takers get
one vignette with their family, and they get one action to help the crew (work) either through
scamming or negotiating.
The MBA Rules (p. XX) make available a variety of other actions that PCs might want to
engage in, but the opportunity cost of the Work/Life Balance still exists. This means some
characters might get two scams by sacrificing time with family, or no scams by focusing on their
loved ones. For more detailed rules on this advanced style of play, see p. XX.

Z3. The Targets of Scams

Like "Prep Work" (p.XX), players can propose the use of any skill in a Scam so long as it
might reasonably get the job done, but regardless of its design, Scams can only serve one of five
mechanical functions. The five targets of Scams are explained below, along with a few examples of
each.

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Z4. Intelligence Gathering
Any time a negotiator wants to figure out the opponent's spot, it requires sacrificing an
entire turn for an uncertain Sensitivity check. Considering the power of playing spots, the risky
fishing expedition may very well be worth it, but it requires perfect timing.
Successful Takers know their clients before they even meet them. A great way to use a Scam
is to figure out a client's spot before they ever walk into the room. Lots of ADP, INT, and CHA
skills can get the crew insider information, provided they have the leisurely time limit of a scam.

Possible Intel Gathering Scams:

◦ Hack into a client's internet history using Profession: Hacker, learning about the boss's
embarrassing addiction to some very questionable genres of pornography
◦ Pick an assistant's pocket with Criminality to learn the client's tough spot.
◦ Tail the client with Sneak, and then use Sensitivity to read one of their spots.
◦ Contact an old squadmate back in the Recession with Networking. Maybe she has dirt on
this Steward you have to deal with.

Z4. Price Manipulation

Price manipulation Scams seek to alter the equilibrium price of the contract. The Market
determines the initial equilibrium by rolling on the Supply/Demand chart (see p. XX). The Red and
Black determine the quadrant on the chart and what kind of scams Takers can perform to alter the
fundamental price of what they are selling.
On the final dice check determining the success or failure of the scam, success adds a number of
bounty equal to the natural result of the Black. Critical success maxes the added bounty out at 11. Failure
doesn't alter the equilibrium at all.

Possible Price Manipulation Scams:

◦ Puncture holes in the jugs storing the water reserve, decreasing supply to increase demand.
◦ Secure a hiding spot for the salvaged generators off-site, creating an artificial scarcity to keep
demand constant
◦ Preach about the coming apocalypse to the fearful refugees, driving up demand for guns
◦ Spread internet propaganda about the dangers of the job site, decreasing the competition of
other Takers to increase your crew's payment.

Z4. Partners in Crime

Good cop/bad cop, straight man/cut-up... there are a variety of rhetorical strategies that
require more than one person. Players can forgo their opportunity to scam if they want to be in the
room with the negotiator. The non-negotiable of "One-on-one" (see p.XX) still applies – no one can
shout down the client as a PC hive-mind choir – but being the room allows the other Taker to "tag
into" negotiations.
There can still only be one person speaking to the client for any given round and the person
speaking is still allowed only one CHA-related check. So no one can fail a Persuasion check and then
immediately have their partner make another Persuasion check, and neither Taker can use
References once engaged in the negotiation. Though both parties are unable to scam, they can
alternate using their skills and play to each Taker's strengths.
If the convincingly earnest negotiator finds herself in need of some bullshit, the duplicitous
bastard can step in for a Deception check. Two middling negotiators can add up to a great one, with

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the right cooperation. Remember: neither party is guaranteed success, and both are cut off from the
powerful support positions played by those outside the negotiation.

Z4. Negotiator Support

Of the targets for scams, this is the trickiest. Supporting the negotiator's rolls means
somehow being present for the negotiator in the room, either physically or through reputation.
While intel gathering makes certain rolls possible (such as playing spots), supporting the negotiator
provides a one-time +2 bonus.

Example Negotiator Support Scams:

◦ Using Profession: Computer Science to skim the wireless traffic from the client's fitness
watch, monitoring the heartrate for signs of lying and feeding data to the negotiator (+2 to
Sensitivity).
◦ Using Profession: Herbalist to ease a mother's gout, thus securing her son's – the client –
gratitude (+2 to Persuasion)
◦ Using Criminality to plant oneself in a "random" crowd and Deception to act surprised
when the provider proves she can read minds (+2 to Deception)
◦ Using Networking to convince a Reference to soften the client up with stories of this
terrifyingly badass crew of Takers in the area (+2 to Intimidation)

Z4. Discourage Competition

One or more Takers can use Scam to discourage competition, thus preventing the undercut
that usually occurs at the end of a negotiation. After all, if all the other crews in the enclave are too
busy being on fire to take on new clients, that's a powerful bargaining chip. Eliminating all possible
competition in the immediate vicinity even provides the + Rep spot "Only Game in Town" (see
"Rep spots" p.XX).
However, enclaves and settlements have their own laws, and outright murdering other
people within the borders tends to be illegal. Less deadly sabotage – dosing all their rations with
laxative, for instance – still risks repercussions from the authorities and the targets. Groups
antagonizing the competition regularly or overtly can expect - Rep spots and ambush out in the
Loss. Ruthlessness only works in the short term, and even then only if the group is smart enough to
hide it.
Markets should make sure that their players understand that gunning down their rivals can
never be done with total impunity. At the minimum, successful sociopathy still costs ammo and
Humanity. Shady business practices can help or hurt the bottom line in equal measure.

Example Discourage Competition Scams:

◦ Using Leadership to stir up public fervor, insisting that the other crew are "the only ones
who can be trusted" to take on a certain enclave contract... one that will distract them from
the more lucrative job.
◦ Using Criminality to break in to the rival crew's HQ. With all their weapons disassembled
and hidden about the enclave, it's going to be hard to go over the fence.
◦ Using Intimidation to convince the crew to find another client... or else.
◦ Using Unarmed to start a bar fight with the rival negotiator. It's hard to use a silver tongue
with your jaw wired shut.

Z2. Leadership Closes (After Negotiations)

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 What tips the scales in haggling? Most of the time, even experts can't point to the straw that
breaks a negotiator's resolve. As with the beginning of Negotiations (see "Leadership Opens" p.XX),
the Leadership skill measures all the variables in the Taker's personality that can affect the price. It
takes one final dice check to agree on a price. Then players deal with the competition and decide
whether it's time to suit up.
Leadership closes negotiations by determining who ultimately compromises on the price.
The dice representing the two parties can't lock horns forever: someone is going to have to come
down or go up to agree on a price. Was the client impressed enough to pay more than planned, or
do the Takers make a concession for fear of going hungry? It's a test of personality to see who
breaks first.
The negotiator rolls a Leadership check. On a success, the provider's die (Black) moves up
to meet the client's die (Red), thus ensuring a higher price. On a failure, the client's die (Red) goes
down to meet the provider's die (Black), and the Takers give up a final concession. In short, success
means the Takers get more bounty, failure means they get less.

SIDEBAR: What if the dice don't meet?

If negotiations have been disastrous and the dice aren't even close to a compromise, there
are two ways to fix the price.
Boom rule: the Taker makes a Leadership check all the same. Success moves the price up,
failure brings it down... even if the two are three boxes apart. This means that an uncertain, rocky
conversation can end up working out based off the Taker's sheer force of personality.
Bust rule: the price always goes down. If the dice aren't head's up, the client only goes down
to meet the Taker. If they wanted more bounty, they should have pushed harder for it.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. Undercutting
A successful Networking check gets the players first shot at a job, but any competition can
attempt to undercut the final price to steal the job. Competition always tries to steal jobs after the
price has been set, providing one last challenge for the negotiator.
Resisting the undercut requires someone in the crew to somehow convince the competition
to back down or the client to pay for quality. If either of those tactics fail, the crew has to meet the
competition's price to keep the job. If the check critically fails, the crew has to go one step lower on
the Sway tracker to keep their contract. Once an attempt to undercut the PCs has been made, the
NPCs won't make another. Undercutting is a one-and-done move; it doesn't absurdly continue until
everyone is forced to work for nothing.
Failing the Prep Work (p. XX) checks required to find a job means the Takers are the ones
that must undercut their competition in order to get access to negotiations. This starts the
negotiations at the lowest possible price on the Sway Tracker. It's posit to undercut in order "to get
a foot in the door" only to end up negotiation a higher price, but doing so requires more skill from
the negotiator.
Though undercutting is limited and can't reduce prices infinitely, it's still a dangerous
maneuver available to competitors. The primary appeal of using scams to eliminate competition is
preventing this stressful and potentially damaging check. This is also one of the benefits of chasing
job lines early: groups that are the preferred providers for a client don't have to worry about
competitors undercutting them.

Z2. Backing Out

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 PCs aren't obligated to take a job they don't feel pays enough – Red Markets is not a
monopsony (see p. XX). When negotiations fail, they can move on to another job the Market has
created, or one can be randomly generated (see p. XX). However, everyone should be forewarned
that all economies move in cycles and waiting too long for the perfect job could mean passing it by.
In the Carrion Economy, a number of factors give the markets their seasons. The weather
plays a part. War against the dead is easier in winter, but it costs more in gear and supplies. The
summer means a lower overhead, but more danger from Casualties and other factions. Clients from
the Recession only hire out contracts as they can afford to, which keeps most of the apocalyptic
wasteland marching to the same "1st and 15th" monthly beat as the old world. So Takers don't have
to take the first thing that comes along, but they can't afford to waste time either. There is a finite
amount of work in every cycle, and starvation keeps a much more demanding schedule.
The opportunity lost by turing down a job is represented by the starting positions on the
Sway tracker. If a group turns down a job because they're dissatisfied with how negotiations worked
out, the competition gets that job. The next job they pursue starts them in the “As a Favor” section
of the tracker. Furthermore, while players get another Scam in a Boom game, a Bust game leaves the
group with whatever is left over after the first negotiation. Resources and Will spent on failed
haggling don't come back in either case.

Z2. Example Negotiation

The negotiation mechanics can seem intimidating altogether, but it's actually fairly simple in
execution. Players cater roleplaying towards their characters' strengths, jockeying for simple +1 or
+2 Sway bonuses tracked on an easy-to-read visual aide.
For those that need an illustration, read the example negotiation below. It takes into account
all the rules explained previously, puts them order, and places everything into a roleplaying context.

Basic Premise
Wyeth, Ghede, and Fern run the Voodun outfit. We'll refer to each as the combined entity
that is a PC rather than cluttering the text with separate player/character names.
Voodun is negotiating with another Taker that goes by the handle of Splenda. Splenda has
been hired to contract some protection for a group of wealthy Recession businessmen that want to
go on "safari" out in the Loss. But while they want some simulated danger hunting Casualties, they
need experienced Takers to prevent that danger from becoming real.

Prep Work
Voodun just got off the ground, so they haven't had a chance to open any job lines yet. They
only have freelance jobs available. Wyeth goes first, spending a charge of his Ubiq Specs to make a
Networking check. He succeeds and asks "What contracts are available?" He learns of a security
detail job being offered by a well-known area Taker named Splenda.
Fern uses Networking as well and also succeeds. She could ask a follow-up question, but she
decides she wants more options. She asks for another contract. Fern hears rumors that a group of
rebels willing to pay big for water purification tablets. After some discussion, it's decided that it's
better to sign up for the security job; the group is pretty well-armed, but they don't have any vehicles
to carry salvaged goods and would be leaving bounty behind for every box of tablets left behind. If
negotiations don't go well with Splenda, Voodun can still try to negotiation for the rebel's job at a
penalty.
Ghede decides to use Intimidation on local snitch called Crab. The check fails, but Ghede
decides he really wants more information and taps Crab as a Reference: if he can't scare him into

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talking, he can bribe him. He asks "What will the security job likely require?"
The Market thinks about Ghee's request. The answer would give away one of the client's
spots, specifically the tough spot: Absolute Discretion Required. Breaking quarantine is widely
illegal, and powerful men won't risk their positions for a little fun without guarantees.
Since learning spots is reserved for Scams, the Market leaves that information out, but he
does reveal where the group plans to hunt. Turns out Crab has heard about the proposed casualty
hunt. Of course, the obvious choice is Ivory Plains, a gated community with a sealed off and finite
population of undead. The group now knows the job is going to be five Legs away. Such a journey is
risky, but it can make for a hell of a payday if the price point is right.

Leadership Opens
Wyeth is elected as the negotiator for Voodun. The Market gets out the Sway Tracker. She
places a Black on "Buyer’s Market" to represent Wyeth's lowly class. The Red goes on "Expenses,"
representing the client's comparably limitless resources
After roleplaying introductions with Splenda, the Market asks Wyeth for a Leadership check.
The results are B2+3/R5, a failure even with Wyeth's skill in Leadership. Normally, this would mean
that the Market would roll in secret for the number of rounds and the group wouldn't know how
many were available. Wyeth hates that idea, but he can't use References in a negotiation. After some
consideration, he spends a Will to swap the dice. Hopefully he won't need that point later...
Now that the "natural" results are B5+3/R2, the group knows the negotiation is going to
last 4 rounds (B8 divided by 2). Since Wyeth won the Leadership check, the Market asks if he wants
to pitch first or respond to the client's demands. The order can have an effect on the tracker,
depending on whether the strategy is a hard initial push or a late-game burst. Wyeth, as a role-player,
is more comfortable going second. It gives him more information to make decisions.

Negotiation: Round 1
The Market, assuming the role of Splenda, opens with a simple Persuasion move: "We are
looking for guides to accompany an already well-stocked and heavily-armed expedition. Really, your
people would only be tagging along and providing some peace of mind. This contract is practically
an act of charity, so I won't be tolerating the usual cons. I suggest you take what is offered and be
grateful."
Clients are always competent and the dice aren't heads up yet, so the Red die will move
down the tracker at the end of the round.
Since he's got 4 rounds to work with, Wyeth figures that it's time for the long con. He is
going to burn his turn for a Sensitivity check. This could be roleplayed by simply describing the
Taker's penetrating stare, but Wyeth figures he'll try and probe behind what the Splenda's masters
told him to say. He asks, "Do you really think there is such a thing a charity? Out here?"
Wyeth makes a Sensitivity check and gets B5/R5. Critical failure! Splenda's demeanor
remains icy and totally unimpressed. It's so bad that the Market calls for a Self-Control check against
Stress. Luckily, Wyeth makes it with B4 +1/R2; he's not quite ready to despair his chances yet.

GRAPHIC: Labeled "Resolution" to show that dice move simultaneously. Red die slides
from "Expenses" down to "100% Mark Up." The Black die stays in place at "Buyer's Market" with a
small "Sensitivity" above it to indicate why it didn't move.

Ghede's Scam
Things are not going well in there for Wyeth, but Ghede would have planned for such an
eventuality. The Voodun representative is going to need leverage, so his scam seeks to gather intel.

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After some out-of-character discussion, Ghede figures corporate executives would leave some sort
of electronic paper trail. Ghede doesn't have any skills capable of sniffing out such clues, and the
player fails to default off of INT. However, that doesn't preclude calling in a favor.
Ghede contacts QA, a hacker he knows at a different enclave. Ghede and the Market
roleplay the request; QA goes on Ghede's character sheet as being owed a bounty (Needy), and the
NPC reports that he's sniffed Splenda's wireless signal and found a number of communications with
Phoenix Armaments, a major weapons manufacturer. The group knows the tough spot: Absolute
Discretion Required and can play that spot against the client.

Negotiation: Round 2
The Market figures that Splenda would want to push hard, sensing weakness in the Taker's
failed attempt to read him. Splenda plays the - Rep spot: Sneaky Bastards, leftover from Voodoo's
brutal betrayal of their competition last session: "I'm glad you asked that question. It reminds me:
my bosses won't like working with a bunch of sociopathic thugs. If you want this job, I have to
neglect to mention some of your previous indiscretions. And if I'm going to do you that favor,
you're going to have to work for bottom dollar so I get my bonus."
This is a maneuver that Wyeth can't defend against; the crew did backstab people to get
previous jobs and it is on record. No amount of Deception can change that. The client's die will
move 2 Sway on the tracker, but at least the crew doesn't have to worry about the past coming back
to bite them anymore. The Market erases - Rep Spot: Sneaky Bastards from the crew sheet.
Well, crap. Wyeth has a spot to play, but he doesn't want to waste it until the dice are heads
up (see "Non-negotiables" p. XX). Since the dice resolve simultaneously, it would be a waste to use
it now. He figures he's better off with a simple Persuasion check: "The same problem your boss has
with my people is the same reason you need us. There's no place for scruples once you hop the
fence. You want ethics? Find a philosopher. You want to stay alive? Hire Voodun."
Wyeth rolls and gets B4+3/R6. His +3 Persuasion makes that a success. The Black moves
up.

GRAPHIC: Red die slides from "100% Mark Up," down past "Hazard Pay," and lands on
"Labor." The Black die slides from "Buyer's Market" to "At Value."

Since they didn't bother to research the current equilibrium for security jobs during prep, the
Market only now rolls on the supply/demand chart. He gets a B4/R10. That means the job is worth
14 bounty and the economy is flooded: there are too many other security contractors competing,
keeping prices down.

Fern's Scam
Fern hasn't contributed a scam yet. She wants to scare off some other Taker crews,
decreasing supply to increase demand. Wyeth begs her not to; he needs more spots to play if this is
going to work out. This kind of table talk between rounds is allowed and encouraged. It reminds
everyone at the table that the crew is made up of experts that would have predicted as many
possibilities as they could before meeting the client.
Fern considers how she might get the inside scoop on the client. She figures that Voodun
would've guessed a big player like Splenda would be across the table one day. Of course she's already
figured out an angle on him!
Fern's player asks the Market if she could have used Criminality to disguise herself as an
average enclavist, then plied the freelancer with drinks until he let his guard down. The Market
thinks that sounds plausible. Splenda works with so many Takers it's hard to keep them straight,

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especially when he's being bought drinks. Fern makes the Criminality check and gets B5+3/R9.
That's a failure.
But wait! This is a scam. Fern can tap a Reference. She calls up Shifty Eddy, the most
renowned pickpocket in the Loss. She pays a favor to have him lift Splenda's backpack while the guy
is busy rebuking the advances of some random barfly. Eddy finds a dozen faded photographs in the
man's wallet before returning it. Turns out Splenda has the weak spot: Family Man.

Negotiation: Round 3
Splenda smells blood. He can get these amateurs working for a song. The Market plays a
Gift spot: "Look, I know there's a potential for danger out there. But these guys are willing to share.
If you take the job, we'll throw in a fully upgraded assault rifle: silencer, hollowpoint ammo, the
works."
Nobody can turn down free military hardware in an apocalyptic wasteland. The Gift spot is
worth an easy 2 Sway. The only way to resist the push is to come back with just as much leverage.

GRAPHIC: The Red die, still on Labor, has an arrow reaching all the way down to D10
Discount, but the dice haven't moved yet.

Crap. This won't do at all. Wyeth needs to push hard, so he plays the tough spot: Absolute
Discretion Required he learned with Ghede's scam. Even if he fails the roll, Wyeth will still put up 1
Sway of resistance, and they might negate Splenda's maneuver entirely. Wyeth wants to use his
Persuasion skill because it's his best; he's got to work in the spot to get the bonus without being so
overtly threatening as to call for a different skill. After some thought, Wyeth says, "That's very
gracious of you, though those folks at Phoenix Armaments probably have guns to spare. If we don't
get this contract, I'll have to tell all my fellow 'sociopathic thugs' exactly who they're helping to break
quarantine."
Wyeth rolls B8/R8. Critical success! He gets +1 for the success, +1 for the spot, and another
+1 for the critical. That's 3 Sway versus the client's 2 Sway. Splenda's maneuver has backfired and
pushed him back one.

GRAPHIC: Black die moves from "At Value" to Labor, pushing the Red die back to Hazard
Pay. The arrow goes all the way up to Expenses, but it's 3 Sway is subtracted to 2 by where it runs
parallel with the client's previous arrow.

Out of Scams
Both of the characters outside of negotiation have performed their scams. They're all out of
resources and have to hope Wyeth can get a big push using the remaining spot they learned.

Negotiation: Round 4
Splenda is running out of options. He's all out of easy leverage to play, and he hasn't taken
the time to get a read on Wyeth's personality. The Market opts for simple Intimidation: "Breaking
the confidentiality of this conversation will ensure you never work again. I will blacklist Voodun
with every group I represent."
It's a transparent strategy, but it's still good for 1 Sway.
Wyeth started slow, but it's time to finish strong. He sticks with his best skill, Persuasion,
and plays the weak spot: Family Man: "Lose the holier-than-thou attitude, Splenda. I know you'd do
anything to provide for your family, and you can't fault us for doing the same. Giving us a fair price
might keep you from retirement, but it won't steal food from the mouths of your kids. We're right

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for this, and you're too good a person to send those citizen assholes out to die with some punk
crew."
Wyeth gets a B8+2/R9. The success and the spot add up for 2 Sway. Since the dice are
heads up, it's a 1 Sway push after Splenda's resistance is factored in.

GRAPHIC: Black die moves up to "Hazard Pay" and Red die moves up to "100% Mark
Up."

Leadership Closes
Wyeth has to make his Leadership check to see who compromises. It's not his best skill
(+1), and he ends up with B5+3/R10. He was afraid that might happen, which is why he was saving
his last point of Will! He flips it to B10+3/R5. The Black moves up to meet the Red at "100% Mark
Up"

GRAPHIC: Black is now aligned with the Red on the either track around "100% Mark Up."

Voodun earns the equilibrium price (14 bounty), plus their combined break points for Labor
(6+3+4= 13 bounty), plus one bounty per Taker per leg (3 Takers X 5 legs = 15 bounty), plus
another 14 bounty from 100% Mark Up (equilibrium x 2). When it's all added together, the contract
is worth 56 bounty split 3 ways – not to mention a free, fully upgraded assault rifle.

Undercutting
Right as Voodun is about to leave, Splenda messages them on Ubiq. Dr. Epicurus and his
band of merry amateurs have offered to do the job for only "Hazard Pay," a full 21 bounty less than
the agreed upon price. Splenda demands Voodun meet their price or he's going with the other crew.
Ghede is now regretting his decision to be nice; not having to deal with this shit is the main
benefit of eliminating one's rivals. Fern says she's got this and gets on the Ubiq specs to say, "Well,
we're sorry it didn't work out. You're sure your clients are cool participating in all that weird sex stuff
though?"
"What?" Splenda asks.
"Epicurus practices a denomination of Detoxinism that practices 'community love.' You
didn't hear about that? He never sent you an invite to one of the orgies?" This, of course, is
complete bullshit. Fern knows nothing of the rival crew or their religion, but she wants to get paid.
The Market says this is a Deception check: Fern rolls B8+2/R3.
Splenda sighs, "Nevermind. Forget what I said. Good luck out there." He hangs up.
The crew has secured a reasonable price, stymied their competition, and avoided murdering
anyone in the process (this time...yet). Everything's looking up for Voodun! Now all they have to do
is stay alive....

Z2. Alternate Rule: Fixers

Perhaps no one wants to take point in negotiations. Or maybe your group is comprised of
enthusiastic roleplayers that all want a turn with the talking stick. Either way, the Fixer rules allow
groups to succeed in negotiations without having to commit a character's skills to one focus. But as
is sometimes the case with subcontractors, outsourcing the work raises overhead.
What follows are the rules for using a fixers in campaign play.

Z3. Hive Mind

215
 A fixer's purpose is to enable any player at the table to take a turn as negotiator without
reprioritizing all their skills. Naturally, making sure the character has a backstory that can support a
variety of different actors is going to ease this mechanic's implementation in the narrative.
The fixer could actually be a team of fixers working for a single PR firm, subcontracted by
the crew to secure the best prices. She could have a lot of personal issues taking place in the enclave
or back in the Recession, explaining her wild shifts in demeanor from week-to-week. The group
could merely agree on a few adjectives that describe the fixer's personality, or develop a list of
talking points to keep the personality grounded.
Regardless, the only wrong choice would be a fixer that can only be successfully roleplayed
by one person. If the negotiator has a thick Irish brogue, that's all well and fine for the one player
that can manage the accent, but what about everyone else? The goal of the mechanic is to
democratize the role of head negotiator. Don't write fellow players out of the part.

Some example archetypes for fixers:

◦ Raider's Advocate LLC: a boutique PR firm comprised of out-of-work lawyers struggling to
survive in a Recession ghetto. The team hires out their nearly obsolete expertise over Ubiq
to supplement their meager new incomes as subsistence farmers.
◦ Mullet: a legendary Taker from the early days of LifeLines. She retired to Leper after a
disastrous contract wiped out her whole crew and left her Latent. She gets by selling her
shrewd bargaining skills, but the horrors she's witnessed have left her entirely unfit for field
work.
◦ Mr. Johnson: Cold, dispassionate, callous – Johnson is the only man with the gall to attend
meetings in the apocalypse in khakis and a pink polo. He's been around for years, lending his
inexplicable professionalism to the highest bidder, negotiating some of the greatest Taker
paydays in history from behind his mirrored aviator sunglasses. No one knows how he's
survived this long, not to mention how he's stayed so clean doing it.

Z3. Shared Burdens

Whether a fixer loves, loathes, or remains indifferent to the crew that employs them is up to
the group to decide. But regardless of personal opinion, fixers never work for free. Groups that
want to outsource their contracts need to pay for the privilege.
Fixers charge a retainer per session, whether they are used that session or not. The cost is
equal to the number of players in bounty. If that amount isn't paid per session, the fixer finds other
work and the Takers have to figure things our on their own.

Z3. Investment in Human Resources

Fixers wouldn't be working if they weren't competent. A fixer starts with a 3 in CHA and +1
in every CHA skill.
Beyond that, fixers have no other stats except Will (which also starts at 1). They exist solely
as social surrogates for the player inhabiting the role for that session, so CHA, Will, and the
associated skills are all that's necessary.
Improving the fixer's negotiation prowess requires bounty, just as if they were a regular PC.
The only difference between normal character advancement and fixer advancement is that the
bounty has to be paid by everyone profiting off the professional negotiator's skills.
Upping a fixer's skills still takes a number of bounty equal to the desired bonus, but this
amount is multiplied by the number of PCs in the crew. So, raising Deception from +2 to +3
doesn't cost 3 bounty; for a group of five players, it would cost 15 bounty. Every player needs to pay

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the same amount to increase a fixer's skills set. The burden of the subcontract is carried by all.
Skills are still limited by Potentials, but raising a fixer's CHA costs 10 bounty per point, to be
paid by every member of the crew. So, to return to the previous example, raising Deception up to
+4 would be impossible without first raising Potential. Our hypothetical group of 5 players would
have to share the burden of 50 bounty first, then pay the 15 required to up the Deception skill.

SIDEBAR: I have to pay HOW much?

For those that judge the costs of retaining and developing a fixer too high, consider the ways
in which having a dedicated negotiator frees characters up to invest in other skills. CHA skills
remain as useful as ever during the job proper, and avoiding the need to specialize lets at least one
more player dedicate more resources to combat and survival skills. Cutting the cost of fixers would
make any other option too foolish to consider and that contradicts the entire point of fixers: to
provide more options.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Limited Scams

Scams are still limited whether using a fixer or not. After all, someone is still going to have to
play that fixer during the negotiations. Groups are still only allowed a number Scams equal to the
number of PCs minus one, as the number of rounds allow. The PC of the player adopting the role
of the fixer has to sit out. Shot-calling the negotiation is enough spotlight already.

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 Z0. Running the Market

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Z1. Shades of Red
"Playing Red Markets" (p. XX) teaches the game's rules, discusses this book's intentions, and
defines economic horror. It is recommended that anyone looking to run their first game of Red
Markets read that section first.
The task of the Market is very different than that of the players. Huge sections of the setting
are created, interpreted, and implemented by the person running the game. Essentially, once a
session of Red Markets begins, the game leaves the book and becomes a collaboration between
everyone at the table. The Market's responsibility is to facilitate that transition.
"Running the Market" contains tools for navigating the Loss with your game group. Inside,
you'll find customization options for the game, the structural breakdown of a typical session, rules
for creating new settings, and tables for randomly generated setting content.

Z2. MARKET VS. GM

Many readers have likely served as gamemasters (GMs) in other tabletop games. This section
speaks more to some preconceptions those readers might have than it does those brand-new to
roleplaying. If this is your first RPG, you can skip ahead to Boom vs. Bust (p.XX).
Experienced players to dismiss the name of "Market" as another a sad attempt to
appropriate an old concept with an unnecessary new title. It's up to the individual reader to decide
where this "GM-by-any-name" criticism is apt, but some might find running Red Markets so different
as to warrant the new name. The degree of separation between Markets and GMs depends less on
this book than a person's previous experience. Certain RPGs share a playstyle very similar to Red
Markets, whereas others couldn't be more different.
Put simply, running the Market is a bastardized fusion of more recent "story game"
aesthetics and old-school mechanics. Big sections of the narrative, such as the nature of a campaign
setting and the cast of NPCs, are determined as much by the players as the Market. PCs choose what
contracts they want to pursue rather than being forced into whatever adventure the GM happened
to write that week. Vignettes inside the enclave are closer to improvisational acting than the
roleplaying required of many traditional GMs. Spots and Will serve as a disassociated mechanics that
give PCs power to control their own fate through force of personality. Finally, much of the
procedural information other games obsess about are glossed over for the sake of convenience, such
as how much damage different weapons do or how much a character can carry.
Yet, at other times, Red Markets has some distinctly old-school tendencies. The Market has a
ton of control over where jobs take place and what is to be found there. NPC clients are designed
and played by the Market, their personalities shaping the narrative of whole sessions. Most
importantly, Markets are responsible for creating job lines: multi-faceted jobs that take place over
many sessions, crafting campaigns larger in scope than the episodic limitations of one-off jobs. The
goal of many contracts boils down to the classic "kill monsters and take their stuff" story that
founded tabletop RPGs.
But the path to the job site, the structure of the contract, and the price of the Takers'
services can all be randomly generated. These predesigned encounters and tables are meant to add
another element of chance to the game beyond the success and failure of player actions. Certain jobs
can be cakewalks, providing massive payouts for little risk. Conversely, fate can be cruel and present
horrific obstacles every step of the way, eating into profits and destroying lives. The Loss is
capricious and unpredictable even to the Market. Like old-school RPGs and rouge-like videogames,
random encounters make every adventure dangerous; the players can't necessarily rely on their GM's
kindness to get them out of dangerous situations, and unpredictable dangers test players' skill. The
power of the dice have the added bonus of relieving the Market of a lot of responsibility between

219
sessions. Most jobs can be written up in about 1000 words, fewer still if playing in an established
campaign setting. The dice and this book take care of rest.
In general, traditional GMs wield an enormous amount of power over the narrative or, in the
case of many story games, power is shared equally amongst the whole group. Red Markets tries to
walk the middle path: the Market is neither all-powerful god nor ineffectual facilitator. The Market
has a guiding hand: interpreting randomly generated content, implementing player contributions, and
steering both sources towards a satisfying narrative.

GRAPHIC: Labeled "Ideal Split of Narrative Control," this pie chart has 1/3rd controlled by
the players, 1/3rd controlled by the Market, and 1/3rd controlled by the Market.

Z2. Boom vs. Bust

The person serving as the Market has more of an impact on the game at the table than
anyone writing this book, so personal style is going to determine a lot about a Red Markets
experience.
With that said, games usually fall into one of two broad categories based on the Market's
impression of the Loss's economy.: boom and bust. One can go hard to one side of the spectrum or
the other, or the group can negotiate a centrist approach by picking and choosing from the
alternative rule sets. Regardless, it's useful for Markets to think about how they want to characterize
the setting before running the first job.

Boom
A boom game is high-octane, action-heavy, and fast-paced. High-tech gear and rich clients
make for sleek, flashy jobs more akin to an action movies than a cable dramas or horror films. Get
in. Get out. Get paid. Fuck the rest. That's a boom game. Consequences are for poor people, so we
won't have to worry about them for long.
When we use the term "boom," we mean for the PCs and not the setting. Here's why:
In economics, the broken window fallacy refers to the idea that, on the surface, destruction
seems like an excellent way to stimulate growth. Break a window, exchange capital with the
glassmaker and carpenter, who respectively exchange goods and services resetting the window. The
new window advertises each worker's quality to the rest of the community, thus increasing the
demand for that specific glassmaker and carpenter. The businesses and their employees suddenly
have more disposable income, which in turn gets spent in the community and starts a virtuous cycle
of increasing returns.
Broken window theory is a fallacy because it fails to account for opportunity cost and
globalization. The time spent repairing windows is not spent making new glass for new buildings.
Value that could have been added has been merely replaced, causing financial stagnation.
Furthermore, nothing about the global economy demands the glassmaker and carpenter's surplus
stay in the community. The excess can be spent in other markets, thus costing the community
additional wealth on top of the damages. In the broken window situation, the contractors probably
aren't preforming as well as they could be, and the economy as a whole definitely suffers.
The Crash set up the biggest broken window economy in history. While this means that the
world at large is in trouble, one thing remains in the PCs favor: perhaps their best skills weren't in
demand before the Casualties came. Shooting people in the head, thievery, smuggling -- all these
vital economic skill sets suffered from a lot of risk before society collapsed. Now, the risk of
criminal activity is purely physical and free from concerns like prison.

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 In a boom game, Takers are the outliers, profiteers capable of turning the tragedy of the
Carrion Economy into opportunity. Every disaster leaves a select few better off, and playing boom
means the Market wants it to be the PCs. The Loss won't be around forever. The surviving nations
of the Recession could fall or, worse yet, exterminate the undead and reestablish rule of law. Like the
California gold rush, beanie baby collectables, and sub-prime mortgages, there's a short window in
which fortunes can be made. Boom groups exploit the terrors of the Loss as much as possible,
looking to win big and cash out.
What does this mean for a game? Playing boom means giving the characters big rewards and
even bigger risks. The potential for profit wouldn't be so high if the danger wasn't real. The
questions PCs face in a boom aren't so much "will I have enough?" so much as "will I be alive to
enjoy it?"
Boom groups are rarely at risk of starving or losing a loved one to the grind of poverty. Far
more concerning is what kind of expensive gear they'll need to get through the insanity of the next
job. Retirement plans become ever more important because its only a matter of time before some
disaster strikes. Every contract is all about getting more bounty, more quickly, and damning the
consequences. Gear eats up bounty fast, and profit-obsessed decision making deprives characters of
Humanity quickly.
Market's that want to run a boom game should do the following:

◦ Use some or all of the boom rules. Check the index for a full list.
◦ Expect a shorter campaign. Due to the danger and the big payments, characters die and
retire often.
◦ Hand out frequent + Rep spots. Remember that the PCs are elite and singularly capable.
◦ Create noob clients. Big paydays mean the people offering the contracts have deep pockets
and shallow sense. They waste the final round in a negotiation on Sensitivity checks because
they don't know the rules of the game. They fall for simple scams. They rarely offer job lines
or get to know the PCs' spots well enough to call them on their shit.
◦ Focus on combat and horror. Nobody would be making much money if it weren't insane to
hop over the fence. Randomized legs in a journey should be replaced with more grueling and
draining encounters. Complications at job sites should be huge, challenging, and mind-
shatteringly terrifying. High rewards only come with high risk, and PCs speculate with their
lives.
◦ Accentuate the negative perception of Takers. The term intentionally suggests the
occupation is linked with theft and exploitation. Groups playing boom must frequently
compromise their Humanity for bigger profits and a faster escape. This can lead to
resentment of Dependents even when relationships are healthy.
◦ Present plentiful opportunities. Everybody wants to get rich quick, but only people like the
PCs know how. There's no shortage of paying jobs at any given point, and the Takers skills
are in great demand. If they design scores, it's only because the players want to contribute
more to the setting.
◦ Relish escapism. The characters are cool, crafty, and skilled enough to escape the Loss, and
they're going to look damn good while doing it. PCs are hood-rich in the enclave, and they're
going to have full-blown, "fuck-you" money once they retire.

Bust
A bust game is all about the grind. It's a poverty simulator with zombies thrown in. Staying
solvent means lowering overhead and securing meager profits through the use of minimal resources.

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Hacking down one debt sees two more spring up in its place. There's still action and scares, but the
consequences of both in the more mundane aspects of the characters' lives are never far behind. The
unyielding demands of the Loss chips away at people, transforming PCs and their Dependents
slowly and creating the tragic character arcs. At best, survival is a balancing act, but it more often
means triage and sacrifice.
In short, a bust game acknowledges the statistical truth of the broken window fallacy
described previously; when disaster strikes, it's disastrous for most people. Nobody is going to come
out ahead from the Crash. The greatest possible hope is escape, and players in a bust game need as
much luck as skill to stay alive. A Taker's heroism comes from their stubborn insistence on chasing
the dream, doggedly pursuing a slim hope of a better life that may be no more than a delusion.
Players in a bust game want any Cinderella stories to be really earned, and they're just as happy when
a character meets predictably tragic ends. After all, this is capitalism we're talking about here: there
will be casualties (of every variety).
Markets that want to run a bust game should do the following:

1. Use some or all of the bust rules. Check the index for a full list.
2. Use the MBA rules. They provide more opportunity for profit, yes, but that comes along
with increased risk and greater anxiety over picking the best investments for time and
bounty.
3. Expect a longer campaign. Not every job results in profit. Characters can die off suddenly,
but they can just as easily bleed out over several sessions, slowly losing health, Humanity,
and hope of financial salvation. Similarly, while big windfalls are possible, progress towards
retirement tends to be hard-fought and incremental.
4. Being cursed by - Rep spots is a constant danger. People in the Loss like to gossip and hate
to part with their bounty. Any indication the the outfit might fail to deliver is taken seriously
and always exploited to drive prices down.
5. Create experienced clients. The unforgiving nature of the carrion economy means only the
most cunning and ruthless rise to the level of job creator. Clients know how to work a
negotiation. They require complex scams to fool. They offer job lines and repeat business
because it allows them to remember a Taker's spots and exploit them for bigger discounts.
6. Focus on randomness and stress. Sometimes the Loss rewards a Taker beyond all
expectation; other times it stacks the odds against them like an angry god. The dice always
decide. The anxiety such uncertainty creates in players manifests ten-fold in their characters.
The alternating dreams and nightmares of what lies over the fence eats away at a Taker and
affects even the quietest moments with family. There is sanctuary from the Loss, but
nowhere to hide from its dark promise.
7. Accentuate the positive perception of Takers. Part of the term comes from "undertakers," an
occupation dedicated to providing solace in the face of death. The difference between the
PCs and the rest of the enclave isn't need; they have the courage to face the nightmare that
threatens to destroy everything and get the job done. That Takers demand compensation
isn't much resented because everyone knows they deserve so much more for their bravery.
The compensation PCs receive in a bust game is a greater sense of self-satisfaction, but
moral superiority never put food on the table.
8. Present scarcity at every opportunity. There should never be enough to go around, either in
bounty or in clients offering to pay it. Scores become more than a chance for the players to
exercise their creativity the setting: they are essential to survival. Teams must constantly
hustle to survive, and player creativity translates directly into character rewards essential for
supplementing the meager opportunities on the ground..

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 9. Relish challenge. Anybody that escapes the overwhelming odds offered by such a capricious
and uncaring world is nothing short of hero. The success of the few that manage to survive
is made that much more enticing by the many that fell along the way to death, infection,
madness, and despair. A character's suffering sweetens a possible victory and heightens the
probably tragedy. Bust-style groups care most about giving their characters big, satisfying
character arcs rather than happy endings, and they're willing to climb a steeper difficulty
curve to get it.

Z2. Signs of a Healthy Market

It's beating a dead horse at this point to say that there is no right way to play Red Markets, but
perhaps it is an undead horse that bears more beating. There's no wrong way to run the game so
long as the group creates some kind of pleasurable experience. But the game was designed with a
certain experience in mind for both the players and their GM. Here are few indicators for the
Market to check that the rules are working as intended.

Z3. Fast Preparation

Red Markets seeks to streamline a lot of the front-end work required to design an RPG
scenario and automate the rest of it. Each contract creates a story using seven modular components
that, written together, don't need more than 1000 words to fill an eventing of gaming. These
elements remain in control of the Market, but there are also tools in this chapter for randomly
generating contracts, either for improvisational play or as writing prompts. This allows Markets to
write multiple scenarios in the same amount of time it takes to prepare a single game session for
many other RPG systems. Players are given a choice of what adventure to take at the beginning of
every session, and preparing for the next week can be as easy as writing a single contract to replace
the completed one.
Certain sections of contracts can be entirely randomized every session. The equilibrium price
point is as easy as rolling two dice and consulting a table. Generating Casualties to fight doesn't even
require a table. Finally, the Loss Encounters section (p. XX) can generate specific procedural scenes
for PCs to move through as they head to a job site, or it can craft general prompts for Markets to
improvise on and dramatic cues to encourage roleplaying.
Extended play takes even more work off the Market's responsibilities. Building an enclave is
a collaborative effort, as are vignettes with Dependents at the beginning of every campaign session.
Once an enclave is stated out, another component of the standard contract template gets taken care
of for the remainder of the campaign. Finally, elements like scores, retirement plans, and Mr. JOLS
stay collaborative. The majority is done at the table, using many hands to make light work of crafting
a narrative.
In short, healthy Markets choose to put a lot of preparation work into building a session of
Red Markets only because that's their preferred style of play. The game's engine is working well when
players get equally satisfying experiences through collaboration with the book and each other.

Z3. Continuous Engagement

The most often neglected form of enjoyment offered by RPGs is their potential for closet
drama. Many people read RPG texts for pure enjoyment due to a lack of a gaming group or time to
play. Even when playing a game, there is much pleasure to be had merely thinking about playing the
game. Planning what skills to buy for that next level or developing subplots for one's character has
wiled away many a boring hour.
Red Markets is meant for the table, but it seeks to utilize the RPG's potential for "closet

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drama." The gear list is posted for free online, available for players to browse even if they don't have
a copy of the main text. Furthermore, the No Budget; No Buy variant (p.XX) rewards players that
tinker with their character sheet before the next session of the campaign starts. If you didn't budget
for it, you can't buy it...at least not without causing a lot of anxiety. These systems encourage players
to do their homework, minimal though it may be. Though about materialism, Red Markets wants to
sacrifice the minimum about of playtime possible to imagined materials, so players are rewarded for
coming to each session with a plan about how to best equip their characters.
More important than the logistics of the crew are the personalities that make it up. Every
session of campaign play begins with a series of vignettes dealing with the Taker's life in the enclave.
Players do best to imagine guiding questions for the vignettes, new wrinkles to add to Dependents
they may be playing, and scene ideas for their characters. Without these vignettes, characters take
expensive hits to Humanity.
Equally powerful is the exploitation of spots. Knowing ways to play an NPC client or
complicate the life of a PC for some extra Will are both vital to a character's survival. Planning out
dramatic scenes beforehand is further incentivized by the Interlude mechanic (p.XX) which
exchanges the unpredictable dangers of a Loss encounter for the unpredictable emotional toll of
human interaction. Fleshing out a Taker dramatically can mechanically assist the physical survival of
the whole group. Since Red Markets is here to tell a story of economic horror, it makes such trades
enthusiastically.
Finally, player-designed scores (p.XX) require the group to exert a lot of creative effort
building up the setting. Because of this, scores can be some of the most lucrative jobs possible, free
as they are from the compromises of negotiation. Thinking about the enclave, the surrounding area,
and the Loss as a whole in-between game sessions creates financial rewards for the characters, in
addition to the satisfaction any player feels when contributing to the narrative.
Takers have a number of skills on the character sheet, but players ultimately only have two
relevant areas of expertise: creativity and communication. These capabilities make and break game
groups every day. If the character sheet depicts the most inept, unlucky, and suboptimal PC ever, a
creative player can still wring a good game out of it. Most RPG systems implicitly reward players
according to investment in the setting in the form mechanical bonuses, narrative shortcuts, or
quality of the experience. This has been the case since the inception of RPGs, and to eliminate the
impact of creativity on an adventure's success is to remove the core pleasure of an RPG by putting
the game on rails.
Red Market wants to reward players that think about their characters in their off-hours. It
wants to reward them explicitly, using as many incentives as possible. If people arrive to game night
prepared, suggesting lots of scores and scenes, the game is working as intended.

Z3. Fast Play

By minimizing preparation for the GM and rewarding player engagement, the final result
should be a game that steadily progresses forward. The one-and-done rule, scam system, and player-
facing checks in combat reduce chances for player dithering and mathematical distractions.
Dramatically, scenes that lose focus can be steered towards clear mechanical goals such as regaining
Humanity or fulfilling an Interlude prompt. Whether the unit be Legs, charges, Shamble, or Haul,
the game's measurements are defined by their narrative economy rather than their physical
quantities, and each term's effect on the characters is clear.
Taken together, an optimal game should start quickly, provide frequent creative
opportunities for the players, and progress quickly towards the contract's goal.

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Z1. Job Creator
The story of lives are shaped by the material circumstances that surround them. The Market
generates those circumstances. The demands of the Carrion Economy remain constant, so the
components of each adventure written for Red Markets have been standardized. This section defines
the elements of a game session, provides tools for generating their content, and empowers Markets
to design their own terrifying and profitable ventures.
For the sake of clarity, let's nail down a few terms essential for any Market's vocabulary.

Client: any NPC character offering to pay a crew of Takers to perform a task. Clients are
unique as NPCs because they are stated out with spots
Contract: a game session in which the characters have agreed to perform a task for a client
in exchange for a negotiated price. In economic terms, contracts fall into the services category. Even
where goods or assets are involved, Takers are compensated for retrieval rather than the items
themselves. In game terms, contracts are plot hooks devised by the Market and presented for players
to choose from.
Equilibrium: Roll Red and Black. Separately, the numbers describe the price of a good or
service in the Red Markets world on a Supply/Demand chart. Add the numbers together. That's the
starting price when negotiating a contract for services, or the price per unit when planning a Score.
Job: the general term for a play session. Regardless of goods or services, the players get
together on game night to put their characters through a job.
Job Line: a string of jobs offered by a single client. Together, they develop an episodic story
that forms a major plot thread in extended play and affects the setting. See "Long-term
Investments" (p.XX) for an explanation of job lines.
Market Forces: any NPC violently opposing the PCs whose actions are dictated by the
Market.
Score: a game session largely planned by the players in which the Takers fight to secure
some asset or good to trade with a buyer. In economic terms, scores focus on goods. The price of
the job is determined by the supply/demand equilibrium, liquidity, and the PCs ability to manipulate
the economy. In game terms, scores are planned collaboratively and skip the negotiation
requirement in favor of offloading goods to a wholesaler.

Z2. THE GOLDEN RULE

Risk = Reward
A more expensive job should have more cagey Clients, more bloodthirsty competition, more
travel time, more casualties, and more unpredictable complications. Takers that return from the Loss
uninjured should be hurting in their wallets and toxic to their Dependents. Those that come back
broken, bleeding, and sobbing should be rich. There can be exceptions: crews can get lucky or get
screwed. But, generally, big money should mean big problems.
When in doubt, assess what the Takers are doing. If it provides a reward, ensure they are
risking something to earn it. If the characters are already risking something, how can the Market
quantify a reward for their actions, either financially or emotionally? If neither is true, offer
something the Takers want, but lock it behind a risky situation.
No matter what part of a job you're in, keep the risk = reward rule in mind and the game
stays on track.

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Z2. Workplace Essentials
Of course, Markets aren't limited to designing adventures using only the following elements.
But in a game of economic horror, the workplace essentials cover the moments a players need if
their characters are going to be challenged and defined by the setting. Since the essentials are so
important to the gameplay experience, the elements are defined here in the order in which they
typically occur during a play session. This standardization eases preparation, streamlines pre-
generated scenarios, and establishes a procedure for when groups decide to design jobs
collaboratively.
But don't mistake workplace essentials for a full-blown prescription. Markets are encouraged
to fill in each section as creatively as they wish. If you have to treat it like dogma, think of the
essentials like jazz changes; the standard chords change in a set order and time, but there's still a hell
of a lot of room for innovation.
What's presented here should be considered the most useful tools for making a compelling
one-shot job, components that fit well into any session of Red Markets. Markets with a grasp of the
essentials can move on to "Contracts" for some inspiration (p.XX). For information on player-
designed jobs, check out "Scores" (p.XX). For campaign play, check out "Long-term Investments."
Finally, experienced Markets looking to add some additional complexity to their games should check
out the "MBA Rules" (p.XX).
As stated previously, readers to have an understanding of "Playing Red Markets" before
continuing. The rules are assumed learned for the remainder of this chapter.

Z3. Essentials At-a-Glance

Think of the essentials as a list of questions. You write enough answers to come up with a
job's premise, and then the whole group plays through to discover the rest.

1. Goods and/or Services

How are the Takers going to be paid? If they are securing goods to sell -- either to a
wholesaler or through their own business -- that's a Score (p.XX). Scores are collaboratively
designed scenarios made by the group and the Market. The group is paid in the equilibrium price per
unit. If the Takers are performing a service for a client, that's a contract (p.XX). Even if goods are
involved (such as retrieving something for the client), anything involving services counts as a
contract. Takers bid for contracts and get paid according to the best price they can negotiate with
the client

1A. Equilibrium
For contracts, roll 2d10 for equilibrium prices. Add the numbers together. The result the
starting price in negotiations for Contracts and the bounty-per-unit price for scores. The Market
consults the Supply/Demand chart to explain the economic situation that resulted in the
equilibrium.

2. Economy
Describes the enclave, settlement, or community in the Recession where the job is offered.
How is the population governed? How do their laws and customs affect trade? What other
operations in the area compete or cooperate with them?

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 3. Client
Clients are NPCs that offer contracts (see "Negotiations" p.XX). What do they need done,
and why can't they do it themselves? Clients are stated out with weak, soft, and tough spots to be
exploited in negotiation. They might also carry a gift spot to sweeten deals.

4. Competition
Who else is in town looking for work? What's the crew's name and speciality? Are they local
or passing through? Friendly, professional, or hostile? The bigger the job, the fiercer the
competition. The only exception is job lines, which are initially offered as no-competition bids.

5. Travel Time
How many legs of travel does it take to reach the job site? The number of legs determines
the number of encounters the Market designs or rolls on an encounters table.

6. The Site
Where does the job take place? Why hasn't the place been looted yet? What task needs to be
completed there? How does the place make the job more interesting and difficult? What happened
at the job site during the Crash, and what has happened in the years since?

7. Complications
Something goes wrong. In the Loss, something always goes wrong. If disaster wasn't
inevitable, everybody would be a Taker. So what unpredictable obstacle arises, how can the crew
overcome it, and how does that make them cooler, tougher, or smarter than the average survivor?

Z3. Goods/Services
A Market's first task when writing up a job is to define what earns the Takers' compensation.
Are they selling a good, or performing a service?

Z4. Contracts: Adventure is a Service

If the Market presents a plothook and the PCs take it, that falls into the services category. All
services in Red Markets are classified as contracts, even when they intersect with goods. As a general
rule, if the Market had a big role in shaping a job, it automatically becomes a Contract. Only player-
designed jobs focus on goods, and those are called scores (see below).
The reason the Market deals exclusively in service jobs is because, by the very nature of
presenting a plothook in-character, they are joining the traditionally service-based economy of most
RPG plot hooks.
Throughout RPG history, most adventures have existed within a service economy by default.
Quest, task, and hero's journey archetypes fit the model inherently: go DO this thing for me. Think
about it. It's rare for a group of Dungeons and Dragons adventurers to dive into a crypt just to see what
they can loot. More often than not, they are sent at the behest of guild masters, princesses, or
mysterious old men lurking in taverns. These sword-and-sorcery types perform a service for the
community by clearing out the local monster infestations, and they are compensated with salvage
rights to whatever they find along the way. The service is the point; the goods are a perk. That's a
contract.
To use a more contemporary example, many cyberpunk RPGs might seem like a goods-
based economy because the PCs are selling stolen data and items. But the typical structure of a such
games has the group tasked to steal something by a fixer at the beginning of each adventure. The
group can't sell any goods because they retain no ownership of any goods and produce nothing.

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Economically, the fixer is the one stealing something, but he's subcontracting the theft to a third
party. That's a service, and it's the service that defines a those game's characters. Nobody goes to
cyberpunk hackers as the purveyors of fine software; that's the corporate business model. The
protagonist's adventures occur because they brand themselves as criminal service providers.
So, as a Market, if you are coming up with a job that your players might bid on, remember
they are being paid to perform a service. Express the job in terms of what they need to DO in order
to get paid. The task might be no more than picking something up and hauling it back, but the task
is what receives payment.
For jobs based around goods, let the players plan a score.

Z4. Scores: Be Your Own Boss

Cooking homemade pies, running your own clothing line, blacksmithing -- productive,
goods-based small business form the beating heart of most economies. They would also be dull as
hell to play through.
The Loss's production and manufacturing operations might be dramatically interesting, but
they lack the frightening action that makes a game of economic horror. Nobody wants to play
through the day-to-day drudgery of customer service or assembly lines. Thankfully, the carrion
economy allows players the same opportunity for creative expression small-business owners
experience without bringing all that tedious work to the gametable. Whereas some goods in Red
Markets are produced, most are recovered. If Takers can secure salvaged goods that meet a
community demand, they stand to make profit without an NPC client playing middleman.
When players want to sell goods directly to customers, they need to design a score. Unlike
contracts and services, it's not for the Market to tell them what the community needs and wants.
The PCs must be sharp enough to spot opportunity, bold enough to meet it, and creative enough to
survive. Those groups that want to be their own boss should design scores instead of bidding for
contracts.
Contracts are all about doing. Scores are all about having. Markets should make sure players
express exactly what they want to sell, where they are going to get it, and who they are going to sell it
to.

Z4. Example Goods/Services Write-up

Megan wants to design a new job for her group. Since Megan is designing it, she knows she's
making a contract: the players have to DO something in order to get paid by an NPC client. If they
don't like the price, they can bid for one of the other contracts Megan designed for that session or
create a score of their own (see "Breaking the GM Monospony" p.XX).
After some thought, Megan decides that slingshots would be in pretty high demand in the
Loss. They can accelerate projectiles fast enough to crack skulls, and ammo is as plentiful as gravel.
Salvaged wood or metal of any type could make tongs and handles, so they'd be easy to mass
produce. As a means of clearing Casualties off the fences, they'd allow enclavists to keep their
distance and turn the horrifying task into a game of marksmanship. The problem, she decides, would
be finding enough high-quality rubber to make the slings. But that's what Taker's are for!
Here's what she writes to prep for the game session:
"Menace, the Loss's foremost manufacturer of high-end slingshots, is having supply
problems. His rubber has gone cracked and dry, slowing production to a halt. Menace knew this day
would come. Through extensive research, he's discovered a manufacturer of baby toys that once
existed in the area: First Joys Inc. Before the Crash, the company was the biggest producer of pre-K
accessories in the United States, capable of producing thousands of pacifiers, teething rings, and
bottle nipples per minute. First Joys Inc. likely had enough rubber on site to supply his business until

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the T-minus Never, but there's no way Menace is going to risk getting himself killed hauling it back
to the enclave. He's looking for Takers to solve his problems before his business goes bust."

Z3. Equilibrium
Every good and service has an equilibrium: the price people are willing to pay. In the real
world, equilibrium is determined by a "Supply/Demand Curve." Demand determines the price.
Increase supply and demand drops. Increase demand and supply decreases. This is the most
fundamental principal in economics.

GRAPHIC: Supply/Demand Curve with a caption reading "Actual Supply/Demand Curve"

In its infancy, most economists assumed human beings were rational actors that always
pursued their best interests. As the related fields of sociology, psychology, and statistics advanced, it
became apparent that this was not the case. The sub-discipline of Behavioral Economics deals with
the irrational and surprising ways in which humans actually behave in markets. Branding, marketing,
governmental regulation, and cultural bias conspire to move prices away from supply/ demand
equilibrium. Artificial scarcity and inflated demand mean high supply/high demand goods are
possible.
So what does this mean for Red Markets?
It means Markets don't have to mess with any forecasting or complex math. Mathematically,
supply/demand should limit each other, but the carrion economy is a post-rational economy. Price
is determined randomly, but the supply/demand curve creates a narrative situation PCs must
manipulate to alter that price. In Red Markets, economics charts serve as plot hooks rather than
complex mathematical predictions
To determine an equilibrium price, the Market should do the following.

1. Roll the Black and Red.

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 2. Red equals Supply. Black equals Demand.
3. Add the two numbers together. This is the the equilibrium price (in bounty) for the
good/service. It's either the starting price for negotiations (contract) or the bounty-
per-haul of a good (scores).
4. If the characters made a successful Research check to learn the equilibrium, tell
them. If not, write a note in case the crew bids for that job.
5. Consult the supply/demand chart below. The intersection of Red and Black
determines the narrative situation required to manipulate the equilibrium price.

The chart summarizes each condition, but what do those number really mean? How does the
Market turn two random numbers into a setting and story? How do Takers exploit those conditions
for greater profit?

SIDEBAR: The Myth of Homo Economicus

Some readers may be have been taught that supply and demand determine prices entirely.
This is the crux of Adam Smith's "Rational Choice Theory." As Smith is the father of modern
economics, it's not surprising that cursory examinations of the subject focus on such an influential
thinker. However, history and a score of other economists teach us that rationality fails to model a
lot of markets. It would be more accurate to say that prices hinge upon perceived supply and demand.
For instance, diamonds are more common than people think. Alarmingly so. The De Beers
Group started a monopoly in the 1890s that, after snatching up every African mining claim possible,
agreed to only release a certain number of diamonds per year. This artificial scarcity inflated demand.
Diamond price fixing carried on for decades and was reinforced with a fortune in advertisement and
marketing. Eventually, entire generations came to understand diamonds as having intrinsic value:
rare symbols of love and commitment instead of shiny rocks with limited applications in
manufacturing.. Presently, even though a number of antitrust and human rights violations have done
much to dismantle the diamond cartel, prices remain high because of a traditional misconception.
Even those aware of the absurd prices are trapped by public perception. After all, if grandpa

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proposed to grandma using a third of his salary, but your fiancé buys an engagement ring at a 400%
discount (the average retail mark-up), your love is literally valued at less. It could be the exact same
ring, but that knowledge always subtracts from the experience. Rationally, diamonds are valued more
as a service than good: the stone administers a test that financially rates the buyer's commitment to a
relationship. It's a credit check for love.
Those that argue differently are entitled to their opinion, but any economist worth a damn is
going to understand those objections as a conditioned response the De Beers Group spent the
better part of a century programming into their consumers.
Behavioral economics revolves around the ways in which markets don't behave rationally. In
Red Markets, there's nothing to stop PCs from exploiting the human irrationality in a similar fashion.
But, as is the case with De Beers, the cost of such wealth might be one's soul.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Subsidiary
Subsidiary goods aren't kept in supply because there is so little demand. Subsidiary services
have few or no providers because of narrow profit margins. A lot of things became superfluous in
the wake of the Crash; subsidiary markets exist for commodities hovering just above the line of
totally useless.
Equilibrium in the subsidiary range isn't completely hopeless, though. Anything totally
without value wouldn't even be on the chart. Space inside an enclave is at a premium, as is the time
of its survivors. Extreme hardship repurposes or discards anything without utility, be they objects or
people. There's still some value, and the key to working a job in the subsidiary range is increasing
demand...or at least anticipating it.
For Markets: The most important thing to provide when a good or service lies in the
subsidiary range is an explanation. Why is this job valued so low? Often, the reasons are obvious.
For instance, vintage comic book collections don't have a lot of use in the apocalypse beyond
kindling. Other explanations might require more creativity. What if a score to secure drinking water
rolls a R1/B1 equilibrium? How can the enclave offer such low prices when such a vital resource is
about to run dry? Well, maybe the rainy season is coming and the public anticipates a surplus. Or
perhaps price gouging for goods as essential as water is frowned upon by the collectivist culture of
the survivors. The enclave's government could have even fixed the price of water with legislation.
Whatever the explanation, some reasoning as to why value remains low gives the players an idea on
how to manipulate the situation. Since it requires a lot of work to inflate demand for subsidiary
commodities, Markets should consider compensating groups taking low equilibrium jobs by
eliminating the competition. After all, who would want to risk trouble for so little pay off?
For Takers: Scams to raise equilibrium out of subsidiary range are simple: increase demand
by anticipating an increase in demand. This is called speculation. If the consumers can be convinced
that, at some point in the future, the good or service will be valued far higher than it is now, they
will pay in an attempt to get a deal. Use greed and a fear of missing out to get people to buy
something they don't need. The speculators increase demand by buying cheap, decreasing supply,
and creating a self-fulfilling property.
So, for instance, comic books aren't worth much to the Loss, but citizens in the Recession
will pay big for recovered masterpieces once the reclamation starts. Persuasion, Profession:
Advertisement, Deception, Criminality -- any number of skills could be used to create an artificial
demand for otherwise useless items.
Alternately, Takers can anticipate scarcity for goods with a high use value. If you hack into
enclave's e-copy of the Farmer's Almanac and change the predictions to drought, the price of water
might sky-rocket a week before record-setting rains.

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 SIDEBAR: Confused Players
Maybe your group wants to manipulate equilibrium but is stumped for ideas. Rather than let
them languish in confusion, Markets can ask for Foresight checks. After all, the characters have had
five years to learn the ropes, and their understanding of enclave economics is going to be superior to
the players'. Success provides some strategic information on how to manipulate the price using a
scam.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Flooded
Flooded goods and services were in high demand before everyone tried to get rich quick.
Now, the economy carries too much surplus for profits to remain high. Pricing remains highly
competitive, dropping constantly as businesses try to snag jaded customers. Dealing with flooded
commodities requires dealing in large quantities, driving out competition, or moving into a new
enclave suffering from deflated supply.
For Markets: Flooded goods and services make for a golden opportunity to define the
overall character of an enclave. Surplus goods are typically the first to be exported. The price of
seafood in a fishing village is next to nothing, but the same fish would be worth a lot in the deserts
of Utah. Similarly, mastered skill sets become the services for which a community is known. The
mechanics at the garage don't make much working on each others cars, but one desperate amateur
that comes for help can fund operations for months. Be it fishing villages or garages, places are
defined by their surpluses and specializations. So, in the instance of the flooded equilibrium, what
does this surplus say about the enclave the PCs are working? Did the community come into a recent
windfall, or have they always been known for this specific excess? Answering these questions for the
players is essential not only for scams, but as a way of immersing the group in the setting.
For Takers: Increasing the profitability of flooded economies can be as easy as finding
another buyer. Export excess and beat the enclave's low prices. For services, use Ubiq to contract
with enclaves lacking groups with the proper expertise.
Flooding the market even more can work as well, at least in the short term. Scores that
secure massive quantities of goods can be dumped on the enclave all at once in hopes economies of
scale make the narrow margins worthwhile. However, flooding an already flooded commodity runs
the risk of causing a crash and pissing off the many competitors in the field. Since repercussions are
likely in such instances, it might be better to sabotage competition outright, thus decreasing supply
and increasing demand.
Though difficult to pull off, a scam which creates artificial scarcity is the most sustainable.
Keeping stockpiles of goods hidden and secret can artificially inflate equilibrium, but schemes like
these require a lot of trust and cooperation amongst competitors.

Z4. Scarce
The platonic ideal of economic opportunity is scarcity. Hard-to-obtain goods and services
can be sold for a significant mark up until demand is met. Exploiting scarce markets requires speed
and liquidity. Every second spent meeting demand drives prices down and risks a flooded market.
It's often better to off-load wholesale rather than selling slowly and sacrificing the equilibrium. For
services, limited time offers work well to maintain a healthy margin, but expect competition the
second stories of success spread. In situations where scarcity is common -- such as the need for
timber in a desert -- really smart Takers do their best to establish stable monopolies.
For Markets: Much like the flooded category builds setting through surplus, places are
defined by what they need. Red Markets rejects the idea of self-sufficient systems. No one is a master

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of every skill, and no single community can support all the needs of all its people. Scarcity defines an
enclave's imports, critiques its leaders, and implies the surrounding geography. What does the
community need, and why can't they provide it themselves? An enclave in need of energy might be
located in a colder climate where the cost of heating the enclave is a constant drain on resources. A
well-defended ammunition factory might be so specialized it possesses no means of growing its own
food. Whatever the scarcity, it says something about the enclave that suffers from it, and the PCs
become that much more well-defined through their unique ability to provide for that need.
For Takers: With low-supply/high-demand goods and services, the negative impact of
competitors can't be overstated. Lost customers take a significant chunk of profit with them. Any
scams Takers can undertake to steal the other guy's base have the potential for major gains. Just
don't expect success to last long. Nobody in the Loss can afford to ignore opportunity, and the get-
rich-quick schemers fill any vacuum quickly. For ever competitor eliminated, expect two more to
take its place.
Monopolies fix the problem of competition, but the resentment of driving others out of
business magnifies ten-fold when Takers exert the kind of force necessary to drive everyone out of the
game. The risk to safety may not be worth the amazing gains of a sole provider position.
The most profitable scam in the short-term is provoking the enclave into a scare.
Anticipating an even greater scarcity to come for a high-demand good or service can provoke a glut
of spending. However, this is always followed by a much longer period of hoarding and economic
depression -- hard times a crew could be blamed for if their manipulations become common
knowledge. Takers should think long and hard before inciting a scare; such scorched-earth economic
maneuvers won't win them many friends.

Z4. Volatile
A volatile equilibrium lives the impossible dream: a high-demand price with deep reserves of
supply. For some reason, the situation has momentarily escaped economic law. People are buying,
and no matter how much they consume, prices remain the high. Takers that can exploit volatile
goods or services are well on their way to escaping the Loss, but everything becomes a matter of
timing. The market must eventually correct itself, adding competition and reducing prices rationally.
In the worst case, the bubble doesn't so much deflate as it explodes, causing a crash large enough to
destroy entire enclaves. Getting rich quick means getting out before it's too late.
For Markets: There are only two situations that explain volatility in an enclave: monopoly
and speculation. Neither is sustainable long term, but both make for fantastic story conflicts. In the
case of monopoly, the only way to keep prices high without scarcity is to control the entirety of the
supply. This means that, before the PC Takers arrived, somebody has already sown up all goods and
services within that area. There's no way someone else hasn't already tried to get at those sweet
profits, which means that the cartel has some means of enforcing their claim. Any group of Takers
trying to horn in on volatile profits have just asked the Market to create a new antagonist for them.
Though it may seem safer, the thugs and threats of a monopoly are actually preferable to
wild speculation. If everyone in the enclave is getting in on the action, it means massive scarcities or
increases in demand have been predicted. In such instances, there's no outcome that doesn't end in
economic disaster. Does the predicted scarcity happen? Now everyone is hoarding their goods,
leading to a recession. Does the predicted scarcity never arrive? The exact same situation occurs,
only now because there isn't enough demand. And what if increased demand doesn't meet
expectations? The real-estate crisis, the tech bubble, beanie baby collection -- history is littered with
microeconomies destroyed by such speculation. Markets that roll high Red and Black need to
answer a few questions: what caused this economic anomaly, how bad is going to get when the
market corrects itself, and will the PCs be able to escape the blowback?

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 For Takers: Working in volatile goods and services means deciding where to take the hit.
Do you want the pain now or later? If the answer is the latter, run scams that utilize the resentment
the populace likely feels towards their economic captors. For instance, let's say the local enclave is
run by a cartel that controls all the available drinking water. Everybody hates the Water Barons, so
they'll be happy to keep their mouths shut if your group starts selling jugs for a discount on the edge
of town. But no matter how secretive the populace might be, word is going to get out once profits
start to drop. Expect retaliation. In fact, retaliation is so certain as to suggest a pre-emptive strike.
Why wait for the Water Barons to counter-attack when the Takers could kill them and take over the
racket? As before, blood will spill...it's just a matter of who strikes first.
If there's no monopoly to break up, speed is the key. Run scams to reinforce the prediction
of coming scarcity or demand. Whip speculators into a fervor and try to cash out before the
inevitable crash.

Z4. Example Equilibrium

Megan can wait to set the equilibrium for her job until right before negotiations start, but
she knows her players won't even talk to Menace if the price ain't right. She also doesn't like to
improv much and would prefer some time to think about how to describe the situation to her
players. Megan decides to determine the equilibirum early and record it in her notes.
Megan rolls B10/R5. That means negotiations with Menace start with 15 bounty on the At
Value box of the Sway tracker (see p.XX). On the supply/demand chart, that puts retrieval jobs at
the cusp between Scarce and Volatile. Megan figures that means retrieval of raw materials was once
rare and dearly-priced service, but now the word in out. Other Taker outfits want in on the huge
profits retrieval crews have been raking in. The retrieval economy is tipping towards speculation and
a possible crash.
If Megan's players want to scam the equilibrium price higher, they'll need to scare off the
amateur Takers looking to horn in on their business. Or they could slander them, marketing their
own crew's experience
What Megan actually ends up writing in her notes is "R5/B10. 15 bounty At Cost. Barely
Scarce. Discourage competition to raise."

Z3. Economy
If there is a god cruel enough to rule the Loss, his name is capitalism. But though the
apocalypse has allowed for forgotten heights of exploitation, it's also reintroduced diversity. There
are numerous flavors of capitalism adopted by different communities, and each can have a major
effect on how jobs are bid and prices set. Furthermore, the isolation and autonomy of certain
enclaves allow for experimental economies completely divorced from the capitalist model. Takers
face a whole new set of challenges when dealing inside these alien systems.
The mechanics of Red Markets remain based solely on a desperate form of disaster capitalism,
so the effect of different economies on the game remain purely narrative. But this doesn't mean
describing the material philosophy of an enclave should go ignored. Defining the economic
landscape is one of the best tools a Market has to get players invested in a unique, immersive setting.
What follows are brief definitions of macroeconomic types an enclave's economy can be
based on.

SIDEBAR: Economy in Extended Play

Markets running extended campaigns only have to answer the economy question once.
Fleshing out an enclave covers all the necessary material and more. Since campaigns are based

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around the Takers' home enclave, the economy only changes if PCs take the show on the road or
migrate. Eliminating the economy step in writing contracts is one more way to streamline Market
preparation, making it easier to offer players a choice of multiple contracts per session.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Mixed
If you're reading this, chances are you are living in a mixed economy. Mixed economies are
still fundamentally capitalistic, but they reign in the chaos of a completely free market with anti-
capitalist regulations. Whether a government lies on the less or more side of the regulatory spectrum
defines the majority of all existing political entities.
Though Americans typically refer to modern China as a communist country, in truth they
utilize a mixed economy just like the the USA. China's "communism" is a differing regulatory system
that favors the government over the individual, but citizens still choose their employment, set their
own prices for the majority of goods, and compete amongst each other in markets where the state
hasn't established a legal monopoly. When China compels economic inputs from the populace, it is
with the force of law and serves as a defining characteristic of their communism. So, for instance, if
the state desires to flood your town to build a dam, it can legally compel the "sale" of the land
through censure and use of force.
The United States, in contrast, has a much more lax regulatory system, but people still pay
income tax, insider trading is still illegal, and toxic waste dumps can't be built next to preschools.
These regulations limit capitalist enterprise and, therefore, aren't capitalistic. When the United States
wants to compel economic inputs from the populace, the law is not always on the side of the state
and protections exist that favor the individual. However, as history has shown, just because
compelling the private citizen isn't as easy as it is in China, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen all
the time in the US. If Uncle Sam wants to flood your town to build a dam, it can bankrupt you with
decades of court cases, rezone your home until its an unlivable hellhole, buy your debt just to
"renegotiate" your collection terms, or claim eminent domain to purchase the land for pennies on
the acre.
Pure capitalism, or lassiez-faire capitalism, is as rare as totally controlled systems, largely
because both economies tend to destroy themselves once they reach a certain scale. Most long-term,
functioning economies are mixed. Whether these mixed economies should lean further towards free
markets or planned economies is the origin of almost all political doctrine.

Z4. Lassiez-faire
Laissez-faire, or "let it be," is the argument that economic forces should be free of all
governmental interference and only governed by Market forces. Taken to its extreme, this takes the
form of anarchocapitalism: economic systems ruled solely by individual self-interest and assuming
what Smith called "spontaneous order." A more generous term used to describe these economies are
"market economies."
Some would say that modern-day Somalia and the historical Wild West are examples of
anarchocapitalism in action, but both are strawman arguments. Nothing about the chaos in Somalia
is intentional. It's a failed state, not a hands-off state ethos. Similarly, the Wild West's lawlessness
came from it being an unincorporated territory. The USA was already mixed economy by that point,
albeit barely (slavery is the definition of state-compelled economic input). The "wildness" came from
a failure of policy enforcement rather than a policy of noninterference. As manifest destiny
progressed, the regulatory powers of the United States were implemented with violent and terrifying
force, especially if you happened to be a Native American.
The ethics of laissez-faire capitalism have been under critique since the term was coined, and

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the degree to which a state can exist at all while still claiming a laissez-faire economy is a source of
constant debate in libertarian circles. But there are better places to read those arguments than an
RPG book.
Suffice it to say that, for the purposes of Red Markets, laissez-faire refers to the ideological
extreme, if only because it makes for more dramatic games. If the Takers are dealing with well-
meaning libertarians, describe their enclave as a mixed economy with an independent bent. But if the
Takers are dealing with a lawless, might-makes-right post-apocalyptic gangsters, call it laissez-faire.
The dangers of such economies are obvious, but profit comes easy for those ruthless enough to
seize it.

Z4. Controlled
A controlled economy monopolizes all forms of production and capital for the state. Even
the most basic aspects of labor are dictated by the government. Feudalism enforced these rules
through rigid caste systems and iron-clad codes of inheritance. Communist disasters such as Mao's
cultural revolution and present-day North Korea use absurd vocational reassignment to kill all
economic specialization, retarding growth by forcing trained doctors to harvest crops and similar
nonsense.
This is not to say that all communism or socialism is monstrous. No mixed economy system
provides for all its citizens equally. In every capitalist system, there exist exploited, disenfranchised,
and oppressed populations, and more humane regulation is essential for social justice. Furthermore,
the degree to which it is even possible to "control" an economy is a matter of contention, as even
the most totalitarian of regimes develop extensive, anarchocapitalist black markets.
Like laissez-faire, the exact moment when government regulation tips into too much regulation
is a matter of political debate beyond the scope of this game. If Takers are dealing with perfectly
rational cultural Marxists, describe the economy as mixed with a socialist bent. But if Takers are
dealing with dictators or corporate-controlled dystopias, use controlled economy in the pejorative
sense. It's more interesting to play against an entirely antagonistic economy, and the potential to
profit off its inevitable black market rewards players for the added risk.

Z4. Other
For extreme deviations from mixed economy capitalism without negative connotations, refer
to those systems with their own names. Markets hurting for idea can find examples of experimental
economies detailed in "Contract Generator" (p.XX). Whether using an economy from the book or
designing one's own, Markets should remember that the mechanics of Red Markets are steeped in
capitalist ideology. As such, dealing with experimental enclaves should add a step of translation to
the narrative.
For instance, if the town of Pelt only has a barter system, the players face the additional
challenge of turning their fees into a list of easy-to-fence goods. Conversely, a town of Odoists
completely divorced from the idea of possession require an extra set of negotiations before they'll
even agree to compensate the Takers at all, not to mention how much. Unless they want to move
there and retire, Takers working inside experimental systems can only expect more obstacles
standing in the way of their bounty. Nothing frees them from the ruthless demands of the carrion
economy.
The nightmare of a Taker is living through the world's end and watching capitalism carry on
without it. If they somehow escape the cycle of scarcity, the game can still be good...it just can't be
Red Markets. So if the players want to start the revolution and build the worker's utopia, good for
them! But the charge system isn't going to make much sense after that, nor Buy-a-Roll, nor any
other mechanic for a game about economic horror. Make the triumph of the proletariat a retirement

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goal; this game is for the grinding struggle against poverty necessary to get there.

Z4. Example Economy Write-up

Megan is running a one-shot, so she'll need a short description of the enclave she wants to
locate her contracts in. She decides that since Menace needs industrial quantities of rubber, his
slingshot operation is probably fairly large. Specialized manufacturing implies deep specialization, so
that means this enclave has to have some system in place to feed itself while some people spend all
day making improvised weaponry. After some thought, she writes up the following.
"Menace operates out of 'Home.' Once a national distribution center for a major hardware
store, survivors have painted over the remainder of the defunct company's name and turned the
warehouse complex into a thriving industrial enclave. Using the wealth of tools and materials on site,
Home specialized in manufacturing, machinery, and construction services. The lumberyards (their
content long since burned or used in fortifications) have been converted into farmland to support
the populace. However, the acreage inside the fence is barely enough to sustain the population and
requires constant care. Home is a mixed economy that's major regulation is a variable labor tax on all
full-time residents. Anyone wanting to stay in the enclave must devote 60 hours a week to the care
of its agriculture, fortifications, and cleanliness. Other means of economic production are
encouraged by the option to buy off portions of the labor tax with bounty. Enterprises that attract
enough trade to Home reward their owners by buying off time tending the fields. Though good for
the enclave's bottom line, the ability to buy off all responsibility for menial labor has led to a stark
class divide. The only thing that keeps Home's serfs-by-another-name from revolution is mayor's
even-handed enforcement of policy: the second someone comes short on their bounty payments,
they find themselves back digging dirt and planting seeds."
It should be noted that for any other contracts Megan offers to the characters while they are
at Home, she won't have to rewrite the economy section. The macroeconomic situation won't be
changing on account of one job, and this description will remain accurate until the players move or
something affects the enclave as a whole.

Z3. Client(s)
Contracts need clients offering to compensate the Takers for their services. These NPCs are
more than a collection of hit points and weapons. Each client has enough disposable income to
escape the Loss but, for some reason, does not. Perhaps they're citizens and exploiting homo sacor as
cheap labor. Maybe, like the Takers, responsibilities to their loved ones anchor them in hell. Or they
could be ideologues, too proud or comfortable in their new lives to suffer the indignities of the
cowardly Recession. Whatever the reason, clients possess out-sized personalties with more power to
shape the Loss than any weapon or army. They're movers and shakers destined to come out on top
of any deal, unless Takers figure out how to turn their egos against them.
Markets can dedicate however much effort they want to describing a client, but all that's
really needed to get the game rolling are the spots. NPC spots differ slightly from PC spots because
their uses are limited to negotiations, but each descriptor covers roughly the same information.

• Weak Spot: a pervasive character flaw or blind spot that can be used to provoke a
reaction
• Soft Spot: a point of sympathy or positive bias that can be exploited to manipulate
behavior
• Tough Spot: instead of an explanation for the character's survival (unlike PCs), a
client tough spot represents a certain demand for the contract under bid. What

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 makes this job something the client can't do personally? Why do they need specialists
instead of regular employees?

Finally, clients get one more spot than no PC has: the Gift.

• Gift: particularly wealthy clients can afford to give away pieces of useful equipment
to their contractors as a means of gaining extra Sway in negotiations.

SIDEBAR: Skipping Clients

Groups planning scores don't need clients; they need wholesalers. Hopefully, these
wholesalers are interesting NPCs (hopefully, all NPCs are interesting), but they don't negotiate.
Profitable scores are all about dealing in bulk, reaping the equilibrium price as much as possible. So,
when a group plans a score, they don't need to stat out a client's spot and the GM has even less
work to do.
Similarly, if the client has appeared before in campaign play, their spots don't change much.
One of the benefits of working a job line is knowing how to push the client's buttons. The only
thing that changes is the client's tough spot, depending on the specific requirements of the contract.
Like the economy element, extended play relieves the Market prepping a ton of a new material every
session, meaning the group gets more jobs to choose from with the same amount GM work.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Example Client Write-up

Megan writes the following description of Menace.
"Menace grew up rural with a gun-nut for a father. He hated the damn things: loud, smelly,
dangerous. This disappointed the old man and his redneck friends to no end. The only thing he ever
found to alleviate the mark on his character was other forms of marksmanship. Leave the shotguns
and rifles to everybody else; if you wanted someone to teach you how to bowhunt or throw a
tomahawk, you went to Menace. A hobby became a survival skill during the Crash, and suddenly
weapons that didn't need a reload seemed like a great business decision. The man's hobby of absent-
mindedly whittling slingshots turned into one of the more profitable businesses in all of Home."
Megan knows she doesn't need to write that much, but she like to get into the heads of her
characters. Now she has to think up some spots the PCs can use to push her client around in
negotiations. She figures that, though successful, the slingshot mogul can't afford to hand out gifts,
so she skips that one. That leaves her with the following:

"Weak Spot: Hit Your Mark"

The discipline required to master archaic tools of marksmanship has left its mark on
Menace. He has nothing for scorn for quitters and sloppy execution. If the Takers can make
themselves seem like keen, precise professionals, he'll be more likely to give them a good price.
Alternately, they could paint the competition as spray-and-pray amateurs to achieve the same effect.

"Soft Spot: Odd Ducks"

Menace was a country kid that hated guns. He also prefers rap music to country. This didn't
stop him from wearing wranglers, attending rodeos, and fitting in other ways, but he'll always have a
soft spot in his heart for people that don't quite fit the mold. Show Menace you're a round peg in a
square hole and he'll be sympathetic.

"Tough Spot: Farming is Beneath Me"

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 Menace didn't work so hard building his slingshot business just to have it go belly up and
leave him a lowly field hand. Despite his humble beginnings, success in the Loss has left the man
snobbish and soft. The rubber shortage has him backed into a corner, and playing on Menace's
desperation to maintain his station is good for extra Sway in negotiations.

Z3. Competition
Aside from simulating a free market, NPC competition exists as a way to define the PC
crew's ethos. Are they untrustworthy profiteers, sabotaging others frequently, or out-and-out
warlords that eliminate financial threats with a gun? Do they keep things professional, trusting their
reputation to beat out the bargains offered by other desperate crews? Do they see all Takers as allies
alienated only by circumstance, a guild of master craftsmen that fakes animosity to play the rubes in
the crowd?
The ways in which a group reacts to their competition does a lot to shape the enclave's
perception of Takers and generate + and - Rep spots. The amount of competition also gives the
Market a tool for communicating a job's difficulty in-game; a contract with multiple competing
crews must pay big and, therefore, be quite dangerous. Negotiators should be grateful for NPC
competitors because it gives them an easy prompt for persuasive appeals; slandering the other guys
is the world's oldest form of advertisement, and rival Takers with their own vivid brand personality
can inspire negotiation tactics for those that might otherwise be stumped. Finally, it's important to
provide competition to spread the work of negotiating prices around the group. While scams offer
everyone an opportunity to shine in the pricing of contracts, intimidating, sabotaging, or eliminating
competitors occupies characters that may prefer action over words in nonetheless vital business
roles.

SIDEBAR: Competition in Extended Play

As long as the PCs don't murder everyone to prevent an undercut, competition NPCs can
become recurring characters in any campaign, serving as professional acquaintances, frenemies,
consistent annoyances, sworn enemies, or all of the above. Like the economy element, one write up
for competition can serve for a whole campaign, and established NPCs can later be combined with
new competition on particularly attractive contracts. It's one more element that speeds up
preparations and enables Markets to offer a wide array of options to the players every session.
Furthermore, job lines offered by recurring clients don't suffer from competition. The trade-
off for the client knowing the Taker's spots already is luring them in with a no-contest bid. This
balances the negotiation mechanics to keep repeat business profitable and further relieves the
Market of further writing responsibilities.
END SIDEBAR

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Competitive Market

To make the game more difficult, the Market can roll a 1d10 of any color. On a even
number, a contract only has one competitor. On an odd number, the contract has two different
crews trying to get the job. If the Takers don't do something to sabotage competition in their scams,
they might get undercut twice as the surplus of providers creates a bidding war. Alternately, the
Market can say the only one rival crew is undercutting the price; the other one is trying to sabotage
the PCs just like them. Add a complication and a few more die rolls to one Taker's scam as rival
crew tries to discourage the PCs from taking the job.
END SIDEBAR

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 SIDEBAR: Boom Rule: Labor Shortage
To make securing high-paying contracts even easier, the Market can roll a 1d10 of any color.
On an even number, the competition finds their own work and doesn't pursue the PC's chosen
contract at all. There's more than enough work to go around, and players that do their Prep Work
know they can focus scams entirely on the client. On a odd number, the competition tries to
undercut the job normally.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Example Competition Write-up

Megan's players are pretty new to Red Markets, so she doesn't want to throw a ton of hostile
competition at them yet. She decides that she'll only have one other group competing for contracts
this session. She'll make sure they're professional and not a fringe group likely to respond with
violence if they lose a job. Finally, since she's hoping her players will like the game enough to request
a full campaign, she plans to communicate some aspect of the Dakotas setting she has in mind.
After giving it some thought, Megan writes her competition element:
"Counting Casualties (CC'd, to their friends) is visiting Home looking for work. Operating
out of Red Cloud, an enclave that arose from the local Lakota reservation, CC'd is run by a young
woman named Wasuya. She's renowned on LifeLines as one of the funniest Takers on the forums,
and she's been running a crew since the Crash came down. CC'd is perhaps the most likable crew in
the whole Loss, if not the most profitable. They're what's referred to as a "non-profit outfit:"
subsidized Takers that return 100% of their profits to the home enclave. The residents of Red Cloud
have no desire to escape to the Recession or be converted into a Settlement -- most had quite
enough of the US government even before the Crash -- and the proceeds of each contract gets
dedicated to improving the enclave's infrastructure. Since they're playing such a long game, Wasuya
consistently puts the welfare of her crew above the demands the job, walking away from profitable
contracts on more than one occasion to protect her team. When they do complete a job, it's always
pleasant and professional, but their "nice guy" brand hurts the crew's chances with nervous clients,
losing them as many contracts as it gains."
Since CC'd is looking for any work Home has to offer, they'll serve as the competition for
every other contract on offer this session. Megan doesn't have to write a new competing crew for
every job, allowing her to provide multiple opportunities to her group with little extra effort.

Z3. Travel Time

Job sites rarely share the same location as the Takers. If they did, why hire anyone?
Traveling to the necessary site is one of the greatest dangers Takers face. The Loss is brutal
and unpredictable, plagued by wandering Casualties, severe weather, and unhinged survivors. But it's
also stuffed with bounty just waiting to be salvaged, and commutes can sometimes pay more than
the jobs they serve. No amount of preparation can predict whether an crew is destined to feast on
the carrion economy or be consumed by it.
So as not to require detailed maps and calculations of average land speeds, distance in Red
Markets is calculated in Legs. Legs measure units of story rather than distance. Every Leg constitutes one
encounter or Interlude scene, and it costs each Taker one charge of rations to continue the journey. Markets can
dictate each Leg represents an hour of walking, the distance travelled between breakfast and lunch,
or an entire's day hike. Whatever distance is convenient for the story the Market is trying to tell,
that's measured in Legs.
Markets remain entitled to create new Legs for any score and contract they run, but the
"Loss Encounters" chapter alleviates (or completely relieves) that responsibility for the busy GM.
Creative prompts for dramatic and procedural scenes are one dice roll away, and over 100 pre-

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generated situations challenge players with the capricious cruelty of the Loss.

SIDEBAR: Vehicles and Legs

Vehicles don't get miles per gallon; they reduce Legs in exchange for charges spent. Vehicles
can't reduce the number of Legs beneath one, but that Leg becomes a "Vehicle Leg." Depending on
the type of conveyance used (land, sea, air), there's a different tables to generate encounters fitting
the situation.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Example Travel Time Write-up

Megan likes using the tables, and none of her players are familiar enough with the book to
be bored by its encounters. She makes a short note that the job site is three legs away. During play,
she'll roll the Red and Black, reads that entry from the encounter table, and runs her players through
the situation; no other preparation required.

Z3. The Site

The site is where the Takers go to get the job done. The site is the core of any contract or
score. It's the place where Takers triumph, profit, go mad, lose hope, and/or die. The names of job
sites get screamed as often during celebratory toasts as during night terrors and PTSD flashbacks.
Fortunes are made and lost at the site, depending on the whims of the Loss.
Many RPGs require the construction of detailed maps to serve as set pieces for action
scenes. Equally common is the required construction of MacGuffins, tools to motivate character
movement through intricate plots. Both of these creative elements are the primary appeal for would-
be gamemasters to run RPGs...but they also happen to take the most amount of time. Markets have
a lower cost of entry; the consumerist society in which we all live -- no matter how mundane an
individual's path through it may be -- serves as all the inspiration one should need for a job.
In Red Markets, the world we live in is the dungeon. The items people take for granted every
day are treasures. The enemies are made up of scared people competing for the resources, fanatics
gone mad from suffering, dystopian corporate and governmental agencies, and zombies. Three-out-
of-four times, antagonists can be adapted directly from the news. Specific knowledge and planning
based around this knowledge is something for which players should always be rewarded, but in this
instance, Markets don't have to break their backs coming up with all that information and
communicating it to the group.
Markets can invest as little or as much effort as they choose into world-building the site
where the job is to take place. One GM might invent a new state, fictional country, and alternate
timeline for their setting, rebuilding the "History of the Crash" section from the ground up. An
equally good game could be run from plot hooks as written in "Best Practices" and "The Loss" But
even that much effort isn't required. Designing a job for Red Markets is as easy as turning your
hometown into a zombie playground.
Every playtest of Red Markets was run using a real place in mind. Nursing homes,
megachurches, university recreation centers -- all provided complex challenges to the players,
rewarding their planning and preparation while still hiding dangers around every corner. And none
required the Market to get out a ruler and grid paper. Preparations were as simple as printing off
some blueprints from the internet.
Of course, Markets should prepare for a game in whatever way makes them feel most
comfortable, but the workplace essentials are about minimizing GM work so it's possible to present
players with an economy's worth of adventures from which to choose. What follows are directions
for the least labor intensive way to construct a job site and an example in action.

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Z4. Designing Job Sites
1. Think of a place that would house the good or service the Takers need (see
"Goods/Services" p. XX)
2. Search the internet for appropriate buildings, structures, or neighborhoods
A. An impressive amount of blueprints, floorplans, and blueprints are available
for free with a simple image search
B. Services such as Google Earth make entire real world neighborhoods
available as maps for players to use in play. Groups that use tablets and other
electronics at the table can keep constant track of where their players are at
the job site, or printouts can be used.
C. For jobs where an exact map of the location is unnecessary, look up
evocative photos to set the mood by searching terms like "ruin porn" and
"urban exploring."
3. Once a location has been found, create Taker copies and Market copies. For
printouts, these are literally copies. If using electronics, Markets should annotate
their copy on a personal device and have the default URL version be the Taker copy.
4. Markets should think about the following questions. Keep in mind, the answers
likely intersect with or decide the job's complication (see "Complications" p. XX)
A. What happened to this place during the Crash and pull back to Recession?
How can the history be "written on the walls" of this space so it is available
to the players?
B. What here, besides the main element of the job, is of value to my players?
Where is this value located? Mark this information on the Market copy. If the
players would be able to discover it, indicate important locations on the
Taker copy as well.
C. Why hasn't this location been stripped of its value before now? Was the
opportunity concealed before this job? Overlooked? Is it protected by some
danger only the players were brave enough to face, or have others tried
before and failed?
D. How does the map differ from the landscape? How would the archived
information available on Ubiq about this place differ from the reality of it
after five years in the Loss? In what ways could these unpredictable changes
challenge and surprise players? Mark the surprises on the Market copy, and
leave the players to discover the hard way.
E. During the game, reward paranoid and prepared PCs with Taker copies.
Allow and reward rational plans that exploit the terrain. But there are things
professional Takers can know (the Taker copy) and things no one could
predict (the Market copy). The difference is the difference between life and
death.

Z4. Example Site Write-up

Megan likes architecture. She wants her rubber factory to be the famed modernist Brynmawr
Rubber Factory. Though the building was really located in Whales, there's no rule saying she can't
transplant the building to her setting in the Dakotas. She decides to rechristen the complex the First
Joys Manufacturing Division and starts doing research.
Megan already thought of the type of place her goods would be located at when she made
the contract. A infant toy manufacturer would have to have extensive injection-molded rubber and

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plastic equipment. At one time, the real world Brynmawr Rubber Factory was one of the largest
rubber manufacturers in the world.
Megan is in luck. As a major architectural milestone, there are numerous blueprints,
floorplans, AND photos of the Brynmawr Factory available online. After identifying some basic
maps to provide her players, she finds that a number of urban explorers have trespassed on the
factory ground since its shutdown in the 80's. The pictures of the dilapidated interior and abandoned
machinery are unsettling and totally appropriate for any apocalypse. Megan prints a few of this
photos to help establish a mood, noting where they were taken on the floorplan when possible.
Megan's group likes to keep it low-tech at the table, least the dreaded phones make an
appearance and steal everyone's attention. She prints off a copy of the floorplan for every player and
a couple of pages of photos to set the mood. If PCs make a Research check, she'll give out the
floorplan. If someone makes a Foresight check, she'll let them know that the rubber is most likely
located in Factory C. Beyond that, the rest of the notes go on the Market copy.
It's time to answer some vital questions about First Joys. Most complications that can occur
during a job intersect with the job site, so Megan decides to figure out both elements at once. Here's
what she writes up:
"First Joys Manufacturing Division was abandoned before the Crash and left untouched
during the worst of the outbreak. As the government retreated and it became apparent people would
be left on their own, a group of former employees gathered up survivors from surrounding towns,
sourced supplies, and headed to the factory. The plan was to use the existing fencing and fortress-
like modernist architecture to form an enclave ironically name Bounce. The plan worked initially.
Scavenged food and medicine was rationed as the people worked to establish agriculture, and the
industrial equipment left behind was being refurbished to provide some trade with the other
enclaves popping up around the Loss. Everything was going fine until Bounce was infiltrated by a
cult of The Meek a few months after the Recession. The believers worshipped the Blight as a divine
salvation, viewing themselves as unworthy of the ascension and forced to 'spread the gospel' as
penance. Members of the Blight intentionally infected the main housing center of Bounce, poisoning
a stew with Casualty flesh. No one survived the resulting tide of Vectors. Now, the once hopeful
decorations and half-finished construction of the would-be enclave are only dusty ruins strewn
across the factory floor, casualties of long-dead victims shambling aimlessly among the dead
alleyways. On the plus side, there are numerous non-perishable goods available for salvage among
the remains of Bounce, such as vehicles, tools, and ammunition. However, reaching the rubber
supply and anything else of value requires descending into the undead-choked street of a dead
shantytown. To make matters worse, a few of the Meek survived the initial sabotage, staying behind
to tend the flock. These madmen haunt the catwalks above the factory floor, hanging perverse
totems made of scavenged children's toys and throwing kidnapped travelers into the hungry mobs
below."

Z3. Complications
There's no single word in english for the paradoxically shocking, yet somehow reliable, sense
of disappointment a crappy day at work can generate. We have to make do with Same Shit;
Different Day. It's a feeling everybody who has ever worked for pay can relate to, and the only
difference is that in Red Markets, it'll kill you.
Things WILL go wrong. That's the complication element
The complication is solely the purview of the Market. Even in player-designed scores, the
Market has to come up with the complication and spring it on the group. In many ways, it's the
whole purpose of the game. Readers are sadists, and the players are the readers. If their characters
aren't made to suffer exceptionally, they won't see an exceptional story.

243
 Though they inevitably make jobs harder, complications actually reward players for making it
to the job site. Gear and bounty are nice, but groups really appreciate an interesting wrinkle late in
the story. A good complication seems simultaneously obvious and impossible to predict, touching
on every element of the job previously established without being obvious. It could be a secret the
client was trying to hide, an unpredictable antagonist inhabiting the job site, or an act of god.
Whatever complication the Market writes, the goal is to make the surviving PCs feel
powerful and tough for overcoming it. Any fool with more balls than brains can make a buck in the
Loss; overcoming unforeseen complications is what separates the amateurs from the real Takers.

Z4. Example Complication Write-up

Obviously, the complication has to revolve around the believers and their victims in the
forgotten enclave Bounce. Megan decides the Meek's unique brand of ritualized serial murder
probably doesn't attract a lot of converts. It also suggests a pretty unhealthy lifestyle. She decides
that only a few of the original saboteurs remain, but they've survived because of exception cunning
and savagery.
"The only living souls left at the plant sane enough to communicate coherently Ma and Pa,
and this sickly older couple leads a ground of three more Meek cultists leftover from the initial fall
of Bounce. If the Takers head directly into warren decaying tents and shanty's to retrieve the rubber,
they'll raise all the ladders to the catwalks, call their fellow believers from their hiding place, and fire
a sniper rifle from above. However, if the Takers head to the catwalks first, Ma and Pa introduce
themselves civilly. They impersonate Shepards instead of Meek, hoping to gain the characters trust
by highlighting the reverence for casualties both faiths share. A Sensitivity check reveals something
is off about the twitchy older couple. Takers that see the trap coming can interrogate the pair of
psychos with CHA skills. If forced to talk and promised something in return (escape, the survival of
their "babies," etc,) they reveal that a service tunnel beneath the complex opens near some crates
containing bars of raw rubber."

Z3. Completed Job Write-up

What follows is everything Megan needs written down to run her job. The whole thing
comes out to about 1000 words, plus a couple maps printed directly off the internet. If Megan
wanted to create more jobs and give her players a list of options, the additional write-ups could
recycle the economy and competition sections, requiring even less work to prepare. Everything else -
- be it casualty placements or encounters in the Loss -- can be generated by the dice.
Most pregenerated RPG scenarios hover between 5000 and 10000 words. Ideally, the same
amount of work in Red Markets makes for 5-10 full nights of gaming, or at the very least, players that
feel their characters' choices really matter in the setting.

BOXED TEXT

Contract: Don't Bounce Back

Goods/Services
Menace, the Loss's foremost manufacturer of high-end slingshots, is having supply
problems. His rubber has gone cracked and dry, slowing production to a halt. Menace knew this day
would come. Through extensive research, he's discovered a manufacturer of baby toys that once
existed in the area: First Joys Inc. Before the Crash, the company was the biggest producer of pre-K
accessories in the United States, capable of producing thousands of pacifiers, teething rings, and
bottle nipples per minute. First Joys Inc. likely had enough rubber on site to supply his business until

244
the T-minus Never, but there's no way Dennis is going to risk getting himself killed hauling it back
to the enclave. He's looking for Takers to solve his problems before his business goes bust.

Equilibrium
R5/B10. 15 bounty At Cost. Barely Scarce. Discourage competition to raise.

Economy
Menace operates out of 'Home.' Once a national distribution center for a major home
hardware store, survivors have painted over the remainder of the defunct company's name and
turned the warehouse complex into a thriving industrial enclave. Using the wealth of tools and
materials on site, Home specialized in manufacturing, machinery, and construction services. The
lumberyards (their content long since burned or used in fortifications) have been converted into
farmland to support the populace. However, the acreage inside the fence is barely enough to sustain
the population and requires constant care. Home is a mixed economy that's major regulation is a
variable labor tax on all full-time residents. Anyone wanting to stay in the enclave must devote 60
hours a week to the care of its agriculture, fortifications, and cleanliness. Other means of economic
production are encouraged by the option to buy off portions of the labor tax with bounty.
Enterprises that attract enough trade to Home reward their owners by buying off time tending the
fields. Though good for the enclave's bottom line, the ability to buy off all responsibility for menial
labor has led to a stark class divide. The only thing that keeps Home's serfs-by-another-name from
revolution is mayor's even-handed enforcement of policy: the second someone comes short on their
bounty payments, they find themselves back digging dirt and taking out trash

Client
Menace grew up rural with a gun-nut for a father. He hated the damn things: loud, smelly,
dangerous. This disappointed the old man and his redneck friends to no end. The only thing he ever
found to alleviate the mark on his character was other forms of marksmanship. Leave the shotguns
and rifles to everybody else; if you wanted someone to teach you how to bowhunt or throw a
tomahawk, you went to Menace. A hobby became a survival skill during the Crash, and suddenly
weapons that didn't need a reload seemed like a great business decision. The man's hobby of absent-
mindedly whittling slingshots turned into one of the more profitable businesses in all of Home.
Weak spot: Hit Your Mark
Soft spot: Odd Ducks
Tough spot: Farming is Beneath Me

Competition
Counting Casualties (CC'd, to their friends) is visiting Home looking for work. Operating
out of Red Cloud, an enclave that arose from the local Lakota reservation, CC'd is run by a young
woman named Wasuya. She's renowned on LifeLines as one of the funniest Takers on the forums,
and she's been running a crew since the Crash came down. CC'd is perhaps the most likable crew in
the whole Loss, if not the most profitable. They're what's referred to as a "non-profit outfit:"
subsidized Takers that return 100% of their profits to the home enclave. The residents of Red Cloud
have no desire to escape to the Recession or be converted into a Settlement -- most had quite
enough of the US government even before the Crash -- and the proceeds of each contract gets
dedicated to improving the enclave's infrastructure. Since they're playing such a long game, Wasuya
consistently puts the welfare of her crew above the demands the job, walking away from profitable
contracts on more than one occasion to protect her team. When they do complete a job, it's always
pleasant and professional, but their "nice guy" brand hurts the crew's chances with nervous clients,

245
losing them as many contracts as it gains.

Travel Time
3 Legs (to be rolled on the encounters table)

The Site
(Taker and Market copies of the Brynmawr Rubber Factory included)

First Joys Manufacturing Division was abandoned before the Crash and left untouched
during the worst of the outbreak. As the government retreated and it became apparent people would
be left on their own, a group of former employees gathered up survivors from surrounding towns,
sourced supplies, and headed to the factory. The plan was to use the existing fencing and fortress-
like modernist architecture to form an enclave ironically name Bounce. The plan worked initially.
Scavenged food and medicine was rationed as the people worked to establish agriculture, and the
industrial equipment left behind was being refurbished to provide some trade with the other
enclaves popping up around the Loss. Everything was going fine until Bounce was infiltrated by a
cult of The Meek a few months after the Recession. The believers worshipped the Blight as a divine
salvation, viewing themselves as unworthy of the ascension and forced to 'spread the gospel' as
penance. Members of the Blight intentionally infected the main housing center of Bounce, poisoning
a stew with Casualty flesh. No one survived the resulting tide of Vectors. Now, the once hopeful
decorations and half-finished construction of the would-be enclave are only dusty ruins strewn
across the factory floor, casualties of long-dead victims shambling aimlessly among the dead
alleyways. On the plus side, there are numerous non-perishable goods available for salvage among
the remains of Bounce, such as vehicles, tools, and ammunition. However, reaching the rubber
supply and anything else of value requires descending into the undead-choked street of a dead
shantytown. To make matters worse, a few of the Meek survived the initial sabotage, staying behind
to tend the flock. These madmen haunt the catwalks above the factory floor, hanging perverse
totems made of scavenged children's toys and throwing kidnapped travelers into the hungry mobs
below.

Complications
The only living souls left at the plant sane enough to communicate coherently Ma and Pa,
and this sickly older couple leads a ground of three more Meek cultists leftover from the initial fall
of Bounce. If the Takers head directly into warren decaying tents and shanty's to retrieve the rubber,
they'll raise all the ladders to the catwalks, call their fellow believers from their hiding place, and fire
a sniper rifle from above. However, if the Takers head to the catwalks first, Ma and Pa introduce
themselves civilly. They impersonate Shepards instead of Meek, hoping to gain the characters trust
by highlighting the reverence for casualties both faiths share. A Sensitivity check reveals something
is off about the twitchy older couple. Takers that see the trap coming can interrogate the pair of
psychos with CHA skills. If forced to talk and promised something in return (escape, the survival of
their "babies," etc,) they reveal that a service tunnel beneath the complex opens near some crates
containing bars of raw rubber.

END BOXED TEXT

246
Z2. Contracts
A play session of Red Markets is referred to generally as a job. All jobs contain some traces of
the previously mention "Workplace Essentials" (p. XX), From there, jobs come in two varieties:
contracts and scores. Contracts have two characteristics:

1. Contracts are services performed for clients. Even where goods are involved, Takers
are being paid a fee for delivering, securing, destroying, or otherwise performing a
service.
2. The Market designs contracts. The players choose which contracts they want to bid
on.

The reasons for the split between goods and services, Market and player responsibility, has
already been discussed (see "Goods/Services" p. XX). This section explains a few concerns special
to contracts and provides a tool for randomly generating them.

Z3. Market Fiat

The right of gamemasters to design the games they want to play is referred to as Market Fiat.
Red Markets contains a lot of tools to help randomize and democratize content generation; Markets
are encouraged to use these tools, but they are not required. In a contest between a story someone
wants to tell and what it says in the book, the individual story always wins.
So, for instance, if the Market has a very clear idea for a series of Legs to throw at the
players, the d100 table should be ignored in favor of a personal write-up. If the setting material
doesn't allow for the story of east coast Takers the Market was excited about, rework the setting so it
works. If the equilibrium price doesn't match what the Market feels would be fair, change the price
to fit the context.
The book is meant to be assist the construction of jobs when faced with a blank slate. It
shouldn't be used to override elements a designer wants to include in the job, so the right of Market
Fiat is always in effect.
If the players dislike the Market's choices, someone else can run the game, the group can bid
on a different contract, or the Takers can design a score all their own.

Z3. Contract Generator

Sometimes, Markets can be stumped as to what to offer next, especially if they're putting
multiple contracts up for bid every game session. Use the following d10 tables to spark some
inspiration and make jobs in a hurry. This section also serves as good list of options for players
stumped designing their own scores.
Randomly generated Legs to fill travel time can be found in "Loss Encounters" on p. XX.

Z4. Goods/Services Table

The goods and services tables can be use separately or together. If a goods description is too
vague to spark an idea, roll on the services table to narrow down the possibilities.

Goods Description and Prompts

1. Food and Water MREs, protein powder, canned goods, sports drinks. How has the
material gone so long without being salvaged or spoiled? How is it

247
 transported, especially heavy liquids?
Clothing, tents, shipping containers. Do the Takers need to transport the
2. Shelter
materials back or secure them until the client arrives?
Engine parts, sheet metal, lumber, rubber, plastics. What does the client
3. Raw Materials
need the material for and how might that inform the complication?
Guns, ammo, accessories, explosives, melee weapons, and specialized
4. Weapons equipment. What kept this in-demand good out of the Market until now?
Whatever protected or obscured the stash defines the job site
Wood, diesel, aviation gas, solar panels, batteries, uranium. Most enclaves
5. Energy and settlements ensure their energy needs are met first. What has caused
a shortage or an increase in demand?
Antibiotics, recreational narcotics, bandages, surgical tubing. Supplies are
easy to scavenge but drugs have a short shelf life. Five years after the
6. Medicine
Crash, what about this newfound supply is likely to cause the Takers
trouble?
Items of a collectable nature, intangible appeal, or of personal value to
the client. Films undistributed before the Crash, rare toys, classical
7. Speculative
artwork, historical artifacts. What kind of client would risk dealing with
intangibles in this day and age? Or is the buyer already lined up?
Cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, drones, combines, tractors. Have these
8. Vehicles assets gone overlooked so long, or have others tried to salvage them
before and failed for some reason?
Evidence, search algorithms, census rolls, deeds. Why does the client
need this information recovered. The Carrion Economy is still partially
9. Data an information economy. Is the client using secrets to gain the upper-
hand on a rival, or seeking to protect themselves from incriminating
truths?
Organ trafficking, corporate headhunting, kidnapping, closure jobs,
10. Human rescues, indentured servant escort. Human resources are inextricably
Resources tangled up with services and moral compromise. What kind hard choices
are this client's appetites going to force on the Takers?

SIDEBAR: Goods, Services, and Job Sites

The story of the job site depends on the goods found there and the services the space
demands. As such, there's no randomization table for job sites. Markets should come up with the
job's "Where?" after answering the "What?" "Why now?" and "How much?" questions of goods and
services.
END SIDEBAR

Services Description and Prompts

1. Scout Establish a trade route between locations, map a red zone in the Loss, or
find goods within a likely search area. What has kept the job site from

248
 being scouted until now? How does the uncertain nature of the locale
mask a complication?
Lure Casualties away from a vulnerable location or draw them near a
certain target. Perhaps the the term is meant literally and the crew has to
2. Decoy distract some authority while another group performs a dangerous task.
Do the Takers serve as both bait and trap, or must they cooperate with
another crew?
Recover goods not being utilized or reclaim assets left abandoned. The
3. Salvage story of how the opportunity became available is likely the story of the
job site and the complication.
Transfer something or someone safely into the client's possession. If it's
4. Escort a person, are they willing to go? What dangers specific to this instance
necessitate an armed escort?
Kill the casualties, ferals, or other creatures infesting a valuable property.
5. Exterminate What drew the nuisances there in the first place, and why does the client
need the problem wiped out right now?
Using knowledge of the victim's previous life and fate during the Crash,
track down and put a single casualty out of its misery. Clients only hire
crews for expensive and uncertain closure jobs due to extreme emotions,
6. Closure
but that emotion need not be love? Why must this specific monster die,
and what does that say about the client? Perhaps it is carrying the key to
something the client needs?
Destroy a functioning piece of infrastructure or stockpile of goods. Is
7. Sabotage this for the client's business or pleasure? Do the owners of the assets
know what's coming?
Get someone or something across a protected border, into or out of the
Recession, a settlement, a locked-down enclave, or hostile nation. What
8. Smuggle needs to be transported? Why can't it travel normally? Is the border
lockdown justified precaution or totalitarian paranoia, and how does that
affect the ethics of the Takers actions?
Gain intel by spying on some secretive or exclusive group. What secrets
9. Infiltrate is the group trying to protect? What opportunities do the Takers have
that the client can't utilize personally?
Kill a person or group of people for the client. Why does the client want
10. Eliminate the target dead? Why involve a third party? Does the target deserve it, or
is the pay too good to even ask?

Z4. Economy Table

The imports, exports, and geography informing the economy of an enclave or settlement
depend on the Market's vision for the setting. The three major classifications of economies can be
found in Workplace Essentials on p.XX. This randomizer prompts contract designers with
dramatically interesting mixed economies good for challenging player assumptions and creating
political intrigue.

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Economy Description and Prompts
The enclave is owned. Every square inch of it. The soil, the air, the fence, the
sun -- access to everything is taxed. A single owner or group of "lords" have
generously patronized enough powerful "knights" (read: criminal enforcers)
to stake their claim, but the majority of the population remain serfs. Nearly
the entire labor output of the community goes to serve the wealth of the
ruling classes, though they may invest in copious propaganda endeavors to
1. Feudal make the system seem more egalitarian, up to an including deifying those in
power. Production is used primarily to dissuade the constant threat of
eviction, and all other needs become secondary.

Whether the claim of ownership is legitimate or not is a moot point; might

makes right in any feudal system. But control isn't absolute. Feudal systems
are plagued by disputes over inheritance, social upheaval, and institutional
hinderances to innovation. The only people with enough surplus to hire
Takers will be the ruling class, but their grip on power is tenuous and prone
to paranoia. Do the Takers exploit the fear of revolution to raise their prices,
knowing that the people will suffer?
Cooperation is key in collectivist enclaves. Though individual property rights
still exist (i.e. my tent, my table, my chair), the means of production and
major infrastructure are owned by the entire community. The responsibility
for maintaining these assets falls to the everyone, and "rent" is collected in
the form of labor. Additional capital can be gained through business
endeavors owned privately, but the government ensures that each resident's
contributions to vital industries such as defense, agriculture, and
manufacturing are first fulfilled.

Collectivism is a double-edged sword. In small communities, the sense of

2. Collectivist
fairness and joint purpose leads to a better quality of life. Cooperation bleeds
into every facet of the culture, building robust social support structures.
However, the system grows increasingly susceptible to abuse as it grows.
Increased demands for subsistence goods puts a cap on labor specialization
and stifles innovation. The reliance on social shaming and cultural
enforcement creates a privileged class of bullies. Any hypocrisy is thrown
into sharp relief, and preventing the system's breakdown requires
increasingly harsh methods of oppression. Are the Takers working for a
genuine collectivist group acting in the community's best interests, or are the
clients gangsters armored in the guise of egalitarianism?
Theocracies are essentially collectivist economies that prioritize intangible
spirituality over the practical goods and services put towards the common
good. For instance, members of monastery still have an economy; they must
3. Theocracy trade goods and labor of various value amongst each other and outsiders to
survive. However, it's doubtful that an economist would regard the
construction of a cathedral or the carving of an icon in the group's rational
self-interest, especially without the possibility of tourism or other monetizing

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 options unavailable in the Loss. As the primary "export" of a monastery is to
worship, and sufficient structures already exist to support it, things like
charity and religious art waste capital. They might serve a larger
macroeconomic purpose, but a closed system dedicated primarily to
spirituality is destined for economic stagnation.

In a true theocracy, social capital is the only currency. The ability to projects
one's adherence to the doctrines of the faith is the only means of personal
advancement. As such, what little surplus capital a primarily theocratic group
has is managed by the most faithful. Takers will likely be hired if the job
expands the ranks of the community or deals with some imminent threat
they aren't capable of handling. But theocracy is even more vulnerable to
corruption than collectivism. As soon as someone gains enough social capital
to shape the religious narrative to selfish ends, such systems can devolve into
a tenacious feudalism.

Finally, the flavor of a theocracy is obviously informed by the faith that

dictates its political structure. What oddities of public policy are peculiar to
this specific sect of believers?
Due either to a large surplus of wealth or a dedicated volunteer class of
public servants, certain enclaves legitimately promise their residents life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Minimum income is a social welfare
program that assures everyone enough healthcare, food, and shelter to live.
That's it. Minimum income covers no discretionary spending whatsoever.
Meals may be disgusting, housing cramped, and medical care barely
sufficient, but no one gets to waste away, even if they've never worked a day
in their life. People that want a better quality of life work for it, creating
wealth for the community. All labor above the minimum income assumes
the property rights of a lassiez-faire market economy. The only controlled
aspects are access to the essentials and whatever institutions that maintain
that supply.

4. Minimum Citizens with assured minimum income enjoy a lot of labor specialization
Income and superior psychological health. Freedom from the fear of eviction and
starvation allow for a lot of innovation as people pursue their passions
within the safety net. The downside to such a system is sustainability. Those
that maintain whatever labor and production sustains the minimum income
may one day demand more compensation or cease their duties altogether.
Initial surpluses can dwindle, challenging the nobel impulses of the populace
with the harsh reality of scarcity. Finally, even effective minimum income
enclaves have serious immigration issues. They must employ total secrecy to
keep word of their charity from leaking to desperate refugees they can't
support. Failing that, a downright draconian immigration policy must be in
place, threatening serious violence to anyone violating the border and
carefully vetting any new citizens for necessary skill sets. That Takers have
been contacted at all means the enclave is desperate, or the crew is made up
of residents seeking to gain disposable income by risking their lives.

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 Owing either to a lack of access or confidence, barter economies do not
accept any of the currencies utilized in the Loss or the Recession. This could
also be a holdover from the post-apocalyptic thinking common immediately
after the Crash or a cultural manifestation of P.A.S.S. Regardless, this
economy trades only in the direct exchange of goods and services, with no
currency to mediate rates. Such systems are remarkably inefficient, volatile,
and prone to abuse, though the fixation on use value (e.g. worth is
determined solely by personal utility) is enough to perpetuate barter
indefinitely. Long-term distrust of currency, the political systems which
control it, and the people that accept it remains likely in this economy. Self-
reliance is highly valued in such cultures, and the occasional necessity of
5. Barter
outside contractors is resented.

The challenge of dealing with a barter economy is that, once a contract price
has been agreed upon, the players must express that price with a list of goods
from the gear list or in units of Haul for a single good. Essentially, this
makes the payout of a contract the physical take of a Score. Any goods not
used and incorporated into a character's upkeep must be transported to
another enclave not operating under a barter economy and sold. Fencing a
large amount of gear requires Networking and other CHA checks. However,
a series of successful checks can provide more profit as the negotiator gets
the fence to accept a higher mark-up.
Fractured enclaves without strong executive leadership descend into tribal
economies. Family usually delineates between tribes, but groups with
strongly held religious or political beliefs can fracture just as easily. The
demands of the Loss and limited geography of most enclaves force the
factions to interact, but trade is scarce and plagued by intense skepticism.
The political landscape demands each group seek wealth as much as they
sabotage the advancement of their rivals. Tribal economies are zero sum
gains, tending towards agrarian systems with roughly equal land shares or a
series of interconnected monopolies. If one group does manage to gain
enough power, their reforms adopt a more efficient model by dissolving the
opposing groups through economic incentive, coercive violence, or cultural
6. Tribal
assimilation.

Working inside a tribal economy is like navigating a minefield. Any Takers

hired from without instantly become targets for every other tribe in the
enclave. If the Takers are part of a tribe, they can expect "loyalty to the
family" as a constant excuse for inadequate pay. Working for a second tribe
will be viewed as betrayal, even for outsiders.

What led to this primitive tribal economy? How are the lines drawn? Are
relationships between factions confined to quiet resentment, or do the
Takers need to view other possible clients as potentially deadly competitors?
Humans naturally tend towards structure and order, so the design of
7. Anarchocapitalist
bureaucratic systems is often an enclave's first priority after they've assured

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 the means for survival. To exist at all, the majority of residents inside truly
anarchocapitalist enclaves must share an ideological resistance to any and all
control structures, no matter how seemingly well-intentioned they might
seem. Considering the deadly betrayals perpetrated by most governments
during the Crash, there is no shortage of survivors that believe government
is inherently evil.

Takers working for anarchocapitalists must learn to navigate the

"spontaneous order" of their systems. A truly laissez-faire enclave might risk
starvation, invasion, and death without developing any cooperative plans to
address the issues, trusting instead in the rational self-interest of their
neighbors and the guiding hand of the market. Security and police
organizations, if they exist at all, are privatized, just like every other facet of
vital infrastructure. But despite all this uncertainty -- or perhaps because of it
--anarchocapitalists have some of the healthiest economies in the Loss.
Takers can expect no end of opportunities, but only if they can bypass the
bevy of cultural problems attached to such wealth. The distrust of
government, though sometimes an unspoken assumption amongst the
populace, often solidifies into a oppressive ideological structure akin to a
theocracy. The lack of social safety net means death from disease and
deportation are much more common; fear of the same causes increased
stress in the lower classes, leading to outbursts of violence or outright
revolution. Most importantly, the privatization of every vital service makes
the enclave's survival fragile. If water supply, security, or food businesses
fold or stagnate in a fight against competitors, the interruption of services is
an existential threat to the survival of the whole community.

When developing an anarchocapitalist enclave, the Market must ask what

aspects of the society are stronger for competition and freedom from
regulation, and what aspects are neglected or unstable as a result.
Pirate economies either have no means of production or lack the skill to
operate them. Nothing is produced in a pirate economy. Every good
required to sustain life, along with all comforts and amenities, must be stolen
or salvaged from other communities. This leads to drastic and deadly
boom/bust cycles dependent upon the availability of "prey." Pirate
economies differ from anarchocapitalism in that, if someone were to utilize
the lack of regulation to develop a successful business, that person would
then either be robbed, killed, or regularly extorted by their neighbors. The
8. Pirate lack of governmental structure is replaced by a totalitarian government
elected solely by might-makes-right. As such, one of the risks
anarchocapitalist economies face is descending into a pirate system, which is
the failure state of laissez-faire ideological extremes.

Takers need a very good reason to work with pirate economies. In addition
to the problematic morality, pirates are as keen to steal the labor of others as
they are their goods. Hiring Takers means that the pirates can't coerce
cooperation through threat of violence. It does not, however, mean they will

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 actually pay when the job is done, and violence is the culturally engrained
method of dispute resolution. A few pirate economies are run by little more
than psychopathic thugs. These groups depend entirely on the wealth of
salvage left over from the Crash. However, these groups are essentially giant
Taker crews in and of themselves. Why do they need the help of another
group? And if salvage in the area dries up, will the enclave disband and
immigrate to more stable economies, or will they resort to violence and theft
like other groups before them?
The wealth, production, and cultural stability of exploitative economies rely
entirely on the continued labors of an unpaid under class. In short,
exploitative economies need slaves. Due to prevailing cultural norms before
the Crash, slave-based economies remain rare, but a few have seen disturbing
success in the Loss. Politically, exploitative systems resemble feudalism, but
rather than trust in ideology to chain the oppressed labor pool, the ruling
class utilizes violence akin to a pirate economy to keep workers in line. But
rather than steal everything, like a pirate economy, exploitative economies
compel labor through force in order to stimulate production. Rather than a
pirate's shifting class structure of might-makes-right, the exploitative
economy builds an entire hierarchy atop an enslaved base. In more
successful instances, a robust middle class develops that the "masters" hire to
perform the vulgar, day-to-day brutality that sustains them.

Though it greatly reduces overhead, slave economies are extremely

9. Exploitative inefficient. The labor pool has little incentive to maintain quality or speed of
production, requiring many more people than it would take to perform the
same job in a humane enclave. As such, slaves outnumber their masters by a
factor greater than even that seen in feudalism, thus requiring increasingly
monstrous tactics to keep the masses under control. Crews working for
exploitative economies must be desperate, greedy, or scheming. The
rationalizations slave owners use to justify their loathsome practices are
sickening and can cause moral injury to the Takers by mere proximity. That
said, slavers control the entire surplus income of their enclave, and they pay
well to those they cannot bring under direct control. But the stigma of
working with slavers far outweighs the short-term profit. In fact, the only
way to profit longterm from work in exploitative economies is to...well,
exploit them. Takers that take a slave enclave's blood money, then use their
position to arrange some sort of regime change, can have the best of both
worlds: securing a big payday without being shot on sight by every other
respectable group in the Loss.
A few fringe groups trapped in the Loss took the opportunity to experiment
with a radical redefinition of social and economic models. Deriving their
name from a group in Ursula K. LeGuin's The Dispossessed, Odoists take
10. Odoism collectivism to the extreme by denying all personal property rights. True
odoists share everything, eschewing even cultural traditions that might imply
ownership. Though no state structure governs coupling, no marriage or
monogamy exists in odoism. Children are raised in communal homes by

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 volunteers from the entire community and may never know their birth
parents. Personal pronouns are stricken from the language: "my hand"
becomes "the hand." The psychological dismantling of every existing human
social norm wouldn't have been possible without the nightmarish tragedy
and forced cooperation of the Crash. Many Odoists have suffered in ways
most people can't even imagine, and this makes their demeanor
disconcerting to outsiders. Rather than succumb to madness, they subsumed
their personalities into a greater whole.

Dealing with Odoists is uniquely challenging. Their lack of governmental

structure and unreasoning collectivism requires individuals to adopt their
philosophy totally before entering the enclave. As such, groups are extremely
isolationist and must remain self-sufficient. If Takers are needed, it means
something has gone wrong. Yet, regardless of the severity of the situation,
Odoists won't "hire" a crew to do anything. If they have bounty laying
around and trust outsiders enough to let them in, the Takers need only claim
they need it and everything will be handed over. Conversely, the Takers
personal possessions might be snatched from them without warning;
secluded Odoists don't see the goods as any more owned as the rocks or
trees. Crews located within an Odoist compound will be Odoists themselves,
which means they are likely lost for life, knowingly sacrificing their lives for
the betterment of the group.

Takers have limited options for getting paid by Odoists. They can requisition
goods as necessary for the contract, then abscond with the assets to sell
elsewhere. Alternately, Odoism has yet to be perfectly implemented. The
reliance on individual accountability to the whole has produced complex
structures of social shaming and reputation brokering. Odoists can pay in the
from of + Rep spots to be used elsewhere in the Loss. Finally, many Odoists
recall the profiteering system they escaped after the Crash. These clients
might risk censure and banishment by their peers if they feel the Taker's
services are essential for the group's survival.

Z4. Client Table

The backstory of clients should fit the goods/services they need and the economy they
function within. Market's are encouraged to make up spots in tune with that description, but it can
sometimes be interesting to roll randomly for spots and write a personality to fit the traits.
Remember, the specific demands of the job make up a client's tough spot. Write one implied
by the goods/services and how they fit into the economy.

RED BLACK
Weak spot and Description Soft spot and Description

1. Authenticity is Everything 1. Didn't Ask for Privilege

The client is very concerned about working The client is sensitive to the fact that, merely by
with "real" Takers. The exact definition of what having enough income to hire labor, she exists in

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real entails, like most such things, reveals a
whole list of personal prejudices and privilege.
Painting one's outfit as authentic or others has
posers is a good way to manipulate this client
2. Ambitious
Sometimes a bad boss makes employees suffer
because an even worse boss sends shit rolling
downhill. In these instances, satisfying the
middle manger's desire to crawl from under the
boot is the only way to get concessions. This
client has to take orders from someone higher
up in the enclave or business. Convince them
hiring the crew advances their personal position
to earn Sway.
3. Smartest Person in the Room
The sensation of being outwitted and
underprepared seem totally alien to this client.
The meritocracy of survival has deprived them
of social graces normally used to compensate in
such instances, and the client has grown
unaccustomed to humility. Crews should try
show off their own intelligence or, better yet,
get the client thinking more favorable terms are
actually his idea.
4. Vindictive
"It's just business" doesn't mean much to this
client. Personal slights, both real and imagined,
strongly motivate financial decisions. Find
someone that offended this person, paint hiring
the Takers as a blow against the rival, and reap
the profits. Or, offend the touchy bastard, then
feign disinterest in a dangerous job. He'll
irrationally pay more to get you over the fence
just so he can pray you get bit.
5. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
a higher class. The client recognizes that a lot of
luck went into ascending the economic ladder
and remains concerned about being mistaken for
a greedy oligarch. Pointing out the privileged
position can shame the client into concessions.
2. Animal Lover
Like many otherwise subdued people, this client
goes goofy at mere mention of puppies, kittens,
and other adorable creatures. To this person, the
death of all those household pets is the saddest
thing about the Crash. Ironically, elevating the
humane treatment of animals despite the
enormous pressures of the Loss is one of the
only ways the client maintains a connection to
humanity. Show this client the negotiator is a
fellow animal lover to build instant rapport.
3. The Faithful Must Stick Together
The client practices some faith, either one of the
new believer movements or an established
religion. As a result, this person innately trusts
fellow members more than the average person.
If the negotiator happens to be one of the
faithful, all the better, but the price tag bumps
up all the same for those that can passably
impersonate one or shame the client's subtle
prejudice.
4. Think of the Children
No one suffered more in the Crash and resulting
madness than children. While the necessities of
physical and financial survival have hardened the
client to the suffering of fellow adults, the
melancholy pull of innocence lost never ceases.
This client is hardwired to put the needs of the
young first. Takers that show pictures of their
own children or can somehow promise increased
child welfare if they are hired get a boost in
Sway.
5. Stronger Swimmers Outside the
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FOMO manifests in lots of ways. Sometimes
it's being overly concerned about the latest
cultural trends. It can also show up as the old
"keeping up with the Jones's" fallacy,
exacerbated by the advent of social networking.
When staying in the black means staying alive, it
can take the form of bargain hunters disease,
convincing people to buy things they don't need
under the illusion of a limited-time offer. This
client has a bad case of FOMO; exploit it.
6. There's Two Types of People in this
World...
Due to indoctrination by a pundit, childhood
teachings, or a tendency towards sophism, this
client has divided humanity into two camps,
"Those who X, and those who Y." Those with
firm handshakes, and those without them.
Those that can hold a gaze like a man, and
those that can't. Butchers and meat. Alphas and
betas. The aphorism has been repeated so often
that the person is blind to the inherent value
statement and doesn't register identifying with
one side as prejudice. Of course, such tidy little
generalizations never predict behavior, but
they're certainly useful for separating fools from
their money.
7. Poor is Another Word for Unmotivated
Bootstraps! This person retreated from class
guilt into the comfortable lie that everyone --
everywhere -- deserves everything that happens
to them. The only person that can suffer from
bad luck is the client; everyone else just doesn't
want to work hard, or they don't maintain a
positive attitude, or they want to mooch off
others, etc. Conversely, everything good that
happens to the client comes from their own
carefully planned actions. Narcissism predicates
this delusion. Smart negotiators pretend to be a
mirror version of these clients and get paid for
Mainstream
Fears of conformity are typically healthy, but
some conflate a healthy sense of self-reliance
until they worship the new for its own sake. This
client has been rewarded so many times for
leaving the beaten path that she no longer
considers any procedure or prescription
trustworthy. The client would much rather take a
chance on the weirdest, most iconoclastic group
of Takers in the Loss than an "average" crew
with impeccable reputation. Highlight a crew's
weirdness -- or just flat-out lie -- to utilize this
social blindspot.
6. Loves a Good War Story
Though keen to point out the horror of the
Crash in mixed company, some people secretly
regard the Blight as the best thing that ever
happened to them. Perhaps a life sentence to
inconsequence and predictability was lifted by
the zombie terror. Maybe they found reserves
they didn't know they had, virtues that now
serve as the foundation of a new personality.
The client could be one of the few whose life
was actually worse before the Crash. Regardless,
this client's favorite topic of conversation is the
horror that led to the carrion economy. Hook
the boss with a daring tale of survival, then make
her pay more to hear the end.
7. Sucker for a Good Reference
Lying on job applications is as old as jobs, and
it's not too hard to find others to join in the
fiction. Still, employers exist that continued to
worship at the alter of a good reference, yet can't
be bothered to do the extensive research
required to vet such unreliable sources. This
client has a reputation for going with the crew
with the most buzz. Use a + Rep spot for three
Sway instead of two, or bribe a Reference to
snowball the rube into coughing up a big payday
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letting the self-absorbed bastards talk to
themselves.

8. Loathes an Amateur
8. The Rules Will Save Us
Whether they've been burned in the past or
The client does not like surprises. At all. Survival
merely fear it happening in the future, this client
for many came in the form of memorized
hates nothing more than someone still learning
procedures followed exactly, and this client
a trade: the living embodiment of the Catch-22
worships routine as savior and provider. Crews
"can't get a job without experience; can't get
than can project the most robotic response to
experience without a job." This person wishes
the task get the job. Overwhelm the client with
the Crash would've happened earlier so he
tons of Taker rules, guidelines, and contingency
could hire Takers with more than five years in
plans. Putting the deadly and unpredictable into
the field. Highlight a crew's longevity or paint
tidy boxes comforts the client and loosens the
the competition as noobs to get this client on
wallet.
your side.

9. Don't Get High on your Own Supply

Salesmen don't speak to each other in the same
9. Just Wants to Make Friends
way as customers. It's foolish to bullshit a
Those with enough bounty to outsource work
bullshitter, and this client considers himself a
can live an isolated existence. Poverty and need
bullshitter. The person offering the contract
abound; everyone wants what they have and
recognizes that all advertisement is based in
resents them for having it. Basic human
deception, but mistakes the value of a business
kindness, if it can be passed off as genuine
by its volume of deception. Show the client that
affection and not manipulation, lowers this
the entire Taker persona is just an act, a show
client's defenses and opens up more options.
for the punters, and they'll be convinced an
obvious Scam is actually a bargain.

10. Skeptical to a Fault 10. Prefers a Devil She Knows

Nothing rewards paranoia like the total
breakdown of society. This client has been
rewarded so many times for pessimism and
excessive planning that the slightest kernel of
doubt can grind things to a halt. One way for
crew's to exploit this is to leave nothing to
chance, presenting themselves as a sure thing.
However, it's far easier to paint the competition
as untrustworthy and reap the benefits of being
the lesser of two evils.
Everyone is lying to everyone else, all the time.
The truth is so rare as to be nonexistent, and its
hard to fault anyone for abandoning it. This
cynical client much rather work with sneaky
bastards she can predict than a perfect angel. A
few well-placed and poorly crafted lies make the
client feel like they're too smart to be fooled. By
being caught once trying to deceive, negotiators
paradoxically get away with successive lies much
more easily.

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Z4. Competition Table
Competition doesn't want the Takers to get the job done so they can steal the client, fulfill a
personal goal, or pursue a vendetta. This faction tries to undercut negotiations. If they succeed, the
PCs have to drive their prices down, intimidate the rivals into fleeing, or eliminate them. Even if the
Takers get the job, the competition might arrange for an "accident" out in the Loss.

Competitio Description and Prompts

n
1. Loner Though rare, a few Takers operate solo out of concern for their profit margin or an
antisocial attitude. Those that survive long enough to make a name are indisputably
capable and more than likely a little unhinged. What has drawn this lone operator to
this job? What reputation does this person have? Will it help or hinder a bid? How
can facing the Loss alone warp a personality?
Starving enclavists and bored citizens sometimes enter the game late. The
competition for this job is a group of inexperienced Takers that have yet to
establish turf or reputation. Why risk this line of work? Are they well-equipped
adrenaline junkies with too much bounty and not enough brains? Exploited
2. Bait populations risking death for the chance at a better life? Desperate refugees with
nothing left to lose? Whatever the reason, Bait always comes to the table with
something to prove and undercut any price to get their foot in the door. Do the
Takers convince them to leave it to professionals or pick up the pieces after the
Loss punishes their hubris?
Besides Takers, Fencemen have more experience with casualties than anyone else.
The thankless task of killing and removing the dead from the borders also puts
them in the good graces of the community, not to mention the tendency to double
as a group's law enforcement agency. Experience might be enough to get them a
3. Fencemen
contract, but clearing the undead from fortifications is quite different than wrestling
with them on their own turf. Furthermore, goodwill can be manufactured and
exploited. Are these Fencemen really up to the task or merely overconfident? What
motivates them to leave their post for speculation out in the Loss?
The heyday of post-apocolyptic piracy fades with every year that passes from the
Crash, but a few tribal bands still "live Darwin" and subsist by consuming the spoils
of others' labor. In their dotage, some of these groups have devolved into little
4. Raiders more than protection rackets, demanding no bid contracts that they can sloppily
complete for pay. Raiders aren't used to not getting their way. If the Takers steal a
contract from them, will the raiders take violent action against competitors or the
client? If its the latter, does the crew even care so long as they get paid?
The crime lords of the Free Parking ghettos often sponsor their own Taker crews
and send them over the Recession border, skimming profits and making smuggling
connections to feed their desperate customer base back home. These groups are
usually made of some combination of fanatically-loyal lieutenants and unfortunates
5. Valets
trying to pay off debts for family members coerced by the crime boss. What valet
runs this crew? Will this person be impressed or enraged when the PCs dare to steal
a contract? Can the disparity in the crew members motivations be used against
them?

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 The monstrous brutality of narcotraffickers suited them particularly well to life
post-Crash, and demand for their product in the remaining states has never been
higher. Along their lengthy supply routes through the Loss, cartel enforcers
occasionally accept Taker work to boost their margins or fulfill their bloodlust.
6. Cartels
Cartels rarely need the work, but their obsession with maintaining everyone's
respect and fear make them prone to extremes. How does the cartel's reputation
effect negotiation with the client? How can the Takers counteract their threats? Will
the cartel laugh off losing a contract or take it as a personal insult?
Rival crews often look for work in the territory claimed by a local group.
Sometimes, they are nomads that only do business on the run, or crews in need of
supplemental contracts en route to a distant job line. Cases of hostile takeover are
more rare, but they do occur; nobody on LifeLines gets a protected monopoly
7. Takers except the Moths. Competition among Takers is complicated by professional
appreciation. What about this opposed crew's brand makes them seem right for the
job? How does camaraderie make fighting over the scraps that much worse?
Resorting to violence or dirty tricks to get a contract likely incurs a - Rep spot, but
is that worth it to prevent the rival crew from escalating the situation first?
Fanatics still need to eat. Some do Taker work to fund their operations or
proselytize a certain method for living in the Loss. For example, Black Math is
going to handle an extermination job very differently than the Shepherds or
8. Believers Archivists. What about this contract attracted these people, or are they acting out of
desperation? Faith often turns the professional into the personal at unpredictable
times; do the believers regard the PCs as friendly rivals or view any competition as a
blasphemous assault on the faith?
The betrayal of the Recession won't be forgotten. The Crash drafted many trained
warriors into the desperate ranks of an army whose only mission is revenge.
Stranded foreign spies, stateless military diaspora, treasonous units that refused to
abandon their posts, vindicated survivalist nutbags continuing a war against the
government pre-dating the casualties -- all these groups need to fund their
9. Rebels
continued political operations somehow. The extremism of most rebel groups is
deemed acceptable considering their training and equipment. How can the Takers
make themselves appear more professional than the professionals, or do they
merely undercut them? Will the rebels understand the necessities of the market, or
do they few competition as counter-revolutionaries in need of elimination?
The absolute worst thing a Taker can hear is that the feds have an interest in their
business. DHQS maintains numerous intel assets in the Loss, and they occasionally
find it cheaper to bid for contracts that might infringe on their interests than to
exterminate everyone that stumbles onto a black site. But as a method of
counterintelligence, they'll often hire out their death squads for meaningless tasks to
10. DHQS keep the Loss guessing about the agency's real priorities. The government mercs
infinitely more qualified and willing to work for almost nothing; Takers competing
with a DHQS black squad have to rely entirely on a shared hatred of the feds to get
a job. Even if they succeed, is the bid a DHQS bluff or an actual attempt to
discourage interference in their affairs? If it's the latter, Stewards have no qualms
about ordering an entire crew murdered. As far as the government is concerned,

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 they're dead already.

Z4. Complication Table

Complications define themselves from the job's other elements. The Market's creativity is
required here more than anywhere else to develop a twist fitting the job's other circumstances. These
generalized complication "families" suggest a variety of disasters to keep the Market from falling into
a rut.

Complication Description and Prompts

1. Detour Some unforeseen obstacle blocks entrance to the job site. The crew must
add Legs to the journey to bypass the obstacle, find a different job site,
expend resources to eliminate the obstruction, or risk serious danger to
gain entry.
Climate change causes an anomalous and extreme weather event at the site.
Flooding, tornados, extreme heat, gigantic hail, locusts -- the natural
disaster complicates everything about the job. Planning becomes more
2. Weather
difficult, execution more dangerous, and extraction more uncertain. If
goods are involved, the event negatively affects them and the Takers must
take even more risk to secure their payday.
In order to protect their pride, reputation, or safety, the client has
intentionally left out some vital information about the job. An especially
dangerous task could have been made to sound routine. Morally disgusting
3. Incomplete Brief motivations could be obscured in hopes that once the PCs learn the truth,
they'll be too invested to turn back. The client has manipulated the crew in
such a way that more danger, resources, or Humanity must be expended to
get the job done than was promised.
This is similar to an incomplete brief, but even the client doesn't know the
true nature of the job. Some jobs are lures to bring unwary crews into an
ambush. Contracts are really performed at the behest of third parties that
don't make their true intention known until the crew is out in the Loss and
away from witnesses. Anything requiring such complex machinations is, at
best, extremely distasteful and, at worst, an out-and-out betrayal. Takers
4. Cat's Paw
must not only figure out how to survive; they have to figure out a way to
turn their misfortune into profit (Note: as is always the case, Market's
should always allow the Takers an opportunity to meet their agreed upon
price or greater. The group might not be able to capitalize on the
opportunity, but the chance for a successful job should always be
available).
Some aspect of the job meant to reduce risk and entice providers into
accepting the contract achieves the complete opposite effect. The "near-
5. Bad Intel empty" mall is crawling with casualties. The fleet of trucks have no tires.
The safe is locked after all. Whatever the case, the Takers have to adapt to
the new logistical demands if they want to get paid
6. Hot Zone A migrating stampede of casualties moves through the area. Whatever prey

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 brought them here has long since dead or escaped, leaving the site
absolutely infested with undead. The primary challenge is chumming and
luring the horde to strategic locations so others can traverse the crowd
without getting eaten. But once those with the short straw have drawn the
attention of the hungry mobs, how will they escape?
The site is occupied by some human presence. It could be an undiscovered
enclave, a believer stronghold, a faction taking temporary shelter, or some
7. Squatters group trying to steal the job. Regardless, the presence of others
complicates the job, requiring Takers to negotiate compromise, sneak into
the site unnoticed, or eliminate the interlopers.
A nearby community, crew, faction, or other group has succumb to a fresh
infection. Vectors haunt the area, screaming apologies and puking blood.
The job site holds clues as to what happened to these poor souls. Can the
8. Outbreak Takers find out what went wrong and complete the job without
succumbing to the sprinting cannibals? What else is located around the
site? Do the Takers shoulder the responsibility of clearing out these
dangerous monsters before they climb the walls of the nearest enclave?
StopLoss, DHQS, or one of the many other corporate/governmental
interests setting up illegal operations in the Loss have invested in the job
site. They may have laid claim to the Takers' interest or have other goals,
but the access to the site is somehow restricted. Well funded groups might
9. Imminent Domain have installed surveillance equipment or automated defenses to keep the
site safe. Mercenaries could be garrisoned to guard the perimeter. Perhaps
the site is scheduled for a bombing run to make room for incoming human
resources, or maybe the cleanse has already occurred, leaving the remains
on fire or poisoned by chemical weapons.
The worst case scenario is the one you can't prepare for. Aberrants violate
the already shaky physical laws governing the Blight's epidemiology,
creating singular nightmares that threaten a Taker's understanding of reality
and continued survival. The site is haunted by one or more of these
10. Aberrant abominations. Does LifeLines have any information on how to escape
these monsters? If they do, how does the group separate fact and fiction,
truth from trolls, while fighting for their lives? If it's never been seen
before, do they risk life and limb documenting and learning about the
anomaly or call the job off altogether?

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Z2. Scores
What's the point of self-employment if you can't be your own boss? Part of Red Markets's
plan for breaking the GM monospony (see p.XX) is a system that allows players to write their own
games. The Market still plays a vital part, but players take the active role in the scenario's design.
Alternately, characters can contribute to the process, forcing their players to engage with the setting
through the hungry eyes of entrepreneurs.
In addition to defining exactly what a score entails, this section provides procedures for
developing scores both in and out of character.

Z3. What is a Score?

A score is an opportunity Takers make when they get tired of waiting around for the knock.
As is the case with most DIY businesses, the only way to scratch a profit out of nothing is to skimp
on labor: namely, your own.
For example, the person writing this book does not work for an established publishing
company, so getting the book printed requires cutting costs as much as possible. The surefire way to
do this is to not compensate the writer (e.g. Me) for any of his time. While this is risky, if sales are
successful, full ownership of the property and a greatly reduced labor cost might actually generate as
much or greater profit than if the book were traditionally produced.
That's what Takers do when they chase a score: scores don't account for services
rendered. Takers wave compensation for the danger they face in exchange for full ownership of the
goods they salvage.
Scores are based solely on goods. The more valuable goods the Takers secure, the more
profit they stand to make.
Since it's all about what the group can Haul out of the Loss, Scores are potentially the
most profitable jobs in the game. The requirement of distribution (i.e. carrying all the shit back)
means that reward stacks more heavily with risk than ever before. However, a prepared,
experienced, and lucky crew might wind up making more than they ever could working for a client.
Most importantly, scores say something about the characters and the world they live
in. Value correlates with need, and the biggest paydays are going to sustain and alter the enclave
Takers work in. Furthermore, when scores are written by PCs, they say something about the
characters' personalities. After all, if somebody else knew about unclaimed treasure hiding out in the
Loss, why wouldn't they hire a crew to go get it for them? The subject of scores relates inherently to
something unique about a character's skill set or backstory; it's a job only they can do.

Z3. Scores At-a-Glance

Scores share many similarities with contracts. The primary difference is the way creative
responsibility is divided amongst everyone at the table. Here's everything required for a score at a
glance
1. Goods and Equilibrium
What are the Takers going to sell? How much is each unit worth? While the "service" part of
the job still makes up the bulk of the adventure, Takers have no responsibility to please a client or
work a certain way. They are gambling their lives and labor on securing the goods. No goods; no
profit.
2. Economy
If the Takers aren't running out of their own campaign's enclave, which type of economy
serves as a market for the good, what characterizes the community, and how might the Takers

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manipulate the price of their goods inside this system?
3. Wholesaler
Wholesalers replace clients in scores. Who is going to buy the goods off the Takers for use
in their own business? What kind of personality enables someone to run such a successful enterprise
in the Loss?
4. The Site
Why hasn't someone gone after this score before? Is it secret? Already claimed? Protected?
Inaccessible? What is going to make the Takers earn their money?
5. Market Responsibilities
Experienced Takers know something is always going to go wrong, but nobody knows what.
The Market still decides elements like travel time and complications, surprising the players with
them once the game starts. This is why scores are most often devised at the end of game session,
which gives the Market more time to prepare.

Z4. Goods and Equilibrium

The definition of services stay fluid in a score. Whatever needs to be done to wrest the
goods from the chaos of the Loss, that's what the Takers have to do. For free.
The goods in question are to be determined by the players as they design the score. If the
group is struggling to come up with ideas, the Market should prompt them with the following
questions:

2. What is something of unique value only someone like your character would recognize and
know how to find?
3. What does this specific enclave need on a regular basis?
4. For the people of this enclave, what desire has gone unfulfilled for too long?
5. What does the geography in this area necessitate to survive?
6. What are the most successful business ventures around here, and what supply do they need
to keep doing business?

Once goods are decided upon, the Market rolls 2d10 and adds the results together. The sum
is the equilibrium price of the good, and the interaction of the two numbers describes the economic
situation on the Supply/Demand Chart (see p.XX). The major difference is that while contract
equilibrium describes a single service, score equilibrium is price per unit.
How much constitutes a unit? That's up to the Market. If the score calls for salvaging
vehicles, the unit should obviously be one vehicle. If the score is parts for the vehicles, it would be
best expressed in terms of Haul. However, nothing should be expressed in units smaller than a Haul
for a few reasons.
Firstly, Markets that say every diamond is worth 18 bounty just ended their own campaign.
A pocket full of loot lets a character instantly retire. Secondly, the game needs the Golden Rule (Risk
= Reward) in order to tell a compelling story. Thus, goods should be expressed in terms no smaller
than that of Haul because that abstract unit of measure is limited on the character sheet.
This is not to say that characters shouldn't be rewarded for cleverness. Smart planning and
good rolls still mean huge paydays, but the fact remains that eating up Haul with the loot is a finite
resource. Loading down with goods greatly increases risk, so the rewards enjoyed by those that
survive is justified.

Z4. Economy
In truth, it's unlikely groups are going to have to characterize the economy at all when

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devising a score. One-shots tend to focus on contracts, and most Markets don't force first-time
players to write their own game when they're unfamiliar with the setting and system. Red Markets
groups don't typically start planning scores until playing in a campaign, at which point they've
already exhaustively detailed the economy during Enclave Creation (see p.XX).
But if the group has travelled or wants to plan their score as a one-shot, they need to
establish a basic description for the economy the goods will be sold in. The description need be no
longer than those found in a contract, but information about the economy can't be left blank. The
reason for this is because, while there is no negotiation in scores, characters can still conduct scams
to manipulate prices. Having some information about the enclave's economy can help when it
comes time for players to drive the price per unit up.

Z4. Wholesaler
To escape the complications of supply/demand represented in the Small Business rules
(p.XX), Takers need to foist that responsibility off onto someone that runs a full-time retail
business. This means selling to a wholesaler. Wholesalers exist within economies of scale. They can
move product fast enough to make narrow profit margins add up quickly. But since margins are so
narrow and they control so much market share, wholesalers remain notoriously inflexible about
price. They will buy goods at the equilibrium price. Haggling messes with their mark-up, and they
won't put up with it.
Mechanically, wholesalers prevent players from developing NPCs they can push around. The
wholesaler's personality can't be exploited to screw with the price in negotiation because there is no
negotiation. But this isn't to say that groups can't have fun writing their own colorful NPCs.
Someone bold and capable enough to grow a retail business in the Loss is bound to be an
interesting character. How did they get started? What's the business called? How do they advertise
their brand to enclavists and settlers? What's distribution look like? What's their personality like?

Z4. The Site

Before players start using any method of developing a job site, it's important everyone
understand one hard and fast rule: nothing about the site can be pleasant. The group might think
it's funny to describe the last functioning drive-thru in the Loss, but as they sidle up to the window
and ask the chipper cashier for the goods by name, they might realize too late all the challenge has
been sapped from the game. Whatever the good and wherever it may be found, one immutable fact
remains: if it were easy to get, someone would have done the score already.
So PCs can't help themselves with any aspect of the site. Beyond that, there's no
requirements. Perhaps the Market researches a real-world location and pulls up a floorplan before
the game starts, perhaps they just wing it. Either is okay. If the group is stumped for ideas, the
Market should ask the following:

◦ What kind of place would have the good we are looking for?
◦ Why, besides ignorance, hasn't anyone found this stash before? What has prevented people
from stumbling onto the treasure trove?
◦ What complicates removing the goods from the site?
◦ What other enclaves, factions, and threats are known to be in the area?
◦ Who else might be considering this score? What, if anything, is stopping them from going
after it?

Z4. Market Responsibilites

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 It would be a mistake to let the players decide every aspect of a score. The Loss is a chaotic
place, and any satisfying game of Red Markets has to confront the Takers with an unpredictable
danger. While the Market merely facilitates and elaborates on what the players come up with for
other aspects, there are still some elements of the score a GM is solely responsible for designing.
Markets need not concern themselves with competition. Unlike contracts, scores are closely
held trade secrets. Takers with a lead on some hot salvage won't share the information with anyone
except their wholesaler. This saves the Market some work, but competition would make for an
excellent complication. It's pretty common for shady crews to trail their rivals, lay an ambush, and rob
them of whatever they have....
Which leads us to complications. This is the primary responsibility of a Market when
designing a score. The Loss just sucks: always and forever. No matter how favorable the conditions
may look, something is going to go wrong. Every. Fucking. Time. Just like contracts, Markets need
to surprise their Takers with a reliable disaster, preferably as soon as it seems like they might get
away with it.
Another Market responsibility is travel time. If the Takers lived on top of the score,
somebody would have claimed it already. It's going to take some walking to get to the site, and the
nightmare waiting over the fence is the Market's job. Market Fiat can be used to create each Leg's
encounter from scratch, or the GM can consult the d100 Loss Encounters Table (see p. XX). All
that matters is that the PCs don't know what's coming.
Besides the complication and travel time, all that's left is taking notes and elaborating on the
players' suggestions. Draw or research floorplans for the site they described. Write a backstory for
the wholesaler implied by his personality. Or just wing it. Players tend to be heavily invested in any
scenario they designed themselves. Often, a Market need only kick back and enjoy the ride.
Markets that want to do a lot of preparation should design scores at the end of a session,
giving themselves the time between games to work. But those comfortable with improvisation can
launch straight into playing the score once players finish writing it.

Z3. Designing Scores

So how does the group cooperate to design a score? There are a lot of possible methods.
Which one is right for your group depends on your preference for roleplaying and group dynamic.
What follows is a description of each method, a prescription for the type of game it best fits,
and an example of the method in action.

Z3. In-Character Opposed (Strategic Thinking)

Strategic Thinking is best for groups with a narrative focus. If you want the score to be a
roleplaying challenge, but still want to ensure the elements remain grounded and realistic for the
setting, this is the method for you. No one aspect of the job gets overloaded with content, and there
is plenty of room for the Market to engineer surprises for the group.
Basic Setup: Takers are always looking to get ahead. Every moment not spent trying to stay
alive gets devoted to figuring out the next big score. These people want escape, and everything they
have goes towards figuring out how. When clients become scarce, there's no shortage of suggestions
about where the crew should start hustling.
Step 1: Everyone rolls a Black 1d10 and adds their Research skill. Reroll ties until a winner
emerges.
Step 2: Speaking in character, the Taker with the highest roll proposes some rumored stash
of goods ripe for a score.
Step 3: Going around the table clockwise, every other Taker proposes a different stash of
goods they think would make for a better payday. After all, everyone in the crew is constantly

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thinking of ways to get ahead. Players may choose to pass if their Taker would share another
person's plan. Anyone passing their turn abstains from Step 4.
Step 4: Once everyone has proposed for that element, all the players roll a Black 1d10 and
add their character's Foresight skill. Reroll ties until a winner emerges.
Step 5: The Taker with the highest roll has the best sounding plan. That's what will be there,
unless...
Step 6: The Market rolls a Red and hides the result. If the Red is higher than the player's
modified Black, then something about the prediction is off. Exactly what is up to the Market. For
example, if the Taker thought they were going to steal a pallet of baby formula, they'll be
disappointed to learn the powder is contained in a giant vat and hasn't yet be packaged. Are they
going to stick the stuff in their pockets?
Step 7: Repeat the previous steps until every element is decided, but acknowledge that all
previous elements are now fixed. For instance, if the group established it was looting baby formula,
no one would be suggesting a wholesaler for car parts. However, every Taker in the crew would
"know a guy" that could fence baby formula. The winner of the Foresight roll wins.
Perk to the Market: In making sure the predictions for failed Foresight checks are slightly
off, you probably already developed a good complication for the job. Congratulations! You're
halfway done!

SIDEBAR: Default Rolls and Scores

There is no defaulting in Red Market according to the "+1 or it can't be done" rule (see
p.XX). However, designing scores in-character only utilizes a few skills. If a character wasn't trained
in those few skills, the player couldn't participate in the process. As such, one of the few times a +0
roll is allowed is in the instance of scores. The character still only has a 45% chance of success, but
they aren't cut off from participating.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Example In-Character Opposed

It's a two-player game. The characters roll Research checks. Philly is up first.
Philly: "My contact in the Detoxins tipped me off to a bunch of GMO crops being
developed at this Alosine research lab. Apparently, they're operating out of the Loss to protect their
genetic patents. Those crazy hippie cultists want to burn the place to the ground, but I figure those
super seeds would fetch a great price."
The other player has a different idea, and he says as much in the voice of his character.
8ch: "Plants? Look man, if you ain't got your plants this late in the game, you already dead.
Nothing more scarce out here than ammo. I got a line on this factory, see? Place probably has pallets
of the stuff"
With the propositions made, both players roll Black d10s and add their Foresight skill. Philly
has the better plan, so GMO seeds are established as the Goods for the score. Now the Market rolls
a Red d10 in secret and ends up beating Philly's score. After some thinking, she figure that GMO
crops are there, but they're only designed to produce seeds when a proprietary fertilizer is used. The
Takers have to get both the seeds and the fertilizer in order to get paid.

Z3. In-Character Collaborative (Rumor Mill)

Rumor Mill is best for groups that want to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute.
This method produces varied elements with a lot of content. There isn't as much surprise built into
the elements as Strategic Thinking, but the combination of differing suggestions still makes for
unpredictable moments.

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 Basic Setup: A lot of conjecture makes its way onto the LifeLines. For every hot lead,
there's a dozen commenters piling on the bandwagon carrying nothing but bullshit. Separating the
fact from fiction can mean life or death.
Step 1: Everyone rolls a Black 1d10 and adds their Foresight skill. Reroll ties until a winner
emerges.
Step 2: Speaking in character, the Taker with the highest roll proposes some stash of goods
they think would be ripe for a score.
Step 3: Whatever the first Taker proposed is now fixed: the score is definitely about going to
get that specific good. Now, going around the table clockwise, the next Taker proposes something
else they heard about the goods. In improv terms, this is called "Yes, and...." Players aren't trying to
contradict each other so much as add wrinkles to the existing plot. For instance, if the first Taker
proposed stealing crude oil, the next Taker may have heard its more than crude oil; an on-site
refinery is producing gasoline.
Step 4: When every Taker has shared a rumor overheard about the job element in question,
every player except the one who went first (that element of the job is now immutable) rolls a normal
Sensitivity check. If the roll is a success, there's some truth to the rumor. On a failure, the Taker has
been duped by one of the many hoaxes plaguing Ubiq.
Secret Sensitivity Option: Instead of rolling out in the open, the Market makes the
Sensitivity checks for the players in secret. The players won't know the difference between truth and
conjecture until they complete the job.
Step 5: Go clockwise around the table, starting from the person that won the original
Foresight check. The person to their right gets to propose the next element of the job. That person's
contribution is immutable.
Step 6: Everyone else now gets to add a rumor on top of the proposed element, rolling
Sensitivity to check its veracity. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the score is finished.
Perk to the Market: Nobody gets left out. The stacking rumors also provide a ton of
material to work with for each element of the job.

Z4. Example In-Character Collaborative

Grizz, Hellion, and Sherlock are trying to figure out the best person to fence a large number
of survival manuals. Sherlock's player started the last round's Rumor Mill (he won the Foresight
check), and Grizz's player sits on his right. It's his turn now.
Grizz: "No question. We take the books to Worm. He's the only bastard crazy enough to
start a book store in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. I hear he taught half the nearby enclaves
how to set up their irrigation. He's got the customer base and reach we need to get a good price."
Since it's Grizz's turn, the group is definitely using Worm as a wholesaler. Anything the other
Takers say just goes to further define the NPCs personality and business practice.
Hellion: "Ugh. I know you're right, but that guy is such a dweeb! I hear his voice is so nasal
you can hear him breathing from a block away. That commercial of his sounded like he'd just sucked
down a ballon full of helium!"
Sherlock: "I, too, find the man rather loathsome. You all know I always keep an eye out for
literary diversions at a good price, but I'm told by many trusted associates that Worm's establishment
is only to be contacted if I want to be harangued into buying a Japanese comic book full of robots
fighting scandalously dressed school girls. But alas, even the socially tone deaf are sometimes
unavoidable in the world of business."
Sherlock and Hellion's players make Sensitivity checks. Both end up making it. The Market
sighs; it looks like he'll have to brush up on his funny voices and manga. The Market glares hatefully
at the players, waiting for revenge until they get to the Site.

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Z3. Out-of-Character Consensus (Oh! That's Cool!)
This method isn't so much a method as an unspoken agreement. You're all adults here.
Everyone realizes it's just a game. Nobody is going to get their feelings hurt, so you don't need some
elaborate procedure to police interactions while you design a score. Let's get it over with.
The "Oh! That's Cool!" method is only listed in case your group needs permission to throw
out the rules when something universally interesting is proposed. This is that "throw out the rules"
rule.

Basic Premise: Out of character, everyone talks about what kind of score they want to play.
They decide on elements one-by-one until the score is done.
Step 1: The first person with an idea says it aloud.
Step 2: Other people in the group propose contrary ideas (ala Strategic Thinking), add
something to a previous proposal (ala Rumor Mill), or abstain.
Step 3: The Market counts to three. On three, everyone points to the person with the idea
they like best. Players can't vote for themselves, and the Market breaks any ties. The person with the
most votes decides the element, along with any additions made by players that didn't want to
compete because they liked the idea.
Perk for the Market: Keeping it casual.

Z4. Example Consensus

Lindsey, Melissa, and Clementine have decided they want their characters to steal
educational curriculum packets and sell them to a homeschool guru operating out of their enclave.
But they're currently stumped as to what interesting and challenging site would contain their loot.
After some thinking, Clementine asks, "Maybe the curriculums could be located at a big
convention center? And nobody looted them because there was this, like, huge education conference
going on when the Crash happened, so the place is crawling with casualties and in the middle of the
city, which is also crawling with casualties. So there's like double zombies and a big search area."
Lindsey perks up, "Could we model the convention center after the one in Indianapolis?"
"I don't see why not..." the Market replies.
"Oh my god!" Melissa jumps up from her chair: "We could use the map from last year's
GenGon! That would be so cool!" She sprints into her bedroom, looking for her old convention
catalogue.
The Market asks if that's okay with everyone else, but they've already joined Melissa in
frantically searching the house. Don't fix it if it ain't broke.

Z3. Randomize and Extrapolate

Finally, groups stumped for ideas can always consult the Contract Generator for prompts.
The elements are equally useful for scores and might spark creativity regardless of the method being
used.

Z3. Mr. JOLS: A Special Case

The concept of "Chasing Mr. JOLS" and it's mythic stature amongst Takers has been
discussed earlier in the book (see p. XX). In general, Mr. JOLS is a score like any other; the only
difference is that the Market makes things harder to represent the struggle of rising from rags to
riches. Rather than reiterate what's been said before about the epic nature of the task and the
methods for writing scores, this section specifically gives the Market advice on how to build
meaningful (and/or bloody) exits for retiring characters.

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Z4. Plot Pay
There is no equilibrium price for a Mr. JOLS. It pays enough...however much enough might
be.
For the one player retiring, Mr. JOLS pays enough to launch them into a life a luxury. The
retiree doesn't just escape the Loss; they become rich is such a way that would only be possible in a
partial apocalypse. Since retiring players come up with the plan -- likely plotting it over the course of
years -- they get the bulk of the pay, but no one can catch Mr. JOLS alone. Any player that helps
gets their costs paid, plus 10 bounty. It doesn't matter how much health, Humanity, or ammo the
non-retiring players expend helping their friend get rich; that cost is reimbursed, plus a 10 bounty
profit. This, in addition to the free reference provided by a retired PC, encourages Takers to help
out, even though they aren't the ones about to get rich.
If the group is utilizing the tontine rules, Mr. JOLS is enough to make everyone rich. Just
remember that everyone has to reach their final retirement milestones before the final score can be
planned. It's one thing to get yourself killed in a fit of ambition, quite another to watch a friend get
eaten alive for it.

Z4. IC Mandatory
Chasing Mr. JOLS is all about character. Even the choice to go after it signifies a major story
moment. Remember, Takers can retire the instant they hit their final milestone, but they only have
enough to go back to their regular lives. Escape is possible, but only back into the lower middle-class
drudgery that probably defined their existence before the Crash. After all that blood and terror, a life
of swing shifts and 40-hour weeks may definitely be better, but it won't ever feel fair.
Choosing to risk it all chasing Mr. JOLS means succumbing to years of temptation. It
simultaneously speaks of greed, recklessness, naivety, idealism, entitlement, and grim determination.
It's a selfish move that sets up loved ones for life. It's alternately foolish and heroic, and where it
lands depends on the same thing everything depends on: the bottom line.
Since it's such a defining moment in a character's life, Mr. JOLS needs to be planned out in-
character. The in-character collaborative (Rumor Mill) or in-character opposed (Strategic Thinking)
methods need to be used. Which one? Let the Market decide. It's also possible to do both, switching
back and forth between methods for different elements. For instance, it makes for good heist
narrative when a crew goes after a single good (Strategic Thinking) at a site that is varied and
unpredictable (Rumor Mill).
But why does everything have to be done in-character? Because....

Z4. Retirement Party

There shouldn't be any competition for deciding the elements of a retirement score. After
all, it's a secret hope the character has been harboring for literally the entire campaign; we shouldn't
be trusting it to a dice roll.
So the in-character methods of designing scores are used. The only change is that, in the case
of a singular retirement plan, it's always treated as if the retiree won the skill check that establishes
initiative: Foresight for Rumor Mill or Research for Strategic Thinking. First proposal privilege
doesn't travel clockwise as it does normally. The exiting character defines the basics of every
element, and the other players contribute by augmenting the element with rumors.
In the event of a tontine, use the procedures as written. Since everyone is retiring off this
one job, everyone has an equal chance to define it.

Z4. Secret Sensitivity

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 The other modification of Rumor Mill for Mr. JOLS requires the Secret Sensitivity Option
(see p.XX). This job is supposed to be tough. One of the ways to increase challenge is to keep the
players guessing about what is actually going to happen up until the last moment. Markets should
take notes on each rumor, check each character's Sensitivity in a roll behind the book, and develop
the job based on the results.

Z4. The Site: It Goes Wrong, or I Make it Go Wrong

It's suggest that even if every other aspect of the site is decided upon by Strategic Thinking,
Market's should use the Rumor Mill method to decide the Site. Remember: the object of a Mr. JOLS
is nexus of legend within the Loss. There are many, many reasons people know that the Site is not a
place where one should go. Some of those reasons may be true, or the reality could end up being
much worse.
Market's facilitating the design of a Mr. JOLS need to pay extra special attention during
discussion of the Site. Recall that every proposal for the site needs to hurt or hinder Takers, and
Markets have veto power over any softball proposals that don't pass muster. Once the site has been
defined by the retiree and all the rumors proposed, roll secret Sensitivity like normal...
...But for every false rumor, add another complication. The number of complications at a
job site always equal the number of players, whether they proposed them all or not.
Either one of the proposed obstacles ends up being true, or the Market throws an
unpredictable disaster at the Takers in place of the false lead. Two failed Sensitivity checks means
two complications that blindside the crew. The only way to get less complications than players is for
someone to critically succeed one of the Foresight checks. In that instance, the rumors they heard
were accurate, but they've since been resolved by some happy accident of fate. However, there is no
way for the Taker to know this until they arrive.
There are many good reasons no one chased this score until now: either the Takers can
guess them, or they find out the hard way.

Z4. The Dream Vignette

If it's time for Mr. JOLS, it's nearing the end of a campaign...or at least nearing the end for
one character. One of the segments of Red Markets specific to extended play is vignettes (see "Long-
term Investments" p.XX). If the Market is utilizing vignettes to flesh out and characterize the
setting, a new type gets added before a Mr. JOLS session begins. This segment is called "The
Dream" and, whereas players still choose one of the three types to roleplay at the start of a job,
roleplaying "The Dream" is mandatory for all retiring characters before any other scenes are acted
out.
What is "The Dream?" It's exactly what it sounds like: it's the fulfillment of all the Taker's
frustrated desires. In this scene, retiring players are going to describe their Takers perfect day...after
they retire. In effect, the story is flash-forwarding past the the Mr. JOLS job and to the happy
ending. Using all the funds from their former life as a Taker, how is the PC living now?
Are they retired in the Recession? What's their new identity, or did they get their old
name back? How do they fill their days if they no longer have to work? How are their Dependents
doing? Is the Loss a distant memory, or has the scarcity of the Loss left scars on their personalities?
How does their new community react to their presence? Is the Taker respected on account of
wealth, deemed suspicious as an outsider, or unconcerned with the opinion of a bunch of spoiled
citizens?
If the retirement plan is outside the Recession, where? Is it just the Taker and
Dependents, or have others flocked to the haven purchased by Mr. JOLS? What does everyone do
to sustain this new, separate peace? Is the Taker a client now, hiring out crews to support their new

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home, or have they left the life completely behind? How do they deal with the threats of the Loss,
and what walls, real estate, or protection keeps them above the fray?
Regardless, let the player narrate a perfect day after the nest egg is secure and the nightmare
left behind. But the dream isn't just a monologue. It's not even real. It's the dream that's driven the
Taker through all the horrors of the previous jobs, and now that salvation is in reach, the anxiety of
being so close has turned it into a night.
The Market is responsible for reminding the Taker that it's not over yet. They turn the
dream into a nightmare at the last moment, narrating the character's abrupt, sweat-drenched
awakening into another day trapped in the Loss. When and how this nightmare manifests is at the
behest of the Market and should touch on the story of that character.
The Dream sets the mood for Mr. JOLS and lays out the stakes. At the end of the session,
either the player's vision of what happens to the character comes true, or the Market's tragedy does.

SIDEBAR: Example Dream Vignette

Kowloon's life as an architectural student got cut short by the Crash, but he put his studies
to good use defending his home enclave. After his retirement, he intends to be recognized for his
quarintechture designs and leave the dark years of Taking behind. But after describing a day in
which he runs his own firm in the Recession, the Market jumps in to remind everyone that
Kowloon's intentions are not reality.
Kowloon's player: "...and after going out to the bar for a couple of drinks with his friends, I
go up to my high-rise apartment overlooking the Mississippi and stare out the panoramic window
across the border. I have a nightcap of pure grain alcohol standing there every night: anything else
tastes like a rip-off, watered-down and dusty like everything that didn't come from Bessie's still.
Drinking to forget has never worked, but I keep trying a little harder every year. I think about -- "
The Market: "A hand slaps against the window. Rotting. It leaves a bloody handprint as it
slides down the glass. Then another."
Kowloon's player: "What? We're thirty stories up..."
The Market: "No. You're not. It's ground floor. And on the wrong side of the river. You see
that tower you dreamed of living in one day looming on the horizon until more of them come,
blocking the view. There's dozen of them now, hundreds. All your defenses, all your funnels and
deterrents, they did nothing. The horde is here. Your sister is among them, as is your crew.
Everyone you ever cared about, but they're not screaming apologies. You are. You failed them.
That's your last thought as the glass breaks and they come pouring in and over you...until you wake
up. Covered in a cold sweat in your cot underneath the concrete rafter of the parking garage. The
same way you've woken up every day for the past five years, but maybe this is the last time."
END SIDEBAR

Z4. The Loss Doesn't Let Go

Contrary to what it might seem, the point of Chasing Mr. JOLS is not to kill all the
characters. The point is to show that the Loss -- with all its death, poverty, and despair -- does not
merely let people go. Those who manage to escape are forever marked.
In the best cases, the scar is an act of heroism: a former Taker's memory of an
insurmountable obstacle somehow overcome, and the knowledge that nothing a quiet life in the
Recession has to offer can hope to surpass that sublime moment of triumph. Or perhaps its the
faces of those left behind -- the ones not strong enough to climb out -- and the bitter certainty that
you could have helped more.
More often, the wounds run much deeper: friends killed, infected, and crippled; minds torn
asunder by madness; fortunes of fool's gold bought with blood.

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 Regardless, the extra complications assure the scope remains suitably epic, and the
consequences hauntingly permanent. Anyone who escapes the carrion economy richer than they
started owes the Loss a great debt. They've become perfect capitalists, reborn into a blood-soaked
luxury, crawling into the light over a mountain of corpses, awakened to the beautiful, rational cruelty
that defines the world. Such transformations do not come cheap, and the Loss always takes its due....

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Z1. Long-term Investments
So the group tried out a contract or two -- maybe they already designed a Score -- and now
they want to see if they can hustle hard enough to retire from the Loss permanently. What now?
How do we string these stories of day-to-day survival into a larger narrative?
This section details everything the Market and the players need to run a campaign of Red
Markets.

Z2. Enclave Creation

Enclaves are town-to-city sized communities where survivors have banded together for
protection against the undead. Though initially defined solely by whatever natural fortification
protected against Casualties during the Crash, each enclave slowly evolves beyond its arbitrary
geographical founding. Trade and skill specialization increase the chances of survival. The enclaves
that are still around five years after the Crash have developed into diverse economies operating
under their own autonomous political systems. While a one-shot of Red Markets can take place at any
location or travel nomadically between a variety of locations, campaigns focus on the fate of a single
enclave and its people. Takers don't just live there; they are part of the community and a major part
of the economy. Campaigns typically start and end at the enclave, and the jobs takers do have lasting
effects on their home.

Z3. Procedure
Enclave Creation should be preformed using the Out-of-Character Consensus procedure
from "Designing Scores" (p.XX). In-character methods are great for scores, but the economic
horror of Red Markets is based in materialism: the logistics of the place come first. Campaigns work
better if the players know where their Takers will live and work before they develop character
concepts. A solid character concept can easily be altered to fit almost any setting, but building setting
around character concepts can sap the story of conflict and make for contradictions the Market can't
explain in the economy.
Markets should ask the following questions of the players and take notes on their proposed
answers. Vote to decide on contradictory ideas (i.e. it can't be located in a jungle and in a desert), but
encourage players to augment each others ideas by using "yes, and..." whenever possible. Strive to
include as much as possible so long as it doesn't directly negate some already established fact about
the setting.
It should be noted that the Market is not solely a facilitator of enclave creation. Markets
should actively participate in the process with their own ideas. After all, the Market has to write a lot
of contracts and scores based out of this enclave. Make sure its a setting everyone is comfortable
playing in.

Z3. Name
Ummm...what's the name? You probably want to leave this one until last, and that's okay. It's
only included first here because it's at the top of the enclave sheet.

Z3. Location
Where, geographically, is the enclave located? Though the hope is to eventually take the Red
Markets setting global, the current setting is the continental United States, west of the Mississippi.
You can set the enclave in a familiar area, inside a state or city everyone is interested it, or leave exact
geography vague. Many find "zombifying" the economy of their home one of the most enjoyable

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parts of the game. Place your hometown somewhere West of the line, flip the setting entirely, or
start defining what the Recession/Loss border looks like in your part of the world.
Whatever you choose, try to limit yourselves to descriptions of the landscape around the
enclave. Other questions deal with the enclave's interior features, but the community's surroundings
are going to play a big roll. Remember, geography determines economy.

◦ Do the enclave have access to water? How? Is there a river or lake? Is there a manmade
waterway nearby?
◦ What's the landscape like? Hills and rocks? Flat plains? Forests? Mountains? Urban?
◦ Is there arable soil outside the enclave, or do crops need to be grown inside the fence? Is
agriculture feasible at all?
◦ What was the population density like here before the Crash? Higher density means more
survivors to feed, or more Casualties to eat them. Lower density means less danger, but
more scarcity when it comes to scavenging.
◦ What's the climate like here? Cold? Dry? Hot? Rainy? Are changes seasonal, or has climate
change made fluctuations unpredictable?

Z3. Defenses
It wouldn't be an enclave if it couldn't keep the casualties out, especially back when they
were sprinting, climbing vectors.

10. Were the defenses natural, like an island, a mountain, or a peninsula? Repurposed from some
other building, such as a prison, a trainyard, or a military base? Hastily constructed during
the Crash, like an arrangement of shipping containers, a moat, or a rag-tag flotilla of ships?
11. How have the defenses been added to or altered since the Crash?
12. Does anyone keep watch on the walls? Or are the defense strong enough that they take care
of themselves?
13. Is there some sort of enclave police force or militia? If so, how does one join up?
14. How do people bypass the defenses? If it's a gate, how do they distract, herd, or kill the
Casualties waiting outside? A system of airlocks and checkpoints? If it's a secret entrance,
how is it kept secret?

Z3. History
A lot of people holed up and survived the Crash...before dying of starvation, disease, and in-
fighting in the years that followed. The enclaves that have made it this far did so by evolving.

4. What was the first group of people to see this place as a chance for survival? Did they secure
it by being smart, ruthless, or just first?
5. Did other groups come later, or has everyone been here since the Crash? Were these
additional populations recruited to meet the needs of the enclave's founders, or were they
desperate refugees that managed to insinuate themselves?
6. What past conflicts, between interior groups and outside threats, came to define how the
enclave operates today?

Z3. Top Exports

No man is an island, and neither is his enclave. Total self-reliance is a myth; the enclaves that
survive trade with each other. Determining what an enclave can afford to sell off is great way to help

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the Market generate ideas for jobs.

2. What surpluses does your enclave have to trade?

3. What goods can be produced or salvaged from the geography?
4. What forms of industry can be undertaken without undermining the defenses?
5. What skills and expertise can the population sell for what they need?

Z3. Top Imports

The same things that define a surplus imply a deficit. The enclave can't be all things to all
people. Listing the necessary imports is an even better way to help Markets generate ideas for jobs.

◦ What does the enclave need to keep operating?

◦ What do people need that the local geography can't provide?
◦ What forms of industry would are made impossible by the necessary limitations of the
defenses?
◦ What skills and expertise are lacking in the population?

Z3. Competition
Zombie movies existed in the world of Red Markets before the zombies actually came.
Things got really bad, but a surprising amount of people knew how to survive. These groups
condensed into enclaves in the following years, but most areas in the Loss can't support a full-blown
metropolis. The smaller groups compete for each other for resources and bounty.
When talking about competition for the enclave as a whole, we aren't talking about
competing taker groups (though they may come from other enclaves). Competing taker outfits will
come and go in any campaign, but local enclave competition remains a consistent concern. These
competing enclaves use the same transportation routes and natural resources. They scavenge in the
same ruins, but hold different beliefs and ideologies. Getting some ideas for competing enclaves
down on paper should spark ideas for job lines and other serialized storylines.

◦ Where have other groups settled in the area? When thinking about this question, remember
your enclaves top imports and exports. Do these other communities feed your needs, or
worsen shortages?
◦ What kind of structures and groups could provide for your enclave? What kinds of
structures and groups would need your enclave to survive?
◦ How are these other communities different from yours in size, belief, economy, or political
structure?
◦ What if some of the competition isn't from an enclave at all? Does the DHQS have any
settlements nearby? Has a corporate interest set up shop in the area for some research or
salvage operation?
◦ What do citizens deployed in the Loss need from those left behind? What riches from the
Recession can they provide the people of the enclave?

Z3. Social Structure

Social structure is perhaps the most important part of enclave generation. Economy implies
inequality. Inequality creates conflict, and conflict is the heart of your campaign. Look at the answers
to the previous questions on the list. How have these answers stratified the culture, and how does
that hierarchy perpetuate itself? If the questions below aren't enough to spark ideas, take a look at

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the economy section of the the Contract Generator (p. XX).

◦ How does your enclave govern itself? Is it a general democracy, or some sort of
representational compromise?
◦ Is it monarchy, socialist ideology, or total anarchy?
◦ Is there an executive or court system?
◦ Does anyone have veto power?
◦ Does religion play a roll in the enclaves political struggles? Is it a traditional faith, or one of
the believer cults resulting from after the Crash?
◦ Has the enclave always done things this way, or is the current system the result of some past
struggle?

Z3. Neighborhoods
Humans like cliques. Break them into tiny cliques, and they immediately start making tinier
cliques. Bounty will be the biggest separator, but that doesn't mean race, religion, politics, gender,
language, and every other petty consideration won't be turned into dividing lines as well.

• What are the major demographic zones of your enclave?

• Is there a rich neighborhood and a 'bad part of town'? Are living arrangements determined
by occupation, political identification, or other signifiers of class?
• How does the enclave quarantine Latents? Are their sections comparable or little more than
ghettos?
• Are Immunes allowed to walk free, or must they hide their diagnosis least they be sold into
medical slavery?
• Do different sects of believers live in cloistered groups, do they mingle with the population,
or do they have to hide from some dominant ideology?

Z3. VIPs
At this point, there are a lot different places for characters to interact with and alter the
story. But who represents those places? Now it's time to provide the campaign with a cast of NPCs
the Takers can talk with. This is also a great way to generate clients for future contracts the Market
can offer.

• Who are the movers and shakers in the enclave? Did they get power through first come; first
serve? Or have they elevated themselves through sheer force of will?
• How do their positions reflect their agendas? What's their endgame? Are they Lost for Life,
or do they have a retirement plan too? Is this enclave their retirement plan? If so, what did
they do to earn it?
• How do the VIPs exert control over the enclave? Do they wield economic power, the threat
of violence, or some other persuasive force?

Z3. Finishing Up
Once the enclave is created, finish off the session with character creation. Now that players
have all the information, they can decide where their characters fit into the different factions in the
enclave.
Markets should then take time between game nights to elaborate on the enclave creation
notes as much as necessary. Give the documents to the players so they have a reference document.

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Write a few contracts or design a score. The next session starts with the Takers starting work and
meeting their neighbors.

Z3. Example Enclave Generation: Troutfitt

1. Enclave Name
Troutfitt -- so named for the letters on the sign that survived military shelling (TROU.
..TFITT...)

2. Location
Troutfitt is located in the former national headquarters of Trout Outfitters in Feldspur, MO.

3. Defenses
The national headquarters of Trout Outfitters is a massive complex of interconnected
buildings. Rather than large show windows typical of retail stores, the company constructed the five-
story tall walls of the shopping complex to depict baroque, concrete-and-plastic murals dedicated to
scenes of wildlife and rural pastorals. What windows are located in the place are huge, cathedral-
sized vertical slits that rest at least seven feet above the sidewalks outside.

Though located in a dense urban area, the surplus of the weaponry inside and the
quarantinable corridor system (traffic was regularly rerouted within the complex as new, gaudy
tourist attractions were built) meant that the building survived the Crash. Slowly, survivors
recaptured and reinforced every inch of the Troutfit compound, turning the location into an
impenetrable fortress against the undead.

4. History
The gun room (more like "gun gymnasiums") formed the beach head for the initial militia
groups, military, law enforcement, and desperate refugees that made up Troutfitt. Rather than
succumb to infighting as more and more desperate survivors poured in, a work exchange policy
quickly calmed interfactional conflict. New groups were required to take back one of the many sub-
buildings in the Troutfitt complex: if they agreed to risk their lives to secure the compound, that
section of compound would be theirs to keep and the gun room would supply the attempt. This had
the knock down effect of creating a meritocracy of power. Those able to survive against the undead
were rewarded with their own tiny fiefdoms. Those that failed, died.
Though initially holding out for government rescue even after news of the Recession began
to circulate, Troutfitt skewed heavily towards Rebel politics after the bombing of Feldspur. Deemed
too close to the Mississippi line and too populated to ignore, the early DHQS firebombed much of
the city in a misguided effort to reduce Casualties. The plan failed, of course, but it did manage to
destroy untold amounts of valuable salvage in the area. Troutfitt lost a few buildings in the bombing,
and many lives were lost. Reclamation has become an unpopular subject with the residents of
Troutfitt ever since, and the DHQS will have a hard time retaking Feldspur if the T-Minus Never
comes.

5. Top Exports
Weapons -- It was a full-blown armory before the Crash. After local survivalists pooled their
resources and got the machining equipment running, there was no greater surplus of arms and
ammunition in the whole Loss.
Survival Equipment -- the camping showfloors and warehouses were full to bursting when
the Crash came down.

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 Vehicles -- gargantuan indoor showfloors of ATVs, boats, bikes, and jeeps make Troutfitt
one of the leading providers of transportation in the area.
Water -- the city of Feldspur gifted the massive complex it's own pumping substation and
filtration equipment for the purposes of its onsite fisheries and fountains. It's been repurposed with
rainwater collectors to become a self-sustaining water system.
Fish -- once maintained as mere decoration, the complex of interconnected aquariums have
become a commercial fishery

6. Top Imports
Food -- Troutfitt's fishing can't feed its whole population, and the structure is made of
excessive amounts of concrete. It is difficult to grow food in the lightless fortress.
Fuel -- even with solar and wind retrofits, it's nearly impossible to supply power to the
massive complex. Many sections of Troutfitt are lightless, frigid dungeons in need of combustible
fuel like wood, coal, and petrochemicals.
Medicine -- Troutfitt's population is one of the densest in the Loss. The local hospitals were
priority targets in the DHQS bombing, and Troutfitt needs all the expertise and medicine it can get.
Electronics -- sophisticated electronics capable of computing and Ubiq access were all
claimed within the first few months of the enclave. The bloated population has a huge demand for
connectivity devices.

7. Competition
FOB Liberty: One of the DHQS's first colonies was set-up outside Feldspur on the flat,
high-visibility plains of the Ozarks plateau. The city-sized armed camp requires trade to keep it's
civilian population happy, but the proximity to the Recession means that such trade must be
secretive least the wrong officer decides to enforce the "everyone is infected" policy.
John's River Assembly (aka Dracula's Castle): The megachurch survivors now make up the
single largest congregation of the Church of the Holy Blood in the Loss. They're actually fairly
reasonable and fair traders. Just don't let them know if you have any Immunes in your party...In fact,
they pay such a high price for their "communion" that Immunes are in more danger in the region
than anywhere else besides Scrape.
The Underground: The 2.4 million square feet beneath the city makes up a massive city of
traders in it's own right. However, multiple outbreaks have left blocks of the tunnels sealed and
uninhabitable. The shifting and constant war against the undead as the populace tries to retake the
complex makes trading with the underground unpredictable, dangerous, and profitable.

8. Social Structure
Troutfitt can't really be said to have a "government." Those that are actually in charge would
bristle, if not attack, if slapped with the label of bureaucrat. The whole system runs off a shifting
alliance of anarcho-capitalist interests and quite a bit of spontaneous collectivism. This system --
either due to breakdowns in trading or spats of selfishness -- often breaks down, leading to frequent
famines, blackouts, economic recessions, and minor riots. Ironically, these failures of civic
organization continually contribute to the anti-governmental attitudes that cause them.

9. Neighborhoods
There are dozens of unique cliques within Troutfitt, but some of the most influential all...
The Fountainhead: the fountains served as the main entrance of the complex and it's
primary thoroughfare. It also has access to the pump station and provides water to the majority of
the complex. Fountainhead is, aptly enough, run by an "agreement" of Randian merchants eager to

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profit off every financial interaction in the city.
The Armory: The gun room is the primary haunt of the rebel and militia groups that first
saw Trout Outfitters as their salvation in the Crash. Their weapons and history in the community
make them serious power players in Troutfitt, but fractious ideologies amongst the initial survivors
neuter their potential for control.
The Forge: The subterranean maintenance tunnels are where the machine shop and reload
stations produce new weapons and ammunition for the enclave. Though obviously allied with the
Armory, demands on power, space, and raw materials have seen the population compromised by
members of other groups. This makes the Forge one of the more egalitarian and professional of the
groups in Troutfitt.
The Closet: While the materials in Trout Outfitters clothing section are ideal for the harsh
conditions of the Loss, many of the patterns (woodland camo) and aesthetics (pink woodland camo)
were liabilities in an urban survival situation. The advanced textiles knowledge necessary to
repurpose kevler weave and water-resistant polymer fabrics was not something anyone in the
enclave possessed -- until Martha came around. The aging drag queen leveraged her skills into
control of the old department store: she keeps the textile operation earning in exchange of
controlling her own bohemian utopia.
The Flotilla: While the outdoor pontoons and speed boats remain accessible and fenced off,
the doorway from the interior showroom opens up into an indefensible urban street. Unable to sell
the fleet of freshwater craft locked inside the showroom, "the flotilla" is the largest residential area in
Troutfitt. Large, gothic windows provide a lot of natural light, and the boats have been retrofitted
into a four-story favela.
The Welfare State: Ernest's Fishing Hole was a giant, open-seating buffet before the Crash,
located on the fifth floor of the complex with an overview of the city. As the other factions
reclaimed fallen sections of the buildings, they found that the former restaurant was already
occupied and picked clean. A small band of desperate survivors, led by a local college rock climbing
team, had scaled the walls of Troutfitt and occupied the restaurant from the top down. The
survivors were grateful for the militants of the gun room ending their zombie-barricaded isolation,
but they were not content to give up their place at the top. Resentment has only grown in the
following years for violating the unspoken "kill to earn your place" policy of Troutfitt. "The Welfare
State" has been ghettoized ever since, its residents forced to hustle among the other factions to
survive despite their prime real-estate within the compound.
The Dark Alleys: Many sections of Troutfitt are cut off from natural light but too
unproductive to justify the power it would take keep them in working order. These lightless
shopping concorses are referred to collectively as "the Dark Alleys," as in "wouldn't want to meet X
in a dark alley one day." Many desperate survivors have gained access to Troutfitt only to find
themselves shuffled off into the alleys, where predation and banditry to rival the Loss itself are the
only hope for survival.

10. VIPs
Bill Baxter -- Conservative talk radio host that serves as the face of the Armory
Bug Eyes -- Reticent, aging gunsmith given diplomatic privileges for the workers of the
Forge
Kyle -- aging stoner and college dropout responsible for The Welfare State occupation
during the Crash
Martha -- aging crossdresser operating the enclaves valuable textile trade
(R)Ann -- middle-aged business woman most often seen exploiting the tolls at Fountainhead
Elah -- freerunner and possible valet that's considered one of the only trustworthy

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personalities living and navigating the Dark Alleys.

Z2. Structure of a Campaign

We've discussed the Workplace Essentials that make up nearly every job (p.XX) and the
difference between contracts and scores (p.XX). We've also talked about how create an enclave
collaboratively (p.XX). These elements remain constants in extended play. But what differs, besides
length?
What makes a campaign of Red Markets different from a one-shot are the options the Market
has for scenes that operate like connective tissue. But these options are just that: optional. The story
remains solely in the hands of those playing at the table; this section merely seeks to expand the
toolbox the Market has to tell it.
Keep in mind that the order of these scenes -- and even their very inclusion -- isn't
prescribed. Since campaigns follow character arcs episodically over time, most of the mechanics
specific to extended play focus on roleplaying prompts and procedures for defining dramatic scenes.
Groups that are more action-oriented might want to skip past the lovey-dovey roleplaying stuff, or
even use Market Fiat to set a price, skip negotiations, and get straight to taking casualties. And that's
fine.
As the structure of a campaign is discussed, always keep in mind that these sections are
modular. Use them all, rearrange the order, add scenes of personal design, and skip the ones you
don't enjoy. Any answer that gets the group playing and having fun is the right answer.
Roleplaying games are a form of improvisational, collaborative story-telling...like jazz for a
narrative genre. And like jazz, it's easier to contribute if you know the key changes. Treat these notes
on the structure of a campaign like the changes in a jazz standard: their the big moves the band
decides to stick to or deviate from in order to keep everyone on track while still making the
performance their own.

Z3. Stucture At-a-Glance

The elements that occur in a session of Red Markets and their suggested order is listed below.
Each scene has been coded with the type of play it's designed to facilitate, and interchangeable
scenes have been indented to show what they trade with. Remember: these are suggestions. Markets
are encouraged to rearrange and alter list to fit taste.

Italics are for rare or one-time events

E: Essential
C: Contract-specific
S: Score-specific
L: Long-term
+: And/Or (scene can be included in addition to the scene of the above type, used to replace
it, or put in any combination)
- : Or (scene can be included instead of the scene of the above type)

7. Enclave Creation (L)

8. Character Creation (E)
9. News (L)
10. Vignettes (L)
+ MBA Options (L)
+ Buying Supply

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 + Hiring
+ Troubleshooting
+ Gouge Consumers
+ Securing Loans
+ Investments and Speculation
11. Upkeep (E)
12. Finding a Job (E)
- Designing a Score (S)
- Prep Work (C)
- Job Line (C + L)
13. Fixing a Price (E)
- Negotiation (C)
- Finding a Wholesaler (S)
- Market Fiat (E)
14. Embarking (E)
15. Travel Time (E)
+ Market Fiat (E)
+ D10 Encounter Themes (E)
+ D100 Encounter Table (E)
+ Interludes (L)
16. The Site (E)
17. The Complication (E)
18. Return (L)
+ Legs (E)
19. Book-keeping (L)
20. Mr. JOLS (L)
- Individual Retirements (L)
- Tontine (L)

Z3. Enclave and Character Creation

Both have already been covered previously, but most people committing to a campaign of
Red Markets will enjoy the game more if they're playing in their own setting with their own
characters. It's not recommended that groups dive straight into a full-campaign without at least
trying out a one-shot contract or score, possibly with some pre-gen characters. One of the main
pleasures of campaign play is the shared ownership of the narrative; make sure everyone wants to
invest in that story before the group starts down that path.
It's suggested that those ready for campaign play design an enclave first (p.XX), then move
on to character creation (p.XX). Players find it much easer to flesh out a Taker's personality once the
materialist circumstances of the home enclave are defined.

Z3. News
In long-term play, the Market may need some time to establish broad, sweeping changes in
the setting. While each enclave's economy is comprised of a variety of races, ethnicities, beliefs, and
motivations, some events do effect everyone equally, and a news scene is where the Market presents
those changes to the players.
It's atypical for enclave-wide news to be included in the first part of a campaign, or even
every episode. However, starting the campaign session off with news is a powerful method for
conveying the consequences of player action.

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 If, for instance, one of the Takers refused to turn in an Immune musician for the bounty his
slavery would earn, the next session start off with a short scene where a number of enclave families
gather around for an impromptu music festival. The tunes loosen everyone up and the whole
enclave ends up having a pretty good time. The Market gives the PCs some space to roleplay this
rare instance of leisure time, then affords a free Humanity heal as a consequence of that Taker's
altruism.
As another example, maybe the Takers pulled a big contract securing weapons for some
local raiders. The next session might start with a group of refugees desperately knocking on the
enclave's door. Their community was sacked by the newly emboldened raiders. They'll die without
refuge, but that's a lot more mouths to feed with winter on the way. The Market presents the news,
then sees what the Takers contribute to the debate about whether the enclave should allow entry.
Self-control checks are called for to measure how the PCs handle the consequences of their actions.
Or the news could be a consequence of inaction. If every crew in the enclave refused for
weeks to deal with the escaped zoo lions hunting local travelers, the session could start with bloody
screams as one jumps the fence and starts slaughtering enclavists. This "news" scene would be about
combat and fleeing, but it's a necessity affecting everyone regardless of economic class, so it would
fit as a news opener.
Regardless of tone, updating the players on what's changed in the setting as a result of the
character's actions is the purpose of starting a campaign session off with the news.

Z3. Vignettes
Vignettes define why Takers put themselves under such risk. The vague explanation of
"financial need" in a one-shot grows more thin and fragile the longer a character is exposed to the
true horrors awaiting outside the enclave. What's needed is firm motivation to establish why these
characters would regularly expose themselves to the torture of "adventure." Like most of us in the
real world, the real concern isn't money, but the people we'll lose if the bills aren't paid.
In Red Markets, Takers fight for their Dependents, eating the sin of the Loss so their loved
ones don't have to, fighting its nightmares so they might afford to one day flee from them. Vignettes
are scenes where PCs interact with Dependents to establish the stakes risked in a campaign. As such,
it's recommended that every session of a Red Markets campaign start with vignettes.

Z4. Determine Work/Life Balance

If the group isn't using the MBA rules (p.XX), skip to the next section.
If the group is familiar enough for advanced ply, PCs first need to figure out if they can
afford enough time to have a scene with Dependents. Calculate the Work/Life Balance each crew
member needs to strike in order to troubleshoot, gouge, invest, hire, borrow, scam, and/or negotiate
for the group's finances that session. If time recovering with the family isn't going to work out,
sacrifice the vignette scene and resulting Humanity heals for an extra work scene now. That way,
everyone can still take turns performing scenes going around the table because everyone knows what
scenes they need to call.

Z4. One Vignette per Taker

Since CHA is used to determine how many Dependents a PC can support, does that mean a
Taker with CHA 3 has to have three separate roleplaying scenes before we even start picking a job?

No. Remember, vignettes aren't even required. If the group prefers the challenge of
negotiation and combat to roleplaying, Market's can skip vignettes altogether and make Dependents
purely mechanical. Heal however many columns worth of Humanity equals the number of

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supported Dependents, and move on (p.XX).
But if the group does want to do some roleplaying and establish the stakes of their crew's
struggle, only once scene per Taker is required to receive the full mechanical benefit of all
Dependents. This means that even though one Taker might have upwards to five family member to
support, only one connection per session. It's understood that the other relationships were less
eventful and took place "off-camera." The amount of Humanity healed from financially-supported
Dependents doesn't change so long as a single vignette takes place.
So Takers are limited to one scene with Dependents per session. This doesn't mean that
Vignettes can only be one-on-one. Perhaps one scene calls for a family dinner, with every other
player at the table assuming the role of one Taker's relatives. This would still count as a single
vignette. If two PCs were lovers in the setting, a player might call for a vignette where the couple
had a post-coitus conversation. In this instance, the player that called the scene has used the one
vignette she's allowed. The other player could choose for the pillow talk to serve as his vignette (thus
healing all the Humanity allowed), or he could call for a different scene with a different Dependent.

SIDEBAR: Market as Director

Besides playing NPCs, the Market's main responsibility during vignettes is to cut the scene.
Each vignette them in Red Markets has a very clear dramatic purpose. When that purpose has been
fulfilled, the Market stops the vignette and moves on to the next player. Try not to cut people off,
but improvisation can become ponderous if allowed to go on instantly. There's also a bunch of game
left to run and other characters that need spotlight time, so Markets should keep vignettes brief
whenever possible.
END SIDEBAR

Z4. Who plays Whom?

The Market has responsibilities to other NPCs in a vignette, no matter the theme. It's up to
other players at the table to play Dependents.
It's up to the PC having the scene to assign who they want to play Dependents. Make sure
everyone knows what they're getting into before parts are assigned, though. The goal of assigning
other players to play Dependents is to surprise the character who is the focus of the vignette, not to
surprise the person taking on the Dependent's role. The vignette player should announce what
theme they're planning to pursue (see next) and the gist of the scene before assigning parts, or at
least hash out a general idea with the other roleplayer before speaking in character
The easiest way to assign parts is to ask for volunteers the first time the Dependent makes
an appearance and have that player take over the role whenever it comes up again. Otherwise,
people can trade roles between sessions and chock it up to fluid personalities resulting from living
under the pressures of the Loss. It might be easiest to make a "table rule" that says the player to the
left of the person having a vignette always plays the Dependent.
The only hard and fast rule for assigning parts in a vignette is that no one should have to
play a scene with a Dependent if they are uncomfortable. If no one can be found that want's to do
that part, the Market can take over or the gist of the scene can be rewritten.
Example: Half-off's player is up for a vignette. He says he wants to a cope scene with his ex-
wife, going over the fight they had the previous session. The person that usually plays Half's ex-wife
is absent for this session. He does a fantastic job and no one is comfortable taking over that part.
The Market asks Half's player if there is some other scene he'd maybe like to try. After some
consideration, it's agreed that Half could do to reconnect with his son, Wes. The player that covers
Wes is present for this session and game for anything. The two go about setting the scene.
But what kind of scene should they play? The two could say and do literally anything. In

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order to make sure the scene has a point, they need to pick a scene for the vignette.

Z4. Cope
The most obvious goal of a Taker's interaction with a Dependent is to cope. The Loss is a
terrible place; any scars it fails to leave on the flesh it writes on the soul. The snippets of normality a
Taker can grab with family and friends are usually the only thing keeping them going.
Mechanically, there are three roles in a vignette designed to cope.

The player calling the vignette plays the Taker

Another player or players assume the role(s) of the Dependent(s)
The Market controls any other NPCs present in the scene...and the waking nightmares that
haunt all Takers.

Essentially, the two players can to have a pleasant, conflict-free interaction, but the Market
injects conflict and drama into the scene by playing the PTSD-like reminders of the terrors the
Taker is about to face again. It's up to the player calling the vignette to determine whether they resist
the errant fears or let them sour the interaction. Either way, the Taker still gets to heal Humanity,
but the Dependent has a harder job to do if the job is coming home.

Example: For the sake of convenience, we'll refer to both player and character by the
character's name. The sections in quotes are spoken in character.
Setup: The players decide that, after the loss of a teammate in the last session, Half-off need
to cope this vignette.
Half-Off: Alright, I figure I spent my bounty supporting Wes to buy him a cake for his
birthday. It takes quite a bit of work to bake an honest-to-god cake out here, so I'm going to surprise
his whole class. I walk in unannounced to the schoolhouse and say "Happy Birthday, Wes!"
Wes: "Dad! You're home!"
Half-Off: "You bet I am buddy! And I brought a present." I reveal the cake from behind my
back.
Market: The kids, even the older ones, stare dumbfounded. None of them can remember
the last time they tasted anything as sweet as icing. Even the teacher, Mrs. Beavers, looks at the cake
hungrily. She eventually sputter and says, "My! That's so generous of you, Mr...um...Wes's Dad.
What do we say class?"
Wes: The whole class says thank you. Wes whispers to his friends that his dad can beat their
dads in a fight cuz he's a badass Taker that fights monsters for a living.
Market: Mrs. Beavers continues, "But I didn't know you were coming. We don't have any
plates or silverware. I was going to have the kids take recess soon, so I suppose they could wash up
in the stream, but...it's such a beautiful cake. It would be a shame just to tear into it..."
Half-Off: "Well, it's Wes's birthday. Do you want to eat it now or later?"
Wes: Hmmm. I look around torn. On the one hand, I really want that cake. On the other
hand, I really don't want to share it with anyone...
Half-Off: I recognize that face and give Wes my best I'm-just-disappointed Dad stare.
Wes: "Okay...I guess we can eat it now. Happy Birthday to me!"
Market: The kids open the box and start grabbing handfuls of cake. Mrs. Beavers tries to
get them to take one handful at a time, but she can't resist taking some icing for herself. The kids are
already on a sugar rush and Wes has a huge smile on his face.
Half-Off: Awww yeah. Half's the best dad ever.
Market: But they just keep tearing away at it. Greedy handfuls shoveling into icing coated

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moths, teeth gone blue and black with the frosting...
Half-Off: Oh, damnit...
Market: They're tearing into it just like those things tore into Drift. And then you're back
there, seeing him get turned inside out by their filthy hands as the jeep speeds away. You can hear
his screams again.
Half-Off: Welp, that's enough party for Half. I excuse myself before I throw up.
Wes: "But I want you to stay for recess and meet my friends!"
Half-Off: I make up a lame excuse about having to get back to work, kiss him goodbye, and
get the hell out of there.
End: Half-Off heals Humanity; he did, after all, make his son happy and steal a few
moments of normal fatherhood. But the Market used the NPCs and memories of the Loss to insert
some dramatic tension into the scene.

Z4. Support
The burdens of love aren't a one way street. In a support vignette, the Taker has to be there
to solve a problem for a Dependent. The issue could be emotional, financial, or physical, but the
Taker is needed to resolve the issue.

The three roles in a support vignette are...

The player calling the vignette plays the Taker.

Another player or players assume the role(s) of the Dependent(s) in need of help.
The Market controls any NPCs involved with the Dependent's problem.

Support vignettes exemplify the rationale behind having other players at the table play
Dependents. Family and friends can now surprise the main PC with their needs; needs that hint at
an inner life the Taker is missing out on when on the job. Some players might find support vignettes
easier to roleplay because the conflict experience by the Dependent provides an immediate, tangible
dramatic goal for the character to pursue.
Example: For simplicity's sake, let's stick with Half-Off and his son Wes. Let's imagine what
would happen if he chose to do a support vignette instead. In this instance, it's up to Wes's player
what the character needs, and Half has to fulfill that need. This may or may not involve skill checks,
but unless playing with the Bust Rule: Uncertain Vignettes, Half heals Humanity just for the attempt.
Wes needs to fit in with the rest of his classmates. Mrs. Beavers now includes marksmanship
in her class lessons. Arming children with firearms is something the elementary teacher would have
balked at in the past, but now she can't imagine a complete education that doesn't involve vertical
shooting practice. The class joins the fencemen clearing casualties off the chainlink with the class
.22. The problem is that Wes is still too small to handle the rifle well. His percentage isn't high
enough to get regular practice time because the enclave only grants the school so many bullets per
week. All the kids make fun of him for his bad shooting, and the teasing is getting downright cruel,
going so far as to imagine how Wes's mother would be torn apart in an outbreak. School has
become torture for the boy.
So Half has a problem to solve. It's up to him how he approaches it. He could spend bounty
or scavenge to find Wes a personal .22 that he can handle, or he could donate more ammo to the
class on the condition his son get to practice more. He could use a CHA skill to scold the bullies
into leaving his son alone, convince his ex-wife to homeschool the boy, or dissuade Mrs. Beavers
from the barbaric combat training for children. Regardless, the Market has to play any Dependents
that come into play in Half's solution.

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Z4. Engage
Though a lack of conflict makes for a lack of drama, the point of a vignette is to provide
some relief for a Taker. Scenes of comedy relief or emotional fulfillment are welcome in Red Markets
(they make the lows seem that much worse) and an engage scene is a great place for those moments.
When Takers choose to engage scene for their vignette, they're ignoring the dread of the Loss and
their Dependents agree to be fulfilled.
Rather than resolving a dramatic conflict, the goal of an engage vignette is to engage the
community. The scene can be nothing more than a pleasant conversation because an otherwise dull
conversation can be used to flesh out the enclave. In this scene, neither the Taker nor Dependents
have any need, but they must interact with their neighbors and environment.

The player calling the vignette plays the Taker

Another player or players assume the role(s) of the Dependent(s)
The Market controls any NPCs...and reserves the right to complicate the interaction with
them.

Example: It's been a rough few session on Half-Off. The Taker needs some baggage-free
downtime. The Market reminds everyone that they can engage. In exchange for helping define the
enclave more, the Market will hold back on the flashbacks and requests from Dependents.
After some thought, Half says that he wants to go see Wes's soccer game. There are enough
kids in the enclave to field two half-strength squads. They play on the concrete floor of an
abandoned warehouse. Normally, so much free space would be used for farming, but the roof
collapsed years ago and the concrete is too thick to remove. The kids play on a field outlined with
chalk with the enclaves one precious soccer ball. Wes scores a goal. The father and son roleplay their
celebration. All-in-all, it's a perfect case for Half-Off healing Humanity.
But the Market is dissatisfied with the scene. Suddenly, Half's is asked to assign the rest of
his Dependents roles at the table: his ex-wife and her new husband, Chad, have shown up to watch
the game too. Half's still better off for having come, but the scene just got more dramatically
interesting. Best of all, everyone at the table now knows about an abandoned factor floor turned
soccer field upon which they can stage their own vignettes.

Z4. Bust Rule: Uncertain Vignettes

We can't control other people, and we can only sometimes control our reactions to them.
Retaining Humanity becomes quite a bit more challenging when the rules acknowledge this. In this
bust variant, vignettes become high-stakes gambles.
Takers still only get one vignette, but now the dice determine the type. Furthermore, its now
possible for the scene to go so badly that the loses all free columns of Humanity healing; receiving
the benefits of Dependents now depends on financial support and skill checks.
To use uncertain vignettes, the Market rolls Red and Black. Check the result on the table and
follow the instructions

Result Vignette
Critical Support: Humanity recovery depends on skill checks required to meet Dependent's needs,
Failure but it can only be healed after the job. This is because the Dependent needs something that
can only be found outside the fence (medicine, personal keepsakes, etc). The Taker needs
to bring the item back in order to keep the family happy and healthy.

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 Support: Humanity recovery depends on the skill checks required to meet the Dependent's
Failure
needs.
Cope: Humanity recovery depends on succeeding a Self-Control check when the flashback
Success
hits.
Engage: No checks are required for Humanity healing, and the Dependent has a gift for
Critical
the Taker (Market retains veto power; your sister didn't get you a cannon for your
Successs
birthday).

Z4. Milestone
The last type of vignette only occurs when a Taker fulfills a retirement milestone. Notably,
fulfilling a retirement milestone heals no Humanity. In fact, the stress of paying that much
money at once to set up a retirement plan provokes a Self-Control check against stress.
The Market might dictate mechanical benefits or penalties depending on the exact retirement
plan. For instance, in the standard plan (p.XX), it would be fair to say that Dependents no longer
count against break point once they're smuggled to a safe house in the Recession. But it would be
equally fair to say that they no longer heal Humanity for the remainder of the campaign, as
contacting illegal immigrants would only put them at risk. Markets should cater the results to the
boom/bust leanings of the game, but losing out on a vignette and taking a stress hit is often
challenge enough.
As for roleplaying, the retirement milestone defines the dramatic situation. Perhaps the
Taker is negotiation with a document forger over Ubiq, or hiring a competing Taker crew to
exterminate anything at the site of her future enclave. Remember, the Taker has been working for
this goal for the entire campaign; assume that grunt work of setting up the plan has already been
done. The group need not roleplay anything but the final preparations for that step. Keep things
focused on the character's goals and brief.

Z3. MBA Options

There are a number of other vignette-style scenes available to groups diving into the MBA
rules (p.XX). The specifics of those mechanics can be found in that chapter. For now, suffice it say
that all MBA scenes are played after the vignettes standard in campaign play.

Z3. Upkeep
Upkeep is dealt with on p. XX. It's important to note any changes in sustenance and
maintenance upkeep early in a game session. It allows players more information with which to select
a job, and it can affect the price in contract negotiations. It's a good idea to get any changes to the
book-keeping done and recorded on the crew sheet early, especially if utilizing the NBNB Rule
(p.XX)

Z3. Finding a Job

Finding a job is a workplace essential in both one-shots and campaign. This is where those
scenes fit best.

Z4. Designing a Score

If the Market isn't comfortable with improv, it's still suggested that designing scores be done
at the end of the previous session. This gives ample time to plan intriguing complications to keep
the player-generated contented challenging.

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 Those comfortable thinking on the fly and utilizing the books random generators (p.XX) can
design a score in the moment. Since the session has already started, the in-character methods are
suggested, as they keep everyone engaged with the narrative even as they step outside the setting a
bit to engage in some group game design.

Z4. Prep Work

If negotiating a contract, the prep work phase preceding negotiations would go here (see
p.XX).

Z4. Job Lines

Since so much about contracts falls to the Market's responsibility, a singular vision can drive
the themes of an extended campaign. Contracts allow Red Markets to grow beyond its episodic job-
of-the-week structure with job lines.
Recurring NPCs, enclaves, and settlements offer PCs job lines. Each line represents a major
opportunity for players to shape the setting and steer local politics by doing their normal jobs.
Creating a job line is simple. The Market thinks of a major change they would like to see in
the campaign setting, splits the work required to enact that change into jobs, and offers contracts to
the PCs using a notable NPC or group of NPC clients. Assuming the first job is completed to
everyone's satisfaction, the client offers the next job in the line to the Takers first; the crew is their
trusted provider and competition isn't entertained unless absolutely necessary.
For example, consider grime cloth: the cheap, patchwork textile made from clothing
salvaged off zombies and sterilized. If the grimecloth industry wants to expand their operations with
a casualty slaughterhouse near the PCs area, there's a lot of work to be done. Locations need to be
scouted, perimeters secured, laborers escorted, casualties lured -- all these tasks require the assistance
of Takers, and the grimecloth folks are willing to pay extra for reliable operators. Completion of a
job line means more than another payday. Such a big operation in the area is going to bring a lot of
trade to the local enclaves, but it could bring just as much hardship. The grimecloth industry's
dependence on casualties for production is going to flood the area with undead, and their success
could lure vital workers away from other enclaves that depend on them. By progressing along a job
line or choosing to cease doing business, the players should always being making moral choices and
determining the fate of the setting around them. Completing a line means the Takers want to see a
change in their community....
Or that they can't resist the temptation extra profit. One of the mechanical benefits of a job
line is that the client might be someone that the Taker already knows. Knowing a client's spots
before haggling frees Scams up to push a price even higher. Of course, the client remembers the
Takers' spots too, and their previous dealings mean they'll be more likely to bring persuasive gifts
and do homework on the crew's reputation. In this regard, job lines offer increasing challenge to
experienced Red Markets players. Negotiations become more tactical and high-stakes than ever
before as difficulty increases the chance for reward.
There can be multiple job lines going at any one time, and they can be at cross purposes. If
both the DHQS and the Moths want to secure a political foothold in the region, they both want to
use the most accomplished Takers available. If that happens to be the PC crew and they've worked
for both factions before, they can have job lines open up on both sides of the conflict. However,
clients are bound to recognize being played at some point. Eventually, one side will realize it's more
profitable to eliminate their opponent's tool rather than keep borrowing it. At that point, the side the
PCs helped more becomes a very important factor in shaping the setting as market forces shift their
allegiances to the crew and their entire enclave.
Job lines are the main reason the person running the game retains the right of Market fiat.

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It's difficult to craft lasting, high-stakes stories by randomizing everything. By using tools for
random one-shots and designing lines, Markets can offer the group variety without sacrificing the
satisfaction of a lengthy, interconnected narrative. And, ultimately, crafting a job line isn't so
different. Just remember, job lines...

◦ Exist to facilitate a momentous change in the campaign's setting.

◦ Require the PCs to execute, prevent, or alter the change.
◦ Offer every contract after the first successful one with no competition.
◦ Remember spots between negotiations, both for the Takers and the client
◦ Can interact and oppose the goals of other job lines

Z3. Fixing a Price

Once a job is found, the next step is fixing a price for it.
For contracts and job lines, negotiations would come next (p.XX). For a score, someone
might need to have scene with a wholesaler (p.XX). Finally, those itching to get straight to the action
could skip the whole thing and name a price with Market Fiat (p.XX).

Z3. Embarking
Not so much a scene as a reminder, be sure to give PCs a chance to stock up on anything
they might need before they leave for the job. With the negotiations done, this is the best
opportunity they have to make an informed decision on what gear to pack.

Z3. Travel Time

Travel time is made up of legs (see p.XX). These narrative encounters provide much of a
job's challenge, factor into price fixing, and characterize the omnipresent danger of the Loss.
Examples of legs and prompts for writing your own can be found in the tables at the end of the
book. But there are a few concerns for legs in extended play a Market might consider.

Z4. There, and Maybe Back Again

Takers only get paid for the journey to a job site, never the journey back. Clients don't care
about your problems, and getting home alive is strictly your problem. Furthermore, it makes
narrative sense to only do legs on the way to a job site; considering the danger, a crew would most
likely retrace its steps rather than risk new disasters. Lastly, skipping the legs on the way home keeps
the game from ending on anti-climax. Markets that are doing their jobs will have complications at
the job site that make for dynamic, exciting conclusions. Legs, in contrast, are the rising action of the
plot, and turning them into a denouement can extend the game past its welcome.
Still, the rule of Market Fiat is always in effect (p.XX). If something exciting or challenging
happens after a job is complete, make it a leg and surprise the players with it. But unless the event is
specifically climactic or tied to events at the job site, try to keep travel time scenes strictly on the way
to the job site.

Z4. Campaign Legs

Depending on how the enclave was created, it might also make sense to have certain legs
repeat across different jobs. If the survivors are located in a mountainous basin, there might be legs
specific to the pass they choose to exit the area. If the enclave is secured on an island, there might be
a ferry ride at the start of every job.
If nothing bears repeating a leg encounter besides geography, Market's are encouraged to

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skip these scenes and not register them as legs. On the other hand, if the leg has a particularly
dangerous obstacle, variable cast of NPCs, or a particularly interesting NPC guards that particular
crossroads, Market's might make a campaign leg that serves as a rite of passage for every job.
However, the only reason to have a campaign leg is to look forward to how it will change in
the next session. If the same interaction happens every week on the same stretch of boring road, just
skip that scene. Remember: legs are a narrative measurement, not a physical one.
The only reason to repeat a campaign leg that doesn't change is to build scheduled downtime
into every job. In this instance, an interlude would be a good idea.

Z4. Interludes and Limits

Interludes are moments where the players trade character exploration in exchange for a
break from physical danger (see p. XX). Interludes use roleplaying prompts to spark a conversation
amongst the crew during a quiet stretch of road, though players aren't limited to those prompts and
can propose their own ideas for interludes. The scene gets Takers some alone time amongst their
peers and relieves them from the uncertain danger of the world outside the enclave.
However, Takers are limited to one interlude per job. This doesn't mean they're only
allowed one scene of roleplaying -- talk in-character as much as you like -- but an interlude can
replace one leg encounter. So, if the crew reminiscences about a movie they all loved, that interlude
replaces the raider ambush the Market had planned. If they proceed to recite the entire movie from
memory, then the players are just making the game longer. That aberrant is still waiting for them
over the horizon.
The Loss is a dangerous hellscape; not a social club. Quiet moments of conversation are few
and far between.

Z3. The Site and Complication

Nothing changes about sites and complications during extended play. Markets should keep
in mind that complications are a good place to reinforce job lines. It's excellent narrative placement
for a recurring antagonist to rear it's head.

Z3. Return
As has been stated before, if one had to skip a section of campaign play, the return journey
back from a job is easiest to cut. Still, if the Market has a delayed complication or climactic leg to
throw in, now is the time.

Z3. Book-keeping
The math in Red Markets isn't complicated. Most people can wrap up their calculations in a
few seconds, and five minutes is enough to be completely prepared for the next session. It's
suggested that what little accounting is required in the system be completed at the end of the
session. It's easy for players to say they're going to get they're numbers recorded, forget about it, and
come back to the next session with a character sheet in complete disarray. It's much better to
calculate incidentals, make purchases, pay debts, and assess penalties while the session is still fresh in
everyone's mind. In the same amount of time it takes to clear up snacks and gather coats, the group
can ensure everyone arrives at the next game ready to play.
There are a few concerns regarding book-keeping specific to the Market.

Z3. Learn to Delegate

You are not your player's accountant. You are not the IRS.
Concerns about cheating are a communication and expectation issue, not an additional

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responsibility for the person running the game. If something is brazen, call it out, but otherwise let
players keep their own books. Best-case scenario: keeping track of every item in every player's
inventory takes away valuable processing power that could be spent writing better jobs. Worst case
scenario: getting nosey in a character's books is seen as a breech of trust at the table.
The only number a Market needs to record go on the Crew Sheet.

Z3. The Crew Sheet

The Crew Sheet is a character sheet for the Market. It's the vital statistics of a campaign.
If using the MBA rules, the Crew Sheet is a vital tool for everyone to use at the table to keep
track of their various investments and business ventures. Even in more basic play, the sheet remains
very useful to Markets. Having things like the Break Point pre-recorded make price fixing much
faster. A catalog of previous jobs, scores, and job lines improves roleplaying as both NPCs and
players have a written record for callbacks. Finally, a well-maintained Crew Sheet is vital for Markets
seeking to fine-tune their campaigns. If the players have been getting shafted a lot lately, it might be
time to throw them a bone during the next job's leg. If they've been rolling in bounty, it's probably
time to engineer a brutal setback. The Crew Sheet is the tool Markets use to engineer the story arcs
they want to see in the next session, so keep it up to date.

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Z1. MBA Rules
The core activity of Red Markets is risking death for profit in the Loss. However, real-world
economics promotes a much more diverse labor pool. Perhaps the group wants to explore other
business opportunities outside the Taker model, or maybe a group's ethics require supplemental
income to make up for contracts declined. It could be that the players are experienced enough with
the Profit System to know that diversifying portfolios will get them out faster.
Whatever the motivation, pursuing other economic opportunities encourages creativity,
requires system mastery, helps build the setting, and fits in with Red Market's themes. In short, the
game wants you to try whatever you can think of, and it has systems to help.
But always remember the game is about being a Taker, not a business-owner. Focusing too
heavily on other forms of capital can detract from the experience if the Market doesn't carefully
consider which activities fit into the group's expectations of the narrative. MBA rules are for players
that have already mastered the basic structure of Red Markets and want to dive deeper into the game.
What follows are rules for other economic opportunities experienced players might want to
try and some rules to help fit them into a standard campaign.

Z2. Working a Double

Experienced campaign players eventually come up with the idea of doing two or more
contracts at once, or designing a score that just so happens to be on the way to a client's job site.
This is especially likely in campaigns that utilize a lot of real-world locations and mapping software.
When the group sees that Job A and Job B are right next to each other, it's natural to ask "why not
do both?"

The Market should encourage this type of thinking. After all, maximizing efficiency is the
cornerstone of economic success. But the group needs to understand that there are no labor laws in
the Loss, and when you are your own boss, you have to play the exploited worker before you get to
be the fat cat.

Z3. The Danger of Split Shifts

If players want to work two jobs at once, they may do so. The only requirement is that the
rules must reflect the economic situation: namely, the reward only doubles if the available resources are
halved. What does this mean?
When working two jobs at once, both have to be negotiated using the same number
of scams that would be used for a single job. This means that a group of four would only have
three scams to split across negotiating two jobs (one scam is lost for the negotiator, and the three
remaining players can't scam both clients at once).
Similarly, all the normal refresh and replenishment that occurs between jobs is
delayed. Haul doesn't refresh until the end of both contracts and/or scores. Will doesn't refill
unless spots are played. First Aid in the field is the only healing available, and Dependents only heal
Humanity once at the beginning of the session.
Furthermore, if the jobs aren't located at the exact same site, there's always at least one
Leg tacked on to the travel time that won't be compensated by either client. It's up to the
Market to decide exactly how far the two job sites are apart, but clients are never going to pay for
their employees to go moonlighting. In fact, failing to perform some aspect of a contract due to
moonlighting earns an automatic - Rep spot "Checks the Ass Can't Cash."
About the only thing that doesn't get harder working a double is upkeep: that's the entire

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point of doing two jobs at once. Upkeep remains the same no matter how many contracts a
crew is working at one time.
Even working a double where both jobs are unqualified successes, Takers are going to
stumble back to the enclave physically and mentally drained. Hopefully, it ends up being worth it,
but that's everybody's gamble, isn't it?

Z2. Small Businesses

Risk is factored into any successful business model. Many PCs might decide the risk of going
over the fence isn't worth the reward. Why not try some occupation besides Taking? After all, there
would be no clients hiring Takers if other endeavors in the Loss weren't seeing at least some success.
What's wrong with traditional retail? It may take longer to reach retirement, but the chances of living
to see that day go way up.
The problem with founding non-Taker small businesses in Red Markets is the roleplaying
challenge they present to players. Working a 9-to-5 certainly constitutes economic horror -- hell, it
inspires it -- but keeping a character's life interesting when the only antagonist is the grind of daily
labor can be difficult. These struggles compound exponentially with the ensemble cast represented
by a gaming group. An RPG designed for characters that do nothing besides run a hot-dog cart in
the Loss could just as easily be designed to simulate running a hot-dog cart in real-life. There's
definitely horror to be found in the do-or-die mentality of mundane capitalism, but it's much harder
to wring the catharsis of horror fiction from the same source.
Still, small businesses -- both real and fictional -- encourage innovation and help define
entire communities. Markets should avoid vetoing a player's entrepreneurial schemes outright; the
trick is to allow creative economic solutions without letting the game descend into banalities. Risk
can be minimized, but never eliminated.
When Takers want to start a small business besides Taking, refer to the following rules and
record the results on the Crew sheet (p.XX). Just make sure everyone understands that a lot of small
businesses fail...which was true even before the zombies came.

Z3. Small Businesses At-a-Glance

GRAPHIC: Flowchart summarizing the rules for running a small business

• 1. Score Supply:
⁃ Run a Score to supply the business. The number of units recovered determines the
Supply. The Market rolls Black to determine value per unit.
⁃ Convince a wholesaler, using Persuasion and a + Rep spot, to provide initial assets at
cost. The Market rolls Black to determine the price per unit. Takers may buy
however many units that are offered (the Red die) and they can afford (investing up
front always calls for a Self-Control: Stress check).
⁃ The Takers start with a supply, gifted to them through a Pro Bono job or found
during a particularly lucky (crit success) Leg.
• Market rolls on the Troubleshooting table and interprets what happens.
⁃ At least one Taker must sacrifice a work vignette (see "Work/Life balance" p. XX)
to deal with Troubleshooting
• Gouge Customers (roll equilibrium)
⁃ The Black is the bounty per unit. Mark up is determined by...

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 ⁃ Takers: Doing sales personally requires a Work Vignette scene. The modified
Black # on a successful Persuasion check by whomever is working the
business determines mark-up. Mark-up is added to equilibrium (the amount
rolled on Black) to make the final price per unit.
⁃ Employees: Hired Help must be interviewed in a Work Vignette scene. The
modified Black # on a successful Sensitivity check made by the business
owner indicates the quality of the employee mark-up. As long as the the
employee is payed, this is the standard mark-up. Mark-up is added to
equilibrium (the amount rolled on Black) to make the final price per unit.
⁃ The number of units that can be sold is determined by liquidity
• Determine liquidity, or number of units that can be sold per session.
⁃ Liquidity is determined by the Supply/Demand chart. Supply (normally the Red) is
determined by the number of units left to sell. The price (Black+ mark up) being
offered sets the Demand.
⁃ Supply/Demand and Liquidity
Flooded = 0-1 units per session (Market rolls; if Black beats Red, one sale was
made)
Subsidiary = 1 units per session
Scarce = 2 units per session
Volatile = 3 units per session
• Taker's calculate Work/Life Balance
Takers working Sales costs one work vignette.
Interviewing and hiring potential employees costs one work vignette
Maintaining employees costs bounty every session, and mark-up remains constant
Manipulating equilibrium requires a work vignette, just as a Scam that would affect
equilibrium in negotiations.
Troubleshooting costs a work vignette.

Z3. Score Supply

Businesses need a steady source of supply in order to operate. Manufacturers need raw
materials. Distributors need transportation. Retailers need goods. Everyone needs labor.
But five years into the Loss, any reliable source of supply has already been snatched up and
commodified. The lucky few with their hands on the economic reins make up the wholesalers and
clients that employ Takers in the first place. Players that want a steady, constant revenue stream
despite the chaos of the Loss should realize that such sophisticated operations require experience to
run and a hefty initial investment. In short, those that want a "sure thing" should make joining the
wasteland's business elite the focus of their retirement plans. Any other endeavors -- much like
survival and hope -- remain fleeting by their very nature.
Like most other people in the carrion economy, stealing and salvaging supply from the Loss
is the quickest way to start a small business. Most Takers need to run a Score before founding a
business.
The only difference between a mission to establish a small business and a regular Score is
that, once the goods are acquired, Takers use them to start their own endeavor rather than
offloading the package onto a wholesaler. Essentially, this means running a Score without hope of
profit, with the intention of ensuring a more reliable revenue stream in later games.
Scores to secure supply don't have to be planned beforehand. If the group manages a huge
windfall of goods or accidentally captures a means of production during an unrelated score, they can

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certainly hold back and sell only enough to keep the wholesaler from getting suspicious. However,
once the Takers go into business for themselves, the wholesaler is going to be pissed. Skimming off
the top of a Score to start your own business earns a the - Rep spot "Schemer," and that
NPC becomes a direct competitor.

Z4. Alternative Supply: Buying Wholesale

Perhaps the Takers think the mortal danger of a Score isn't worth it without immediate
payment. They might want to buy their initial supply by securing a wholesale price from another
distributor, then marking up their own prices to secure a profit. Not a bad plan -- it's certainly how
things were done before the Crash...
But here's the thing: wholesalers don't stay in business if they give their goods away. Getting
someone to provide start-up supply at cost is a huge favor to ask, typically reserved for friends and
family. For groups that want to skip the physical effort required to secure supply, use the following
rules to move that struggle into the financial sphere.

Step One: Find a Wholesaler:

The group needs to find a wholesaler that specializes in what they need (trucks, protein
powder, livestock...whatever). More details on creating wholesaler NPCs can be found in the section
on Scores (p. XX).

Step Two: Generate the Wholesale Price

The asset's equilibrium needs to be generated. Roll the Supply/ Demand chart. The Black is
the amount Takers have to pay per unit (just like Scores). The Red is the maximum number of units
the wholesaler can sell to them. The number isn't added together when initially investing in a
business because it A) represents a wholesale price and B) the number of units Takers buy
determines their initial supply.
What's a unit? It depends on whether the PC business offers goods, services, or some
combination of the two, as well as the bulk such businesses typically deal in. It could be price per
trip for a trucking service, or the price per truck to start a trucking business. Equilibrium price could
be 10 repairs at a garage, or price per 100 rat kebobs sold. Narratively, the group can describe
whatever fits. The point of a unit price is that it establishes how much supply Takers can afford to
buy initially; later, equilibrium and units factor into Liquidity (p.XX)
Keep in mind: the price might be higher or lower in the community where the wholesaler
operates than it is at the Takers' home enclave. If the price is too steep, they need to find another
entrepreneurial opportunity (buy low; sell high). Furthermore, if the Takers move the goods to
another marketplace, the Red die sticks at the number of units they bought, while Black fluctuates
with where they go in the setting.
But if the price seems good, they need to either transport the goods to a more favorable
marketplace or work to increase demand. Both cost in time and opportunity, so see "Work/Life
Balance" (p. XX) for that phase of small business operation.

Step Three: Ingratiate Yourself

Getting the wholesaler to agree to sell the goods at cost requires three things:

1. A successful Persuasion check, to be roleplayed between a PC and the Market (playing a

wholesaler, of course)

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 2. Burning a + Rep spot. Nobody is going to consider such a massive discount unless trust has
already been established between the Crew and the wholesaler. If you don't have one, earn
one.
3. Taking a - Rep spot "You Owe Me." This spot is specific to the wholesaler, but it can be
used at any time. If the PCs are negotiating with another Client that knows the wholesaler,
the Market can say the debt got sold off and it can be used for additional Sway in
negotiations. If the wholesalers wants a small job done pro bono, the - Rep spot can call in
that favor.

Step Four: Doing the Deal

Once the wholesaler agrees to sell at a discount, the Takers need to make the initial
investment. This surplus is going to have to come from either their professional development
budget, retirement plans, or a loan. Any funds that don't come from Pro. Dev. Budgets provoke a
Jarring Self-Control check against Stress, regardless of whether or not the group is pooling
resources. Small businesses were gambles in the best of times, and it is not the best of times. Anxiety
remains part of the price to play. Once the check is made, the Crew can buy as many units of supply
as they can afford.

Step Five: Distribution

Depending on where their wholesaler was located, the Takers must now either transport
their units of starting supply back home (a dangerous adventure, all by itself) or start the next phase,
"Gouging Consumers" (see next).

Z4. Alternative Supply: Gifting Supply

Leaving a golden opportunity just lying in the middle of road is one of the ways the Market
can interpret a critical success when randomly generating Legs. The crew can hide it and smuggle the
goods back into the enclave after they finish whatever contract/score was originally being worked. A
supply of goods big enough to start a business could also serve as a powerful Gift spot in
negotiations with an NPC client.
Either way, gifting Takers with enough free supply to start a small business is a risky
proposition for those that seek to control player behavior. There's no reason the crew can't offload
the stock to a wholesaler and treat their luck as a one-off lump sum. In fact, that's probably the safest
thing to do.
Therefore, Market's should gift supply to provoke interesting character choices; it is not a
tool for forcing players into trying the MBA rules.
If Takers have no obligations to use their jackpot any specific way, it makes for a better
narrative: future success results from virtue rather than luck, and future failures are mistakes rather
than fate. Giving the crew enough rope to hang themselves with can look an awful lot like a
windfall. The anxiety over how to keep a surplus from turning into folly is a great opportunity for
meaningful role-play.

BEGIN SIDEBAR: An Example of Gifting Supply

Marvin rolled a 10 on the Encounter Theme table (p. XX) when generating Legs for
tonight's game. That's a critical success -- a "free money" opportunity. He wants to test the morals
of the characters and the business instincts of his players, so he describes the following:
As the crew crests a hill, they find an overturned caravan. The carts are upside down, and the
horses pulling them have been gutted and gnawed upon. Likewise, all the guards and merchants are
dead, their mutilated bodies long ago looted by some other passing crew. The mob or creature

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responsible for this massacre has long since left the area. All that remains are the coffins the caravan
was hauling, unopened and undisturbed.
If the Takers open the coffins, they find that the coffins don't contain dead bodies, but
rather "Real Dolls." These elaborate silicone mannequins served as luxury items for a certain
demographic before the Crash, and now the crew has (Marvin rolls R7/B10) seven of them valued
at 10 bounty a piece.
So what to do? Getting this heavy bastards back to the enclave is going to be a pain, and
hiding them so they can be recovered after the contract they are currently on might be just as hard.
If they do get them back, there are certainly enough lonely men left in the Loss to make some
serious money off these things, but is that how the Crew wants to brand itself? The folks who kill
casualties when they aren't pimping robots? Alternately, the Crash created a new demand for faux
funerals: burial services for loved ones still wandering as casualties or otherwise assumed dead. If the
crew could heat and reshape the latex faces into the likeness of a dead loved one, the crew could
provide a valuable psychological service for families at the enclave...for a bloated price that now
includes all these free coffins. But, in this instance, now there's the problem of finding and hiring
someone capable of turning a doll meant to look like a double-D pornstar into some approximation
of Grandma. Maybe it's all too unsavory and the crew leaves them lying in the road, or perhaps they
offer that creeper Felt-Touch Phil a discount and sign everything over to his wholesaling operation.
There's no choice players can make that doesn't reveal something about their characters,
which is the best justification for gifting supply.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. Troubleshooting
Murphy's is the only law the rules the Loss. Even the most mundane concerns are plagued
by extraordinary problems.
Somebody has to be there to run things. Since it doesn't exist unless it's played out at the
table, working a shift at the store needs a scene with at least one of the Takers.
Before any vignettes regarding a small business play out, the Market rolls 1d10 on the
troubleshooting table. The result determines what has changed in the enclave's economy since the
last session. Most problems that arise can be solved, but doing so demands even more resources
from the PCs (see "Work/Life Balance" p.XX)

Trouble Description
1. Act of God Something completely outside the Takers' control threatens the supply,
employee(s), equilibrium, or another essential aspect of the business. Lightning
hits the shed. The company or its employees are falsely accused of a crime. A
shift in politics or inter-enclave relations crashes the price.

Whatever the Market describes, the risk is always the permanent shutdown of the
business. To prevent this, Takers must risk their own physical, mental, or
financial health in addition to the usual cost in Work/Life Balance. For example,
they could risk entering a burning building to save the supply. They could stake
their reputation and defend an employee in court. They could address the entire
enclave to calm the financial panic. The more Takers that work to save the
business, the less severe the consequences for failed rolls. However, the cost in
work/life balance remains constant. When is it better just to accept your losses?

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 Though bad in the long run, slight economic downturn can be a boon to small
operations. As employment opportunities dwindle, employers can lower wages
safe in the knowledge that few better opportunities exist.

If the crew employs anyone to run the business, a Taker can make a Deception
check. On a success, the wages per session lower by 2 bounty as the Taker feigns
"poor me" and encourages belt-tightening. On a failure, employees understand
2. Wages Stagnate
they're being screwed, but the Taker can still lower wages 1 bounty by being a
dick about it. This latter tactic doesn't require an additional roll to work, but
shafting workers always provokes a Self-Control: Detachment check.

Of course, a crew can choose to waste this opportunity to reduce costs. In that
case, check Self-Control: Stress. Markets might also doll out some + or - Rep
spots for exceptionally generous or miserly roleplaying.
Though good in the long run, an economic boom at the enclave can hurt costs in
the short term. Lots of new ventures mean lots of employment opportunities.
Takers have to compete to retain valuable employees.

If the crew employs anyone, they ask for a raise. Resisting this request requires a
Deception check. On a success, the workers believe that the Taker is struggling
and only asks for a 1 bounty raise. On a failure, the workers recognize the Taker's
3. Wages Rise
greed and demand a 2 bounty raise. Without a Deception check, the workers
automatically ask for 2 bounty because they sense a pushover. Roleplay
accordingly

Refusal give out any kind of raise results in the employees quitting. The Market
can give out + an - Rep spots accordingly for generous bonuses and
exceptionally nasty resignations.
Liquidity is stable. Price is fixed. Mark-up is working. Employees are happy.
Everything is going according to plan.

4. Business as Usual For crew's with employees, just pay wages as normal and apply the typical mark-
up. If a Taker wants to work a shift, calculate work/life balance normally.
Subtract units of supply, add bounty, and move on with the game. Nothing goes
wrong. The minimum effort keeps things going.
The number of units goes down without any sales. The Market rolls a 1d10:

1-3: Lose one unit

4-6: Lose two units
7-9: Lose three units
5. Shrinkage 10: Lose four units

It's up to the Market why this happens and who is responsible. Perishable stocks
can spoil. Goods can be stolen by employees or burglars. Assets can be
sabotaged and employees poached by headhunters. The Market should always
provide an opportunity to recover at least some of the lost supply, but doing so

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 always costs in work/life balance or additional risk.
The invisible hand of the Market raises the value of what the small business
offers. Roll 1d10:

1-3: Gain one bounty

4-6: Gain two bounty
7-9: Gain three bounty
10: Gain four bounty
6. Demand Rises
Bounty is added on to demand (Black). Mark-up is still determined by the skills
of the Taker or employee in charge, but increased demand means it's that much
easier to profit. Liquidity is based off the new price.

There doesn't need to be an established reason for the shift in demand.

Economies are often too complex to fully explain. Markets are free to come up
with narrative reasons, though.
Capricious fate devalues the business's bread and butter.

1-3: Lose one bounty

4-6: Lose two bounty
7-9: Lose three bounty
10: Lose four bounty
7. Demand Falls
Bounty is subtracted from demand (Black). Mark-up is still determined by the
skills of the Taker or employee in charge, but decreased demand means it's that
much harder to profit. Liquidity is based off the new price.

There doesn't need to be an established reason for the shift in demand.

Economies are often too complex to explain fully.Markets are free to come up
with narrative reasons, though.
Though equilibrium remains stable, liquidity increases. It's up to the Market why
this occurs. Perhaps the population came into some disposable income, or maybe
8. Liquidity Increase the weather is just nice. The change occurs regardless of the narrative around it
or what Supply/Demand chart would normally describe. Whatever the economic
condition, increase liquidity by one for this session only.
Though equilibrium remains stable, liquidity decreases. It's up to the Market to
explain, but it's more than likely that the enclave is either entering an economic
9. Liquidity depression or the populace begins to realize it has a surplus of whatever the
Decreases business offers. The change occurs regardless of the narrative around it or what
Supply/Demand chart would normally describe. Decrease liquidity by one. If the
business is already flooded, no sales can be made this session.
Someone is trying to offload a surplus of exactly what the business sells. It could
be the result of an inheritance, or a going-out-of-business sale. Whatever the
10. Windfall
reason, everything must go.

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 The Market rolls Red. The result is the number of new units of supply available.
The price per unit equals the latest demand price (the Black die). There is no mark-
up. The NPC needs to offload the material fast, offering it at cost.

Do the Takers pull money from retirement in order to replenish their supply at a
discount? Borrow it? Do they let the opportunity pass? They can worry about
budgets or wonder about what may have been; either way calls for a Self-Control:
Stress check. And keep in mind, more units means that the Supply/Demand
situation has changed as well.

Z3. Gouge Consumers

The Black number ONLY determines the demand price of a small business asset.
Whereas the Red and Black are usually added together in Scores and Contracts, only the Black
counts towards equilibrium price in a small business. This is because no stable business operating on
a daily basis inside an enclave can withstand the sort of scarcity and risk Taker jobs undergo. (It also
keep Red Markets from descending into a game entirely about bean-counting and keeps things scarce
enough to encourage the regular cycle of desperate adventure).
But profit must be made, even by narrow margins. The goods or services must be priced
high enough to compensate for the capital it took to secure them.
As stated before, the easiest way to profit is to score supply from the Loss; the labor (e.g. the
characters) isn't paid, and the production is free. Another method is buying low from a wholesaler
and moving into a marketplace with increased demand. The final, riskiest option is buying from a
wholesaler, then directly competing by manipulating the equilibrium price and/or adding a mark-up.
Manipulating the equilibrium of a good or service is a Scam like any other, and the time it
takes to execute takes away from other endeavors (see "Work/Life Balance" p. XX).
As for how much of a price mark-up the players can get away with, that depends on the
social skills of the person running the business. The added mark-up is the modified Black # on
a successful Persuasion check, made by the PC running the shop. Taking time to run the shop
also costs in terms of work/life balance (p.XX), but let's further explain how mark-up works first.
Example: Securocrat, a Taker from the Oxford Crew, has given up time with his family to
run the group's rat kabob food truck between jobs. If he fails a Persuasion check, the most he can
sell the kabobs for is their starting price, which is currently R2/B3, making for a price of 3 bounty
per unit (apparently, rodent foodstuffs are a subsidiary good). If he makes a Persuasion check,
Securocrat hawks his wares and makes rat-on-a-stick seem more delicious than it has any right to be.
Securocrat's player role-plays the best pitch for rat cuisine he can think of and rolls the dice.
They land B7+1/R1. That means he'll be able to sell each unit for a 400% mark-up at 9 bounty a
piece! Apparently, Securocrat is the only Michelin-star gourmet rat peddler in the Loss.
Jumping up demand that high changes the businesses liquidity (see "Liquidity" p.XX),
jumping rat from subsidiary to scarce on the Supply/Demand chart. With only two units of rat left
to sell (R2), the crew will run out this session
Next session, either Securocrat, another Taker, or an employee with have to make another
test to see what price they can demand as price for rat kabobs fluctuates.

Z4. Hiring Help

What's the point of being the boss if you have to work all the time? A Taker's potential is
not realized cooking, cleaning, or waiting behind a counter. Skills can be put to better use over the
fence, securing big profits from wealthy clients or hunting lost treasures. Why not give some of the

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many impoverished enclavists some much needed employment?
Because good help is hard to find.
Finding qualified, reliable people in need of work requires a Research check for every
applicant. Failure means no one wants the work or that a Reference is going to have to help find
someone.
After that, the person in charge of the crew's HR has to interview the applicant. This
requires a Sensitivity check and some roleplaying. Failing the check means the employee is a loafer,
but the Taker won't learn this until the business underperforms by selling units without mark-up.
Success determines how good the employee is a selling the product. Unlike gouging customers
personally, the mark-up earned by a hard-working employee depends on the manager's ability to
identify that employee. The modified Black # on a successful Sensitivity check made by the business
owner indicates the quality of the employee mark-up. This rate remains constant as long as the
person is employed.
(It's suggested that the Market and the PC roleplay the interview process after the roll. That
way, the NPC's personality can be determined by the numbers on the Sensitivity roll. If it's B10
+3/R, the Market can say the lady shows up in a pressed pantsuit despite it being the apocalypse.
Conversely, on a B1 +1/R10, the Market gets to play a transient on a meth-binge that accidentally
stumbled into a job interview. On a B5/R5, the Taker only gets the learn pantsuit lady is a meth
addict when she's found smoking rocks in the storage room).
Finally, pay needs to be negotiated. Unlike more serious contract negotiation, this can be
determined by a single Persuasion check. On a success, the price to pay the employee per session
equals the Red. On a failure, the price to pay the employee per session still equals the Red (natural).
Cost is to be split as evenly as possible amongst the Crew.
Employees are assumed to remain loyal and hardworking until supply runs out or the
troubleshooting table (p.XX) says otherwise. Employees can be narrated as a single worker or the
foreman of a group of hired help. Regardless of the workforce, the price negotiated for wages stays
the same. No business large enough to subdivide wages over dozens of workers can be maintained
while still working as a Taker.

Z3. Liquidity
Liquidity is the rate at which an asset can be sold without drastically altering the asset's price.
In Red Markets, liquidity is measured in the number of units that can be sold per session at the
current price, including mark-up.
In addition to describing the market conditions, where the price falls on the
Supply/Demand chart determines how many units can be offloaded per game session (a session is
defined as one contract or score, regardless how much actual time it takes to finish).

Liquidity (increases clockwise around the chart)

Flooded = 0-1 units per session (Market rolls; if Black beats Red, one sale was made)
Subsidiary = 1 units per session
Scarce = 2 units per session
Volatile = 3 units per session

The combination of liquidity, equilibrium price, and mark-up are responsible for turning
hard-won supply into bounty. However, liquidity can be affected by the Troubleshooting roll and
the mark-up.
Example: The Troubleshooting roll is anti-climactic. It's just another day in the Loss.
Sanguine works her shift at the crew's bike shop: "Ace in the Spokes." She gives up valuable

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time with her Dependents to do so because she doesn't want to lose a scam in future negotiations
(see "Work/Life Balance" p.XX). Instead, the players uses her Life vignette to describe the sales
pitch Sanguine gives out in the streets about the benefits of an 8-gear shifter. Sanguine
rollsB7+1/R3 for her Persuasion test. It's good advertisement and she's getting onlookers interested.
The demand rolled was B5, and the crew has a supply of 7 units of bikes. That puts the bike
business on the line between Flooded and Volatile. Sanguine's charms have caused a rush on bikes
though; everyone wants to get those road bikes before they're stuck slogging up a hill on a gearless.
The marketplace is now Volatile, and Sanguine's Persuasion check means each unit is selling for 13
bounty.
The liquidity in volatile marketplaces is 3, which means Sanguine just moved 39 bounty in
product! Obviously, working the stand was a good investment of time. It's now far more likely the
Crew profits from whatever contract they pull that session. However, with three units gone, the bike
shop's supply has dropped to four, and the price drops back down to its equilibrium of five once
Sanguine stops hustling. Next session, it remains to be seen whether they'll be able to bump bikes up
to scarce or if conditions depress into subsidiary goods.

Z3. Work/Life Balance

Red Markets expresses the time between jobs in terms of work/life balance. This means that
each Taker gets one short scene detailing a typical professional activity, and one scene to establish a
typical home life. In the core game, work is always whatever scam the Taker pulls before or during
negotiations. If negotiations don't last that long, or if the crew is doing a score, the work scene is
ignored entirely: after all, real Taker work is done over the fence. The Taker's domestic life is always
represented by a vignette with a Dependent (see "Vignettes and Themes p.XX). On rare occasions,
the work scene has to be dedicated to fulfilling a retirement milestone, but that's as varied as
vignettes get in basic play.
MBA rules don't change the work/life balance so much as allow players the tools to screw it
up. When running a small business, the options for the work scene go far beyond Scams. The
complete list of other economic activities can engage in were mentioned earlier in "Small Business
At-a-Glance," but each option is repeated briefly below.

1. A Taker gouging customers and working the business

Working retail, cooking food, running invoices -- none of these help recover from the last
job or prepare for the new one. If a Taker wants to work at the business and use Persuasion to
secure a mark-up, that replaces the work time typically dedicated to Scams.
For a business to be successful without driving any Takers nuts, the Crew needs to cover
shifts in turns or hire help.

2. Interviewing and hiring employees costs

Whomever has to hire an employee to run the business while the Takers are over the fence
has a lot of work to do. Curating a pool of potential hires, ensuring their qualifications, and
negotiating salary takes time -- time that can't be spent researching a client's spots or intimidating
competition. Contracting someone outside the Crew to run the business in it's owner's stead is
discussed in "Hired Help" (p.XX).

3. Manipulating the Supply/Demand equilibrium of goods and affects liquidity

Similar to negotiations, working to alter Supply/Demand takes up time that could be spent
on scams focused on a future client. Messing with the equilibrium of a small business's goods or
services means that character cannot do the same for any other contracts in consideration that week.

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With small businesses, the price manipulation has the trickle-down effect of altering Liquidity (p.
XX)

4. Troubleshooting
Anyone that has ever tried to run a business knows that something is always going wrong.
The troubleshooting table simulates this state of perpetual collapse (p. XX). Takers always have the
option to let the market shift happen, but taking action to correct course always costs Work/Life
balance. The PCs working to counteract a roll on the troubleshooting table must either sacrifice that
session's scam or their life vignette with Dependents. There's never enough time to heal from the
last job, prepare for the next, and keep the business afloat.

5. Pursue an Investment
If a Taker is working to research and vet a possible investment opportunity, that time can't
be used to play with one's kids or pursue more immediate financial gain. Roleplaying scenes with
possible business partners takes up the work vignette. For rules on how do to this, see "Investments
and Speculation" (p.XX).

6. Insider Trading
Similarly, putting a "finger on the scale" when speculating in financial futures takes time.
Anyone engaging in insider trading spends a work vignette to do so. Again, see "Investments and
Speculation" (p.XX) for more information.

7. Fulfilling a Milestone
Once characters have enough to fulfill a milestone in their retirement plans, they need to
roleplay a scene in which that aspect of their Dependent's future is actually secured. This takes time.

8. Selling Gear
It takes time to find the right buyer for a excess equipment the Taker wants to sell. In order
to off-load unwanted gear in the MBA rules, a Taker needs to use a Work action to do so.

Life vignettes, or scenes with Dependents, remain mostly unchanged in MBA rules.
However, the one exception is that Takers have the option to convert "life" scenes into
"work" scenes. This makes it possible to both run a side business and scam for negotiations, or to
take two work vignettes dedicated to the business. However, losing the balance means that the
Taker has spent every available moment since the last job hustling, neglecting all other family
responsibilities in the pursuit of bounty. Skipping vignettes with Dependents has the following
consequences.

1. Exchanging life for work cannot reversed, and work vignettes cannot be converted
into life vignettes.
If you agree to work, you're working. Nobody is going to give up their precious time with
loved ones because you personally miscalculated. For instance, let's say a Taker converts a life
vignette into work so that she can troubleshoot the business and scam the next contract negotiation.
But the Leadership check to start negotiations fails and talks don't go on long enough for her scam
to have effect. This doesn't mean the Taker now has time to go to her daughter's piano recital; it
means she spent the time trying to find leverage on a client and either failed or had her work
squandered by the negotiator.

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 2. Skipping a vignette with Dependents forfeits all Humanity healing that all
Dependents provide.
Though vignette scenes are typically with one Dependent at a time, those scenes are
representative of the Takers entire domestic life in the nebulous time between jobs. Skipping the
scene means forfeiting all the restorative benefits Dependents have on Humanity.

3. Dependents don't get Needy any faster, but the Taker's next scene must be in the
support theme and make mention of the extra work in the previous session.
Many a marriage and childhood has been ruined by working too many hours. Skipping time
with loved ones makes them even more Dependent on the Takers presence, not less so. Next the
Taker has a scene with a loved one, roleplay the Dependent as in need and, perhaps, resentful of the
neglect.

Z2. Investments and Speculation

Investments? Stocks? Aren't we getting ridiculous now? It's the zombie quasi-apocolypse!
Not really. Red Markets is a game of economic horror, and financial speculation has certainly
contributed to that concept in the past few years. The PCs should be able to play just like real stock
brokers. The most fantastic element is that they can actually suffer consequences too....
But don't think of it as Wall Street. Think of it as microinvestment and small business loans:
the kind of financial speculation the World Health Organization uses to draw people out of
generational poverty. The amount of bounty a person needs to get a business off the ground in the
Loss is minuscule compared to the capital that moves around the Recession's remaining financial
markets. A successful Taker crew can easily make it's breaking point, engage in some professional
development, and still have enough left to buy shares in a new venture.
The blessing and the curse of investing in the carrion economy is a total lack of regulation.
Recession trading amongst the surviving nation states still battle against all forms of oversight. But
in the Loss? A tiny seed fund can grow unrestricted profits...because the risks are equally boundless.
For a few people, the idea of smuggling themselves across the border only to become a
pauper in the Recession holds no appeal. Some like the Loss just fine; their only complaint that they
don't own it yet.
Loss speculators bet their lives in the hopes of owning huge swaths of the country when the
T-minus Never rolls around. If the world's governments want their land back when the last casualty
turns to dust, they're going to have to negotiate with the robber barons that saw opportunity in the
chaos and survived long enough to seize it.
For those looking to gamble their hard-earned bounty, what follows are the rules for
investment.

Z3. Building an Opportunity

Investments can be proposed by the Market or by the Taker. If the Market thinks a player
would enjoy roleplaying through a certain opportunity, an NPC comes by looking for investors.
Equally, so long as nothing proposed drastically alters what the Market has planned for the
campaign, player-designed investments should be treated with enthusiasm.
So what opportunities are available in the Loss?
A Taker could invest in another crew's small business. Providing the upfront bounty
needed to buy initial supply can earn an easy revenue stream that requires little or no work.
However, it's just as easy for Takers to piss bounty away on a doomed concept, or get scammed out
of their savings by the Loss's many con artists.

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 Enclaves seek investors to improve infrastructure. In most locations, this looks similar
to a war bond system. Let's say orbital satellites suggest a front of dead weather headed towards the
enclave. The enclave leadership needs funds fast if they're going to upgrade defenses in time: faster
than their taxes allow. The solution? Get loans from private citizens, and pay the interest with taxes
collected after the renovations. Of course, these lucrative deals require the next administration to
honor the promises of the old. And those that object might find themselves out in the cold, left to
wonder if austerity was really worth it as they get eaten alive.
Crowdfunding remains viable in the Loss. Do-it-yourself attitudes and collectivist
movements are the only way anyone survived in the first place. It makes sense the same ethos would
be fiscally popular. Imagine a group of actors that travel the Loss, putting on plays for enclaves and
providing some much needed analog entertainment. How would such people feed themselves, not
to mention hire Taker crews to escort them between jobs? To risk such a "frivolous" endeavor
despite the grim pragmatism of the Loss, they'd need to secure costs up front. Takers providing an
initial investment could dictate terms, requiring a percentage of the door from each performance
they enable. "Becoming a backer" ties these investor to the fate of the group; floating their fortunes
on a full house or sinking them with empty seats.
Shorting other investments is common practice in the Loss. Takers, as the economic
wildcards in their enclaves, have the power to cause drastic economic swings. And Takers talk to
each other. If one crew reports that the vitamin salvage trade is about to hit its expiration date,
another crew can essentially "short" vitamin stocks (Or invest in "scurvy futures" Whatever). They
could sign a contract to buy an incoming crop of bananas in the hopes the enclave leaders have to
purchase it it to keep the population healthy. Of course, this plan presumes the news of a vitamin
shortage isn't bullshit, and that people won't just seize the supply with force. Hell, if the nutritional
deficit is even a little late in arriving, the crew could find itself broke with nothing to show for it but
a pile of rotting fruit.
In short, no matter how the Market and players narrate the investment, remember: there is
no such thing as a sure thing.

Z3. Individual or Broker?

The first thing a group has to decide before investing is whether they're acting individually or
under a broker.
Individual investment is exactly what it sounds like: each Taker antes up an initial
investment, and the return depends on how much each pays up front. The risk of the initial
investment is still determined by the roll of a single Red (see "Assessing Risk" p. XX), but each PC
gets their rate of return calculated separately.
The plus side of going in alone is players manage their own comfort-level and risk. The
downside is that the Market has a lot more book-keeping to do, especially if Takers pass on one
opportunity and invest in something different than their colleagues. Keeping track of the risk,
liquidity, returns, and narrative for different investments across the entire group can be a pain.
Markets should feel free to veto any individual investing that gets in the way of the core activity of
being a Taker. The Market is there to make sure everyone at the table is having fun and experiencing
a good story...including the Market.
If individual portfolios are too much to track, Market's can demand a broker system.
Under a broker, the whole crew goes in together. Each Taker needs to put in an equal investment,
and each gets an equal share of the returns. While less realistic, the broker method keeps book-
keeping simple enough for the Market to focus on telling a compelling story.

Z3. Assessing Risk

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 Market's start off investments by introducing the Takers to their possible business partners.
However, before continuing, every potential investor present must make a Sensitivity check.
If no one succeeds, a Red die is rolled in secret and the result recorded as "risk" on
the Crew Sheet (p.XX). The NPC's description of the opportunity can be whatever the Market
wishes.
On a success, at least one of the investors sees through the sales pitch to the truth of thing.
The Market rolls one Red in the open: this is the investment's risk. The risk is recorded on the
Outfit Sheet (p. XX).
When it comes time to calculate the investment's return (if any), the risk is the number the
Black has to beat.
When Takers see through the bullshit, the Market should try to roleplay the NPC's pitch
according the the risk result. On a one, it sounds like a sure thing. The NPC is confident, smart, and
prepared. On a ten, the Market should be shifty, uncertain, and eager to promise things that sound
too good to be true.
This is the Taker's last chance to get off the boat. If they don't like how it sounds, they can
walk away free and clear. But if they don't walk, it's time to pay.
Regardless of the investments size, all speculation requires a Self-Control: Stress check. It's
never pleasant to hand over bounty with no promise of reward.

Z3. Liquidity
Instead of being determined by the Supply/Demand chart, Liquidity in investments is
further simplified. The Market rolls a d10; the result is the number of sessions until the
investment pays off. For shorter campaigns, the Market can choose to divide any result by two and
round down.
Liquidity is recorded on the Crew Sheet (p.XX). The Market keeps track of the number of
sessions until the investment shows a return. This can be done by counting down the liquidity after
every play session, or the Market can put a star next to the row on the portfolio where the final
required job is recorded.
Mechanically, the investment is effectively over. The Taker checked Self-Control: Stress and
paid the money. The risk has been determined. Now it's just a matter of waiting.

Z3. Inside Trading

Insider Trading is an action taken to make sure the investment is successful. Between
Taker jobs, smart investors do everything they can to make sure their gamble pays off. What the
Takers have to do depends on the narrative of the investment. For instance, getting everyone to
shop with a new vender of 3d printed firearms might require some online advertising, or the Taker
could attract more casualties to the fence to increase demand. They could also film themselves using
one of the guns out in the Loss as a testimonial, or launch a propaganda campaign against the
competing gunsmith.
There are only a few rules to govern Insider Trading:

1. If the player can't come up with an idea to help the investment out, they need to
make a Foresight check to get an idea from the Market. Financial speculation isn't easy; if the
player isn't creative enough to do it, better hope the character's skills can pick up the slack.

2. You can't do the same Insider Action twice. In order to improve the chances for an
endeavor to succeed, investors need to hit multiple fronts.

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 3. Insider Trading always involves at least one skill check. Maybe more, if the Market
deems it necessary. The risks associated with failure depend on the plan (i.e. screwing up an
advertisement is less severe than screwing up casualty chumming), but failure is always a possibility.

4. Insider Trading costs a scam OR time with Dependents to attempt, regardless of

success or failure. The time used improving the chances of a future gamble can't be used to ensure
the success of a current negotiation. Nor can it be spend with friends and family. There's always an
opportunity cost.

5. Success adds +1 to the investment tracker on the Crew Sheet. Each successful
instance of insider trading stacks to provide a bonus to the Black (Reward) check that occurs once
liquidity hits zero (see "Rates of Return" p. XX)

Z3. Rates of Return

Once liquidity counts down to zero, it's time for the investment to pay out. The Black is
rolled and the result is recorded under "Return" on the Crew Sheet (p.XX). The return is compared
to the risk, just as if a regular dice check had been made, with both Red and Black rolled
simultaneously instead of weeks apart. Instead of adding any skills to the Black, add the number of
successful Insider Trading actions the Taker completed between the initial investment and the
payout.
Look at the results of "Return + Insider Trading/Risk" as if it were a normal check of
"Black + Charges/Red" The results are as follows.

Critical Success (natural even doubles)= The investment doubled! Even better, each charge
of Insider Trading adds 10% of the initial investment to the jackpot.
Success (Return beats Risk, before or after Insider Trading) = 50% profit! Take half of the
initial investment, add it to the result, and give it to the Taker(s). For example, an initial investment
of 40 bounty would return 60 bounty (40/2 + 20. 20 + 40 = 60). Furthermore, add one bounty to
the return for every Insider Trading charge spent.
Fail (Risk beats Return, after Insider Trading) = 50% losses. Things didn't turn out as
planned. An investment of 40 bounty only comes back as 20 bounty. The business is still open
though, and add one bounty to the return for every Insider Trading charge spent. It just wasn't
enough to turn a profit. Call for Self-Control: Stress checks.
Critical Failure (natural odd doubles) = All gone. Nothing is left. The business went
completely bust, or the owner skipped town with all the profits. Whatever the narrative reason, the
investors loss everything. Call for level-4 Self-Control: Stress checks.

SIDEBAR: Gambling by Another Name...

Before rolling for Return and narrating the result, it's important that both the Market and the
Takers understand the finality of what is about to happen. Once the Black hits the table, the results
are final. Criticals are criticals. Results are results. Will cannot be spent on an investment roll because
the investor provided only money, not skill and determination. No success can be upgraded. No
failure mitigated.
The dice dictate what happened to the bounty, and the Market's interpretation of events
becomes canon. Those that don't anticipate liking the results shouldn't gamble in the carrion
economy.
END SIDEBAR

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Z2. Pro Bono
"...what's the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong,
and the wages is just the same?"
--The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Huck Finn almost had a point, except the wages aren't the same: it's more profitable to do
wrong. By far.
There's a lot of injustice in the Loss. Those that fight the dead for a living see more of it and
are better equipped to fight it than most. But downtrodden and exploited masses don't tend to have
a lot of disposable income. Some client might occasionally drop a contract for a noble cause, but,
more often than not, moral compromise is required.
Like Huck, perhaps the players are unable to ignore human cruelty, or maybe their
characters' Humanity can't handle doing it one more time. These crews might be tempted to eat the
cost of a job just so they can stomach looking themselves in the mirror.
That's good...literally. But that's all it is. A sense of self-worth doesn't put food on the table
or bullets in the chamber. A clean conscious is a luxury not many Takers can afford.
For those willing to subsist on heroism alone, what follows are the guidelines for taking
work pro bono.

Z3. Scruples are a Choice

Markets should avoid forcing Takers to work for free at all costs. Upkeep doesn't go away.
Dependents still need to be supported. The anxiety of watching retirement plans stagnate and gear
break doesn't dwindle. Taking a job for no pay is an enormous burden to throw at the PCs.
So make it a choice. Nobility comes from a willing acknowledgement of the sacrifices one is
making for others. Let the players know how hard free work will be on their characters and
Dependents. Let them know the dangers. If they say no, make Self-Control: Detachment checks and
move on. If they say yes, move forward knowing full well that even making Sustenance cost is going
to be a struggle.
Either way, the choice informs the structure of the rest of the campaign; the player's just
experienced a turning point in their relationship with each other and the community.
For example, let's say the nearby enclave of Nova Lucre has succumb to an outbreak. The
last transmissions reported Vectors inside the walls, and nobody has heard from anyone in
days...that is, nobody except the school teacher. Nova Lucre's one-room schoolhouse was housed in
a disused grain silo. The walls and the door held when the outbreak started, leaving everyone inside
to scream helplessly into Ubiq, waiting for rescue or slow dehydration. Whichever comes first.
The wrong way to present this pro bono job to players would be to say Nova Lucre had an
alliance with their enclave and that the crew must go or be evicted. This turns the PCs into hostages
and the Market into a bully.
The right way would be to have the enclave's leadership ask for volunteers. Meanwhile, the
typical collection of contracts and scores stays on offer (business can't stop for every little disaster,
after all). Sure, the crew could try to save some kids by risking their lives for no reward, but they can
make the "responsible" choice as well, absolving themselves of Nova Lucre by repeating the sacred
mantra: not my problem.
If they don't go, it's Self-Control: Detachment checks all around. As they count their bounty
from some other job, they get to think about those kids slowly dying in a metal tube. A new group
of ghosts joins the horde following them about the Loss.
If they say yes and succeed? They're heroes. Other enclaves have opportunists, necessary

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evils that exploit as they protect. But this crew? They're champions.
And if they go and die? Well, that's the Loss for you. They're as likely to be remembered as
fools as martyrs. And the carrion economy steamrolls onwards....

Z3. Human Capital

Pro Bono jobs shouldn't be without reward, but, unlike contracts and scores, Markets hold
no obligation to let characters know what those rewards may be beforehand. Taking on a job for
free need not end a campaign as a the characters begin financially bleeding out the moment the
session is over. It just needs to feel as if that's possible.
Firstly, Takers can always hustle for their bounty. Scavenging the environment and
pulling cards from casualties en route is a great way to alleviate the costs of a pro bono job.
The Market can also present opportunities at the job site. For instance, defending this
tiny enclave from a horde of raiders might have seemed dumb initially, but capturing that truck-
mounted minigun they're wielding could make all the effort worth it.
Lastly, never ignore the human capital of performing a good deed. Takers willing to risk
their lives selflessly are rewarded with + Rep spots as the story becomes legend amongst the Lost.
Someone they rescue could turn out to be a useful Reference (over their CHA Potential) or a future
client. A reputation for honesty is a rare commodity that could end up paying big in the long term.

Z2. Loans
Sometimes Takers need bounty fast. A piece of gear might be essential for the next contract,
or a Dependent could come down with a serious illness. If there's nothing in the bank or retirement
plan, where's the bounty come from?
As horrific as credit cards can be, they don't feature in Red Markets. In fact, no traditional
credit exists out in the Loss. No one is about to underwrite a home loan to a legally dead person in a
zombie wasteland (well, maybe they would have before 2007, but not in the near future). A big part
of Taker work involves recovering documents necessary for the Recession to maintain the structure
of debt slavery that ran the world before the Crash, and the desperate governments of the world
aren't about to risk that system by accepting literally apocalyptic levels of liability.
This isn't to say that loans aren't possible in Red Markets. Usury is the oldest profession in the
world after prostitution, and it's twice as unsavory. There are plenty of people willing to loan bounty
out in the Loss, but they don't stay in business long unless they get paid back...by any means
necessary.

Z3. Loans At-a-Glance

GRAPHIC: Flowchart summarizing the rules for running for loans

4. Find a shark: someone that survives primarily off lending bounty and collecting interest
5. Know the conditions:
1. The shark is not afraid of you. Why?
2. You will pay them back, in full and on time. How do they assure this?
3. Everyone knows what happens to those who don't pay. Who was made an example, and
how did you learn about it?
6. Check a CHA skill to set interest:
1. Critical Success: interest free (10b loan/10b payment)
2. Success: 10% interest (10b loan/11b payment)
3. Failure: 50% interest (10b loan/15b payment)

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 4. Critical Failure: 100% interest (10b loan/20b payment)
7. At the end of the session, pay up...
8. ...Or else

Z3. Find a Shark

Everyone in the Loss is hustling to survive. Wealthy clients with enough bounty to hire out
contracts do so to maintain their status amongst an enclave or gain the upper-hand back in the
Recession. Even the lowliest Dependent -- completely devoid of marketable skills -- is in a constant
struggle to get ahead. Profit or die.
This means that if someone can be screwed over, they will be screwed over. Maybe you can
lend a family member a few bounty and expect to see it back, but anyone that makes a habit of
generosity is soon going to need charity themselves. In the contest between kind-hearted banker and
starving child, few feel bad about screwing over the former for the latter.
This tragedy of the commons means there's not much lending in the Loss; people horde
their bounty and exchange it for concrete goods. Promises of repayment might mean something
under the rule of law, but what is an enclavist to do if someone reneges on a loan? Kill them?
For the loan sharks, the answer is an emphatic yes.
Five years after the Crash, there is only one way to survive in the loan business:
EVERYONE pays. On time. With interest. Or else.
For a shark to ensure that rate of return, they have to be more unforgiving and deadly than
the poverty of the Loss. And that makes for a monstrous person indeed.
So that's first question a Market should ask Takers asking for money: who in the enclave is
unscrupulous enough to do this for a living? How do they approach the grim realities of their
business? Are they depressingly pragmatic regarding breaking kneecaps? Or do they seem to enjoy
feeding family members to the casualties over the fence?
Example: The Market wants the enclave to be as defined by the players as possible, so she
asks who would be the loan shark in this part of the Loss. After some debate (the "Out-of-character
Consensus" model p.XX), the group decides on Ted Hancock, former manager of a privatized
student loan fund before the Crash. When Ted convinced Leroy's Boys, the cartel of local Stim
Sauce dealers, they were leaving money on the table, he was brought into the syndicate to manage
their new money lending enterprise.

SIDEBAR: Factoring Loans into Enclave Creation

Acknowledging that characters might need to take out a loan early in a campaign creates a
big opportunity in enclave creation. Every society has a elements of the criminal, underground, and
taboo. The extreme measures required of Loss sharks undoubtedly makes them part of that element.
Talking with your players about how the enclave combats, condones, or encourages the loan
operation is a great way to define the community everyone is about to play in. Perhaps the unsavory
loan practice is built into the foundation of the enclave, dating back to the history of its
development. Or maybe the shark also holds a monopoly on the community's defenses and is given
carte blanche? At the very least, it can be fun to have a roguish, "mob boss" character to fill out the
VIP roster and offer future contracts.
END SIDEBAR

Z3. The Conditions

Either through Market fiat or group collaboration, the shark gets defined as an NPC
character. Once that's done, it's time to make sure that the players understand the conditions of the
loan.

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 These aren't contract conditions; these are unspoken realities of the Loss that every character
would know. Talking about them at the table prevents the player from feeling tricked if things don't
go the character's way. More importantly, they help define the group's vision of Red Markets more
clearly.
Before giving out loans to a Taker, Market's should communicate the following conditions
to the group. Then, collaboratively answer the attached questions and the build the shark's business
model into the setting.

1. The shark is not afraid of you. Why?

Takers fight monsters for a living. They do what no one else in the Loss is willing to risk.
Any dispute not handled in negotiations usually resorts to gunfire. In short, Takers are scary people.
But not to the shark. Why? Well, it could be because no one lends out in the Loss without a
muscle of their own. Maybe they have the Takers outmanned and outgunned. Or maybe they're used
to being the one who is feared, on account of their tendency to torture the family members of those
who don't pay up. Maybe they run the whole enclave, and they can just keep the gate shut if the
Takers piss them off.
Whatever reason the group comes up with, the shark is not afraid of the Takers, and they
have no reason to be. There's no bullying their way out of the loan.
Example: Ted Hancock surgically removed his empathy even before the zombies came. Back
in the old days, his company exclusively used him for the "tough cases," though Ted could never
understand why they were considered so tough. He once sued a woman for defaulting payment on a
two-decades old Art History degree. She'd lost her secretary job when she got diagnosed with
cancer, and Ted got his first promotion when he convinced the court to seize the money she'd set
aside to pay for chemo. He slept fine that night; if she didn't want to pay, she shouldn't have gone to
college.
Really, he sees his current job as no different. Sure, now he works with meth dealers instead
of business majors, but that just means there's less paperwork. Either way, you pay Ted, or you die
slow.

2. You will pay them back, in full and on time. How do they assure this?
Loan sharks don't directly profit off savagery and intimidation. They want to be paid back,
and they want the return business of reliable customers. As such, communication is key; the shark
makes certain the everyone knows exactly how much they owe and when it is due. Who delivers
these terms to customers? Does the shark do so personally, or is there a designated representative?
Is there a hierarchy of employees, with some dedicated to administering loans with others collect
payments? Do they send representatives along on Taker jobs to garnish wages and protect
investments? Are customers allowed a certain number of warnings before entering default? Are
there penalties -- either financial or physical -- for late payments? If someone gets behind, can they
"work off" debt by performing tasks the shark can't otherwise accomplish themselves? Interest rates
are negotiable, but certain parts of the shark's business model will remain constant. Establish these
business practices before getting into the details of this specific loan.
Example: Ted wears a polo shirt tucked into khakis even now. He maintains an office in a
disused storage container and still has customers fill out extensive contracts. He's happy to answer
any questions one might have, and he's even managed to put some of the consequences into safe,
legal language: "Hancock LLC reserves the right to seize of one or more of the lendee's bodily
extremities for use by Hancock LLC in local advertising. Hancock LLC cannot be held responsible
for any medical treatment or consequences resulting from seizure of assets forfeited as a result of
delinquent payment."

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 Once the agreement is done, Ted likely won't see the customer again. All the collection is
handled by Leroy and his brothers. They decide when to arbitrarily hike the interest rate, and
whether late charges are to be paid in bounty or pounds of flesh.

3. Everyone knows what happens to those who don't pay. Who was made an example, and
how did you learn about it?
When someone refuses to pay up, the shark has to turn a loss into an opportunity. The only
way to do that is to increase future rates of return by motivating customers to get their payments in
on time. In the past, this was done through the court system and the garnishment of regular wages.
In the Loss, methods have to be more direct...and bloody. Everyone in the enclave knows what the
shark is capable of if not paid. On dark nights, most imagine they can still hear the screams. What do
Takers down on their luck have to look forward to?
Example: Marta took out a loan from the Leroy brothers to start her new sewing business,
despite pleading from her neighbors to just keep begging in the street. When she defaulted, the
Leroy brothers couldn't decide what to do: they were starting a brothel across town and needed
"workers," but they had publicly promised to feed whomever crossed them to the Casualties over
the fence. Marta had a son. Which one should they turn into food, and which one should become a
slave?
In their indecision, the drunken Leroy brothers dragged a screaming Marta and her boy
through the streets. They knocked on Ted's door and asked him what to do. He wasn't pleased to
see them (he was with customers), but he quickly informed them that they he had no right to make a
choice. Hancock LLC was only entitled to renumeration; it was the responsibility of the customer to
choose where it came from.
So, in front of the entire enclave. Ted made Marta choose. Since then, no one has been able
to forget what she finally said...or when their payments are due.

Z3. Set Interest

Sharks are reasonable monsters. After the group has built their villain, the Market roleplays
the shark and sits down with the Taker to negotiate terms. This isn't a full negotiation ala the
Negotiation Rules on p. XX: sharks, by their very nature, have some inflexible business practices.
However, interest rates can be set higher or lower, depending on how confident the shark is that the
Taker will pay on time and become a repeat customer.
The Taker picks a CHA skill, roleplays a pitch, and rolls the check. The interest rate is set
according to the result:

⁃ Critical Success: interest free (10b loan/10b payment)

⁃ Success: 10% interest (10b loan/11b payment)
⁃ Failure: 50% interest (10b loan/15b payment)
⁃ Critical Failure: 100% interest (10b loan/20b payment)

Payment can be set whenever the shark wishes, but most shark's want payment once the
Taker gets back from their next job. Takers don't have the best life expectancy, and even the good
ones have a volatile income. Better to get the money sooner than later, in a lump sum rather than
installments.
After the interest is set and the repayment arranged, the shark hands over the bounty. Now
it's up to the Taker to repay it.

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Z3. Pay Up...Or Else
If the Taker gets a loan, does a job, and pays it back, that's the end of it. As has been said
before, sharks don't stay in business by murdering people; they murder people to make sure enough
people pay them to keep in business. Sharks are happy for repeat customers and perfectly courteous
as long as the agreement is fulfilled.
However, if payment is short, or late, or missing altogether, things are going to get ugly really
quick. And it's up to the Takers how to respond. Does the whole crew get involved, or leave the
debtor to their fate? Does the shark go after the Taker, or their coworkers, or their Dependents? Do
they leave out the physical coercion altogether and demand payment in gear, or free contract work?
At minimum, failing to pay a shark makes for a nasty vignette, but the consequences are
better dealt with as a Pro Bono job or new contract. The Market has a lot of options of where to
take the story so long as someone ends up paying the price.

SIDEBAR: Loans as Story Opportunities

Markets should keep in mind that the purpose of loan conditions is not to create a monster
the PCs cannot defeat. The goal of Red Markets loan mechanics is the creation of a worthwile
antagonist. That antagonist can be defeated at the end, but it will cost characters dearly and establish
them in the world in the process.
If Takers could secure loans from pushover NPCs and murder them to avoid having to pay
it back, it would break the economy of the game and the heroic nature of the PCs struggle.
However, by going in debt to a powerful shark, the mechanics trade some temporary currency for a
long-term investment in the narrative. One more fight scene is nothing for the average player to
gamble, but the life of an Dependent they've come to enjoy creates stakes at the table and in the
fiction.
Sharks test the characters. How much are they willing to let slide for the sake of family?
Where is their breaking point? The players might just want to buy a piece of gear they can't afford,
but the Market wants answers to these questions in return.
END SIDEBAR

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Z1. Loss Encounters
If Red Markets wanted to address economic concepts through RPGs (spoiler alert: it does!),
the section on loss encounters would address the concepts of time to productivity and uncertainty.
In business, time to productivity is the time it takes for a new hire to learn enough of an
occupation's systems, resources, and requirements to become a useful contributor to the company.
People reading this book have essentially hired themselves for the task of running a game of Red
Markets for friends. Rather than force new hires to internalize the basic tone of the game's narrative
and how it can be used to improvise exciting scenes for players, the book provides over a 100 ready-
made examples. Most Markets are designing their own Legs after a couple of games, but the D100
and the writing prompts are always here, ready to help speed up the process of writing a job.
Uncertainty is enough to collapse entire economies. Evidence of actual risk isn't even
necessary; currencies have folded overnight over nothing but rumors. The fear of uncertainty is a
very real force in the world, and it's a fear the Market should be bringing to both the players and
characters. With the Loss Encounters tables, a group of players could have the most predictable
Market ever running a group-designed Score, but with randomized Legs, no one can be certain
everyone's going to make it through alive.

Z2. D10 INTERLUDES

Before we get to the agonizing uncertainty of randomized Legs, let's talk about the one
reliable method players have to escape them: interludes.
Interludes are scenes that tell us more about the relationship of Takers within a crew. Think
of them like vignettes between people that may have more casual relationships than those shared by
Dependents. Now, groups that want to have Takers share each other as intimate loved ones are
encouraged to do so -- those dramas can happen during Legs just as well as wishin an enclave -- but
one's relationship to coworkers typically runs a much wider gambit of affection than relationship to
family and friends. Quite frankly, the carrion economy doesn't give a damn whether Takers like each
other. Crews are assembled from those available with the mix of fortitude and skill required for the
job. Personal hatreds, passionate love, and everything in-between can never be more than a ideal
distraction while working. The demands of the Loss can punish anything more than that with a
death sentence.
The other setting reality interludes reinforce is the sheer emptiness of the Loss. Legs only
represent narratively interesting things that happen between an enclave and job site. Without a
vehicle, most of a crew's time is spent silently trekking across an barren wasteland, nervously
scanning the horizons and silently listening for the sounds of shuffling feet. Red Markets skips
narrating these scenes because they aren't interesting, but most of the time spent at most real-world
jobs isn't interesting either. Takers spend their downtime at work no differently than the rest of us:
when things get slow, they shoot the shit with the person next to them.
Mechanically, interludes allow players to trade their characters' suffering for the one thing
Red Markets finds more interesting: character development. If the last Leg was brutal and the thought
of another one is too much to bear, PC's can skip it by roleplaying out the conversation their
characters have about that event. Or about a different event. Or about something completely
unrelated. The scene can last as long as the Market allows and be about any subject the PCs wish to
talk about.
There are only a few actual rules governing how to use interludes

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 1. Interludes can only be used to skip a single Leg. If the Takers are working a contract
that pays for three Legs, they can reduce it down to two Legs and an interlude. There's
nothing to stop the group from roleplaying more interlude scenes, but they don't reduce the
number of Legs by anything more than one.
2. Interludes only occur if at least two players are willing to roleplay the scene. Every
interlude needs one person to start the scene, and at least one person to react to that
character's words. More may participate, but no one is allowed to monologue all the way to
site.
3. If no one has an idea how to start the interlude, roll on the interlude table and think
of what the character would say. The table there is to help prompt the players improvise a
scene fitting for each character's personality. Groups are encouraged to improvise on their
own topics.

That's it. Interludes are pure roleplaying. Use them to get to know the characters. When
things get dire later in the job, that much more is going to be on the line.

Black
1. Agonize over...
2. Express confusion about...
3. Seek absolution for...
4. Challenge someone's opinion of...
5. Sow doubt about...
6. Ask a question about...
7. Mock or make light of...
8. Express appreciation for...
9. Find solace in...
10. Try to impress with your knowledge of...
Red
1. ....the history of the Crash.
2. ...a moment of personal epiphany.
3. ...becoming a Taker.
4. ...someone or something at the enclave.
5. ...a retirement plan or Mr. JOLS
6. ...an aspect of pre-Crash life
7. ...a member of the crew
8. ...a client or job, past or present
9. ...some aspect of the Carrion Economy
10. ...some aspect of the Blight

SIDEBAR: Bust Rule: Asshole Coworkers

Some Markets might not like the idea of chatting your way across the Loss. To make matters
more challenging, "Asshole Coworkers" relieves the uncertain physical danger and psychological
trauma of a roll on the encounters table for...the uncertain psychological trauma of talking to your
coworkers.
In this variant, everyone rolls for prompts to improvise the scene. The person that starts the
scene begins a conversation according to their prompt, but then anyone responding rolls for their
character's reaction. If that reaction is unfitting -- or even cruel -- too bad. The Loss screwed with
the heads of everyone in the crew, and everyone's baggage constantly makes interaction a social
minefield. The Takers may be able to keep things together around the enclave, but over the fence?
Surrounded by people that have seen them at their best and worst? Raw nerves can make some
interactions downright abusive, and the Market can call for Self-Control checks against Detachment.
If the response is kind and caring? Humanity might be healed. It all depends on what the other
players role for reactions.
When rolling for reactions, one responder can roll Black and roleplay straight across the row.

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A really skilled improviser might roll Black and Red, then try to roleplay a response that works in
both adjectives. Or two people might involve themselves in the conversation, the Market divvying
up Black and Red results.

Black Red
1. Uncomfortable Disquieted
2. Helpful Encouraging
3. Sympathetic Friendly
4. Annoyed Critical
5. Skeptical Suspicious
6. Wise Advising
7. Concerned Curious
8. Shocked Offended
9. Amused Joking
10. Apathetic Dismissive

So how does this play out? Let's say Refurb rolls B3/R6: "seek absolution for...an aspect of
pre-Crash life." Refurb's player thinks for a moment before launching into a heartfelt rumination on
how he never gave enough to charity before the nightmare began. On his walk to his tech support
job, he would dismiss the homeless as weak and deserving of their plight. Now, with his sister in
constant need of medication and struggling to make ends meet, he hates the man he used to be.
Creed's player rolls for how to react to her coworker pouring his heart out, and Market
decides how the resulting scene might reflect on Refurb's Humanity damage. A B3 would see her be
a kind and supportive friend, maybe healing some Humanity as Refurb feels better about nagging
personal doubts. However, a B9 could provoke a Self-Control check as Creed regards her partner's
white guilt in the wake of a zombie apocalypse ridiculous. If Creed's player rolled B2/R8, she might
roleplay a bit of tough love that points out Refurb's current privilege and urges him to seek striving
for empathy. The Market could call for a Self-Control check that heals on a success or does
Humanity damage on a failure, thus suggesting Refurb's reaction to the unsolicited scolding.
The "Asshole Coworkers" rule certainly makes the game more challenging for role-players
and gambles more on interludes, but it does so by sacrificing control of a character's reactions. If the
players aren't comfortable resting so much of their characters' personalities on the dice, Markets
should skip this rule.
END SIDEBAR

Z2. FOUR ENCOUNTER THEMES

The map is not the territory. Every bit of data Takers have regarding the route to their next
job is plagued by expired intel, disinformation, and shit luck. For these reasons, Red Markets doesn't
measure distance in units of length. Legs are units of narrative distance that convey the slog through
the Loss. They're factored into pricing during negotiations because they tax and challenge Takers
before they even get to the hard stuff at the Site (p.XX)

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 This book includes 100 examples of encounters the Market can throw at a crew, each one
only a throw of the Red and Black away (p.XX). However, randomly rolling for every Leg -- every
time -- would remove a lot of story-telling opportunities from any campaign. Legs are a great way to
define one group's corner of the Loss: populating the area with interesting NPCs and factions,
illuminating the details of the landscape, and simulating the shifting forces of the economy.
All Markets should try writing a few Legs of their own and inserting them into the mix, if
only to keep sneaky players reading ahead from getting too comfortable. After a few self-designed
Legs enter the campaign, most groups often ask for more or throw their own suggestions into the
mix. Once you get the gist of the little episodic struggles Legs create, it's hard not to think of more
of them as you "zombify" your surroundings during ideal daydreaming. Experienced Markets can
even improvise Legs on the fly. But where to get started?
The Legs in Red Markets all follow basic themes, each based off one of the four resolutions
possible in Profit. As a writing prompt, Market's can roll Red and Black, then try to design a scene
based off the essential questions listed under each result.

1. Resul Larger Theme

t
Critical This is a lose-lose scenario. It's unavoidable. There are two essential questions in this
Failure type of scene.

Either/or? Do the Takers want to risk health or Humanity? Do they lose equipment or
time? Do they sacrifice a friend or a client? Something is getting hit; where do they take
the damage?

How much? How much will this hurt? Or will it kill? How much is this setback going
to cost? How hard is this moment going to bite the crew in the ass later in the
campaign?

The encounter can explore one or both of those questions. What it can't do is offer a
chance for profit. There's nothing good about what's happening here. The Loss is a
cruel, capricious landscape ruled by callous chance. All you can do sometimes is
survive; this is one of those times.
This is a bad situation that Takers can avoid or overcome. What remains to be seen is...

Is it enough? Is the scout's Awareness check enough to spot the ambush before the
crew walks through it? Is one Taker's Self-Control complete enough to stifle a shout? Is
Persuasion enough to talk down the bandits? Is the crew strong enough to push the
Failure dead car until it rolls safely away down the mountain, or smart enough to get it
running?

If the answer is yes, the crew can avoid or mitigate what would otherwise be a disaster
for a lesser crew. If the answer is no, they deal with a situation that is draining and
possibly deadly. However, if they take a hit, there is some possibility profit may result.
There's a chance for profit, if the Takers choose to accept some risk. What remains to
Success be seen is...

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 Was it worth it? When they went inside the post office with the sagging roof to salvage
those documents, was it worth it? When they tried to get close enough to hack that
armed drone, was it worth it? When they responded to those cries for help, was it
worth it?

If the crew takes on the risk, they open themselves to a financial, material, reputation-
based, or emotional reward. But the opportunity doesn't assure success. It also doesn't
protect characters from the consequences of the risk. That's for the players and the dice
to decide. Avoiding the risk, however, voids the opportunity as well. Furthermore, if
the answer to the failure theme (Is it enough?) was "no," it's easy for a Taker to walk
into a disaster thinking they're chasing profit that isn't there.
It's winning the jackpot. A windfall. A free lunch. The Takers don't even have to work
for it. The only questions are ...

How? How did this opportunity land so fortuitously in the Taker's path? Whom did the
treasure originally belong, and how was it lost to them? How has it gone unsalvaged
this long? Once the how question is answered, it might also be prudent to ask...

Critical Why? Why has something so obviously valuable been left here? Was it intentional? To
Success what end, and when will it come to fruition? If it wasn't deemed valuable at all, who
wouldn't find it valuable? Freedom from the scarcity that rules the Loss suggests
motives ruled by the Blight, radical belief, or something even worse.

Regardless of the answers, nothing happens to the Takers on this Leg unless one of
them miraculously screws up somehow. It's a gift from heaven, but Markets should use
such opportunities to think about what such a boon says about the setting and sets up
for Legs to come.

Z2. D10 ENCOUNTER PROMPTS

Need more? The following table was used to write the entire d100 table at the back of this
book. The essential questions remain the same, but now each is paired with a common point of
interaction between the Market's designs and the players' choices. Roll the Black alone. On a 2-3, the
theme revolves around the natural world run amok after the Crash, unhindered by the trappings of
civilization and driven to the extreme by climate change. Even numbers are the more forgiving state
of a weather encounter (asking "Is it worth it?"), and odd is the failure-state of the same (asking "Is
it enough?").
The same formula is repeated for 4-5 (Blight and its various complications), 6-7 (Interactions
with other humans), and 8-9 (Landscape features that are man-made or resulted from the Crash).
The 1 and 10 results on the d10 table are reserved for outside context problems or Legs that involve
multiple elements from the four pairs. In this smaller version of the table, these are also the critical
failure/success states because they make for the most interesting challenges.
Just because a Leg doesn't easily classify into nature, Blight, interaction, or remnant doesn't
mean it's a bad encounter. The truth is actually the exact opposite; the more elements of the setting
that interact with each other, the more real and immersive that setting seems.
Take a roll on the table below and see if it's enough to spark the imagination. If not,
continue on to "d100 Loss Encounters" (p.XX)

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 1. Result Subject and Theme
1. Critical Misfortune Multiple elements of the setting conspire to make a lose-lose situation.
The crew runs into a hostile faction while suffering an extreme weather
event. A number of casualties are made worse by the remnant of some
Crash fortification. An aberrant shows up. Whatever the case, the crew
can mitigate damage, but they can't avoid the situation altogether.
There's also nothing to be gained from the encounter, or if there is, it's
not nearly enough to make up for the cost.
Some turn of the weather or natural world benefits the Takers. It could
ease their passage, hinder their enemies, or provide goods. However, no
2. Fortunate Nature major benefits are available to Takers without some form of risk. The
Takers can choose to push it for the added benefits, but they can move
on unhindered as well.
Some aspect of the weather or natural world threatens the crew. It
could be an unpredictable shift in conditions due to climate change, a
landscape shift caused by previous events, or a feral threat. Crews with
3. Unfortunate Nature
exceptional skill might be able to avoid the encounter, but chances are
resources will be lost due to the misfortune. It's possible to make some
bounty, but it's doubtful that it fully covers what was lost.
Casualties are isolated, hindered, easily avoided, or already dead. There
is no such thing as a safe casualty encounter, but the Takers can choose
to face these undead to pull cards or get at whatever treasures they may
4. Fortunate Blight
be guarding. However, it might be the better long-term choice to leave
them rest. It's being able to make the choice that makes the encounter
fortunate.
Casualties are in groups, unrestrained, hidden, or in great number. If
Takers don't engage the undead, its because they skillfully escaped a
5. Unfortunate Blight situation in which the C's had the upper-hand, likely using valuable
resources in the process. If they power through the beasts, there's some
chance for bounty, but it only takes one bite to kill an entire crew.
The crew encounters humans that are friendly or in a situation in which
the Takers have the initiative. It could be people willing to trade, offer
solace, or provide information. If the persons need help, the Takers can
choose not to give it. It may hurt Humanity, but it might also save flesh;
6. Fortunate Interaction
the choice is luxury. If the humans are hostile, it's still a fortunate
interaction if Takers have a chance (based on the dice or the situation)
to get the drop on them. There's no bounty in avoidance, but it might
be the key to survival.
The crew encounters humans that are actively motivated against them
and seeking to gain the upper-hand. It could be a financial or even
7. Unfortunate
emotional hostility, but unfortunate interactions in the Loss tend
Interaction
towards violence. But the dangerous parts about humans is their
cunning. While it might be a raider group just leading a charge, those

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 with bad intentions do their best to make an ambush seem like a
fortunate interaction. It's possible for the crew to spot and
accommodate to a trap before its too late, but it's hard to stop someone
willing to risk their life to end yours from doing all damage.
The Crash and the Loss leaves behind a lot of waste and treasure. To
the desperate, waste might be treasure, but the dangers in retrieving it
can turn treasure into waste. Unexploded munitions, salvagable
equipment, spare parts, food -- Takers lucky enough to find such things
8. Fortunate Remnant
need to throw caution to the wind and grab them before someone else
does. Of course, the reason the value remains available might be
because others tried for it or died. Accepting the risk is the only way to
know for sure.
This leftover is in the crew's way or actively seeking to harm them. Most
of mankind's effect on the world during the Crash was overwhelmingly
negative. Radiation, land mines, preserved pockets of infected -- these
nightmares were spewed all over the countryside within the first month.
9. Unfortunate Remnant
That's to say nothing of the new cruelties and deadly experiments
cooked up by members of the Lost in subsequent years. Some bounty
might be recovered from the obstacle, but it's questionable as to
whether it will be worth the pain.
Multiple elements in the setting have cancelled each other out, leaving
only the value with some or all of the risk removed. Feral destroying the
casualties but left the bounty. A believer group made a remnant safe,
10. Critical Fortune
but abandoned the most valuable salvage for ideology. Whatever the
narrative, a critical fortune encounter should cause players a sigh of
relief.

Z2. D100 LOSS ENCOUNTERS

To roll on the d100 table, read the Black as in the ten's place and the Red in the one's: a roll
of B4/R2 is now a 42. B10/R1 is now 01, while B10/R10 is 100.
Market's should never feel constrained by the d100 list. Your group will prefer you write
original Legs, and the only purpose of the list is to speed up game preparation. If an entry has
already been played out or wouldn't fit into your campaign, just walk up or down the list until you
find one that works.

B R Description
0 1 A cow trots past as Takers are about to round a corner. The animal is bleeding from a dozen
wounds, slicked with sweat, and mad with exhaustion. As their eyes follow trail of blood up
the road/across the field/etc. (wherever the game is set), the crew sees a line of hundreds of
vectors spreading back over the horizon, loping after the poor creature. Apparently, a distant
enclave fell to an outbreak a short while ago. The hungry victims chased after the last of their
livestock until the stampede of vectors arrived here. Those that recover from the terrible sight
(Level 3-4 checks) can use appropriate skills to realize there are only two options. The crew
can quickly find and secure some shelter against the vectors until they pass or enter torpor.
This option adds days to the journey, eat through rations, and flays the minds of the crew as

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 they listen to the apologies outside. Then they'll just have to deal with a glut of new casualties
along the route to the job. The second option is to find/use a vehicle to drive around. The
fuel cost can be mitigated if they drive through the horde, but better hope none of the
sprinting monsters manage to grab on. If neither happens in time, the fastest vectors arrive in
one and twos, but if the crew isn't gone by the time the main group catches up, it's over.
A small herd of [herbivorous animals appropriate to the local area] are visible in the middle
distance, grazing peacefully. On a successful Shoot check, Takers can pause to hunt and gain
0 2
one refresh for their rations from butchering the results. Casualties are attracted to loud
weapons, as usual.
Climate change can bring about extreme drought, and though the area the Takers service may
be spared for now, they aren't free from the byproducts. Any reasonable skill can detect the
dust storm coming: Awareness, Foresight, Profession: X, Research ("I programmed a weather
alert into my user settings!") But a warning won't mean much. The storm is approaching fast.
0 3 Taker need to find a shelter, clear it of any casualties, and seal things up immediately. Those
caught outside take one Stun to the chest for every round spent in the storm. Worse, the
buffeting noise and swirling patterns are keeping the casualties roused. Failed Awareness
checks inside the storm navigate PCs towards zombies biting at the winds instead of towards
help and shelter.
Two mobs of casualties flank either side of the Taker's intended route. Depending on the
shambles, the crew could try and run through the two groups, then outpace and evade them
0 4 once they converge. They could spend rations and find a different path to the job. Finally, the
Takers can attempt to kill the creatures and pull cards. The latter is a regular casualty combat,
but remember that noise always attracts more.
Takers come across a casualty buried up to the chest in the dirt. The corpse was so badly
damaged by other zombies during infection that it barely revived. It's hands are tied behinds
its back and buried; the thing can't move but to snap at passers-bys. Everyone makes a Self-
Control check upon the realization that burying victims and waiting for casualties to fall on
them is an execution method used by the Meek. The strap of a messenger bag is visible across
one shoulder, hinting that the victim might be carrying something. Success on a Foresight
check realizes that the Meek execute themselves using the same method, often booby-
0 5 trapping the area around the body with mines. A Mechanics or appropriate Profession check
can disarm the trap, allowing the crew to retrieve the empty messenger bag. Otherwise, going
near the zombie triggers the explosion of a buried DDJ (no Athletics to dodge). The device
does Kill damage to all hit locations, causes knockback, and entangles the victim by impaling
them with carbon-fibre wires. Then a car alarm rigged to a nearby telephone pole goes off.
The buried casualty is killed by the device's explosion, meaning the Taker has to make an
infection check against flying gore. Even if the victims survive uninfected, the crew must deal
with incoming mobs as those caught in the explosion rip the wires from their flesh.
A single locomotive and boxcar rests on train tracks in a valley or large, flat plain. From a safe
distance, the Takers can see it's the home of a nomadic group of traders out making their
rounds in the Loss. The group is besieged on all sides by a stampede, but the height of the
0 6 cars makes dispatching the creatures safe work. The enclavists slowly kill the creatures with
spears, preparing to move the train down the line after they pull cards. Then a whistle sounds
in the distance. The smoke of an automated drone train burns down the tracks, headed to
restock some DHQS settlement down the line. The Takers can hear the squeal of the larger

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 train's brakes from miles off, but it's hopelessly overburdened and heavy. Even if the besieged
locomotive throws itself into reverse, the collision is inevitable. The Lost won't get the horde
dispatched in time to ditch. Everyone aboard is doomed to be eaten or pulverized in a
massive derailment. The Takers can help. Check Awareness or Foresight to see the switch
box between the two locomotives. The crew can try to race there in time and figure how to
switch the tracks, or they can lure the stampede to one side so the enclavists can ditch off. Or
they can wait, check Self-control for watching the disaster, and get a ton salvage from the
obliterated casualties and surviving cargo.
A DHQS Punch Bot has suffered a failure of its targeting system. One Taker can make an
Awareness check. On a success, a repetitive thump against wood can be heard (the bot is
trying to execute a tree with its cattle gun). On a critical success, the Taker can identify the
sound for exactly what it is. If the crew investigates, the punch bot turns on its alarms to
attract more casualties and attacks, confusing the humans for infected. Faulty target
acquisition means the Punch Bot can't do called shots, but the cattle gun manipulators do
0 7
Stun + Kill damage, and the claws grapple that Taker's body part. Treat the Punch-Bot as a
Management force (reskin legs as "treads" and head as "cameras") with double armor to all hit
locations, requiring two successful attacks before hitboxes being to fill. The Punch Bot can be
hacked if someone can ride it long enough to access the maintenance panel on back. The
electronics within the machine are worth bounty, as is the trail of exterminated casualties in its
wake.
A decrepit grocery store sags under the weight of water damage. Though otherwise looted,
Takers that make an Awareness check can see the remains of a wailing wall inside,
miraculously undamaged. A cardboard sales cut-out has been pinned with notes, photos, and
0 8 maps from the Crash that would be worth 2d10 Bounty to a tragedy tracker. Foresight,
Awareness, or appropriate Profession skills can warn that the floor is likely in as bad a shape
as the roof. Retrieving the documents would mean risking falling into the lightless, flooded
basement, not to mention waking any casualties wandering above or below. Do they risk it?
A cliff or hill blocks the route. Scaling it requires dangerous Athletics checks or additional
Legs as the crew takes the long way around. There is a roadway/railway tunnel that passes
through the obstruction, but it's obviously been trapped. Throughout the tunnel, it appears as
if the a giant spider has webbed the entire length of the passage. Those with sufficient
0 9 Scavenging or Awareness recognize the tunnel was trapped with rigged DDJs. The carbon-
fibre filaments have threaded through casualties wandering through the tunnel over the years,
leaving them trapped and suspended. If the crew picks their way through the web, they might
be able to recover unexploded DDJ's and pickpocket bounty from the impaled zombies. But
none of the C's are completely immobile, and they could set off a DDJ of themselves.
Walking through a suburb, the Takers come across an untouched house. The surrounding
homes have obviously been looted and exposed to the elements, while the one in front of
them is so pristine it still has intact windows. Spray painted across the door, faded and
weathered, is "Vectors basement." If the Takers risk venturing inside, the three Vectors in the
1 0
basement have long since entered and exited torpor. A successful Foresight roll tells the
Takers that shooting the Casualties from the top of the basement stairs is the safest plan. In
the house Takers find two sets of winter clothing, 4 Bounty, and 2 Haul worth of clothing
and kitchen gear. A successful Scavenge check finds an unbroken bottle of whiskey.
1 1 Takers come across a bridge spanning a major river or canyon. Bypassing the crossing would

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 take two additional Legs across extremely rough terrain, costing two rations each instead of
one to traverse. The military checkpoint at the edge is long-abandoned but still intact. Over
the wall, the bridge is still jammed with derelict cars and the casualties trapped inside them. It
would be possible to jump off the military barricade and hop across the vehicles' rooftops
before the zombies roused themselves. However, once the Takers start this process and
agitate the dead, a deafening boom shakes the bridges foundations as a car explodes behind
them. It appears the army mined the cars while the casualties were caught in torpor. As they
stir for the first time in years at the sight of new prey, the mines are going off. Takers can
sprint across the bridge, using Foresight to determine whether the lane they are in might
contain a bomb. They can freeze, waiting to be eaten by the casualties or dying as mines cause
the bridge to collapse. Or they can ditch off the side, praying they can survive the fall or
shimmy all the way to the end on the struts.
Due to climate change, the weather turns uncharacteristically cold. If snow is possible for the
place and time of year, it snows. It might snow in places it hasn't ever snowed before, or
perhaps there's an ash cloud from some distant disaster. If Takers can't scavenge some winter
clothing from the wastes, they take 1d10/2 Stun to every hit location every Leg of travel. If
1 2 they sleep between Legs, they must choose between a Self-control check against Trauma for
the fear of announcing their position with a fire, or 2 Stress damage for a long night of biting
cold. However, the casualties are a little slowed by the freezing weather. Shambles reduce at 1
every 2 rounds for the remainder of the Legs unless the zombies are close enough to frenzy.
Well-equipped Takers might find it much easier to pull cards in this untimely frost.
A wildfire is coming. Takers will detect the oncoming danger in time on a successful
Awareness check (smoke), Profession: Animal Handling (the wild animals are fleeing away
from the fire), or other reasonable Profession: X skill. Takers need to find non-flammable
1 3 shelter, a waterway, to go around, or try breaking through to already burnt areas immediately.
Those caught in the fire take one Kill to the chest and legs for every round spent in the fire.
Once out of the fire, take 1d10 Stun to the chest for smoke inhalation. Takers can refresh
their rations with the animals caught in the fire.
A small town or neighborhood, consisting of no more than a few houses and a gas station,
seemingly populated entirely by mannequins. The plastic statues seem weather-beaten and
sun-bleached, but it's clear that each was carefully dressed. Faded color photographs have
been cheaply printed from dead social media profiles and stapled on each figure's face. Check
Awareness or Foresight to realize that casualties are frozen amongst the mix of stock still
1 4
figures, blinded by the image stapled to their dead faces and held in place by manacles
chaining them to posts in the ground. Call for Self-Control checks. Successful Scavenging
discovers the curator's hideout in a cellar. She long ago committed suicide. Some goods are
salvageable, but finding the stopping point of the woman's descent into madness calls for
another Self-Control check.
A garbage truck lies in the middle of the path, with a mob of casualties in torpor around it.
Takers can see a dead man in the driver's seat, something clutched in his hand. If the takers
make any noise, they awaken the mob, but even if they don't, the Ubiq specs in the man's
1 5 hands activate. It plays an audio file loud enough to awaken the mob and draw another near
it. Unless the takers spend an action to destroy the Ubiq specs, they hear the message, even
over the sound of fighting. "Truck's almost out of gas. No way I can bring the prisoner back
to the enclave. Don't worry though. I'll put him to good use. He's in the hopper, When the

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 zeds climb in, I'll hit the crush button. This is for you Sara!" Takers that hear the entire
message must make a level-2 Self-control check against trauma. The specs are heavily
damaged and only worth 1 bounty. There is nothing else salvageable.
Takers come across a young latent boy walking amidst four dron-key's, each loaded down
with gear and armed with shotguns and rifles on swivel mounts. The machines assume firing
stances and target the crew once they are in sight, but they don't open fire. Scratchy voices
shout a warning through speakers any who wish to approach should to do so unarmed. Any
Profession skill related to drones or advanced electronics can recognize that the units are
being remotely piloted via satellite uplink. If the PCs approach peacefully, the boy offers to
trade refresh at one bounty a piece: he has both rations and ammo for one type of weapon
the crew characters. He might be able to sell intel about the upcoming job site, dependent on
1 6 Market fiat and pricing. The boy apparently believes the drones to be his actual family rather
than piloted machines. He's personalized each with decorations, crayon drawings, and name
tags. Sensitivity or Foresight reveals that the latent child is used as the hands for the robo-
crew, changing their batteries and reloading weapons from dead drops left around the Loss.
He's never met the pilots in person and doesn't know they exist. The dron-keys don't like it if
Takers bring this up, but the voices appear to love the child even if their reasons for
excluding him can't be understood. They break off engagement rather than deal with
criticism, but they only fire if the child is threatened. Otherwise, trade is uneventful and the
robotic pack moves on its way.
A precinct of The Finest rolls up on the crew, flashing sirens silently so as to avoid attracting
the undead. There are roughly as many officers as Takers, but they're kitted out in full
militarized police gear, complete with automatic weapons and armor. They tactically deploy,
point weapons at the crew, and demand they put their hands behind their heads. If the Takers
don't acquiesce, a gunfight starts immediately. If they do, the "Chief" charges them with illegal
weaponry and violating curfew according to some outdated martial law edict passed down
during the Crash. They are there to confiscate everything and let the crew off with a
1 7
"warning." Successful Sensitivity realizes that the believers are split. Half the crew are good
cops, gripping to delusions of maintaining their profession to keep from going mad after the
Crash. The other have gone full raider and use the badge to dupe the other half and their
stupider victims. Use Persuasion to question the legal justification for the arrest and sow
dissent. Intimidation can speak directly to the raiders and assure them the payday isn't worth a
bullet. Finally, use Deception on the true believers to convince them the crew is
"undercover."
In a wooded area, a camouflage sheet and large collection of brush has blown away from
where it concealed a dirt road off the main highway. If Takers pursue the route, they find an
abandoned barn concealed deep in the forest. A cart outside has been painted to read
"Premium Snake Juice!" Opening the barn door leads to an outpouring of snakes -- all of
which are poisonous. Check Self-Control to stay calm. Those that stay still or run away are
not bitten; only taking a regret leads to attack. Inside, the amatuer herpatologist apparently
1 8
got bit while milking one of his stock, knocked over two enormous shelfs full of terrariums,
and promptly died. The building is now covered in pissed-off, hungry, poisonous snakes...but
the man's workbench holds a fully-automatic, silenced assault rifle, two refresh worth of
ammo, a packet of rations, and filled mason jars filled with some liquid. An appropriate First
Aid, medical Profession, or Foresight check recognizes the jars as venom, which can be sold
to doctors at 1d10 bounty per jar for the production of antivenom.

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 The Takers come across a large number of vehicles abandoned in the middle of nowhere, in
an area being aggressively reclaimed by nature. There is no obvious accident to have caused a
pile-up, no barricades, no indication of why a large number of people would abandon their
vehicles en masse, especially this far from the Recession border. Grass, bushes, and other
vegetation have grown over the sides of the roadway as well as up and around the vehicles
themselves. Takers find it easier to walk down the road on top of the vehicles, rather than
thread their way through the rows of cars. A successful Research check will get the story
1 9
while an Awareness check alerts the Takers to the danger before they start walking down the
road. During the Crash, the military sent a helicopter to pull a VIP out by air – the traffic jam
starts where the helicopter was hovering over the road. As folks surged out of their cars to try
and climb on the helicopter, soldiers opened fire, killing a large number of civilians. Most
posters on the Ubiq forums discount the military's claims they were firing on Vectors, but for
once the nascent DHQS wasn't lying. There are two mobs of Casualties in and amongst the
vehicles which will attack the Takers if they climb up on the vehicles.
Takers hear a trumpet being played in the distance. The tune isn't recognizable or skilled. If
the Takers follow the sound, it leads into a wooded area. As they exit the tree line, they find
the musician up a lonely tree placed in the middle of meadow. The image would be a surreal
pastoral were it not for all the casualties clamouring to try and eat the man in the branches. As
the Takers arrive, the man stops blowing his horn. The undead see the easier meat and go for
the Takers on the ground. This appears to have been the plan: risk attracting more casualties
for the chance at attracting the bait to distract them. Takers can now check Awareness:
2 0
casualties are pouring out of the woods on all sides. There's one mob in each cardinal
direction, including the ones around the tree. Running away between the lines of undead
requires an Athletics test, or the crew can try to fight through a mob. As the Takers rile up
the undead prey instinct, the man ditches out the other side of the tree and makes a run for it.
PCs that kill all the casualties gain scavenging rights equal to the number of mobs killed. If
they catch or kill the man, he's an unarmed runner called "#5" from the Eat Clean crew. He
was courier for two doses of Supressin before he got stuck.
The city the the crew needs to cross through is a no-go zone. The blockaded streets
apparently did nothing to keep the Crash out, but it has tightly corralled the dead into
impassable throngs populating every street. There's no hope but to go around, adding two
Legs to the journey. If a Taker makes the Awareness check, they spot relatively new graffiti
on the exterior road signs and walls. Each advertises "Charon's Shortcut" and points in the
same direction. If the Takers follow, they find Charon high atop a makeshift battlement build
inside a sewer culvert. The man is an obvious lala, but he claims to be able to navigate
through the city's aquifer and sewer tunnels for the price of 2 bounty per passenger ("One for
each eye," he jokes). He has no weapons, but he seems to have been in business for some
2 1
time. If the Takers pay up, Charon drops a ladder. Once on top of Charon's wall, they see he
has flooded the tunnels. He takes them aboard a raft made of old pallets and pulls a taut wire
strung down the length of the waterways. The only light comes from exposed manhole covers
where casualties occasionally drop into the inky blackness. Takers hear the screams of others
that threatened Charon into giving them passage. Charon abandons those that do not pay in
the lightless tunnels, diving overboard and escaping through safe underwater passages only he
knows. The thieves wander hopeless, either starving in the labyrinth or pulled under by the
groping hands of the submerged dead just beneath the surface. Hearing the desperate cries of
the lost in the tunnels provokes a Self-Control check, but not so bad as the one if the crew

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 threatened Charon and he abandons them. Aside from the new nightmares, those that pay get
to the other side safely.
It's a beautiful day. The Takers come upon a herd of semi-wild horses roaming the Loss, too
fast to be molested by Casualties and freed from their farms. A Taker with the appropriate
2 2
skills can attempt to mount and break one as a personal horse. Otherwise, Takers can pause,
have an interlude, and heal one Humanity as they watch them graze.
Unseasonable rains have created a flash flood. A successful Awareness, Foresight,
Profession:X, or Research check will alert the Takers in time to get out of the creek they're
wading through. Takers caught in the surging water take 1d10/2 Stun to the legs as they are
2 3 swept downstream a ways. Once the Taker struggle out of the water, they notice the
Casualties, which were attracted to the sound and also swept downstream, piling up at a bend
in the creek. Make a Self-Control check against Trauma for having been in the water with
them and gain 1d10 Bounty on a successful Scavenge check.
A dog with saddlebags comes trotting up to the Takers and sits down a few yards ahead of
them, tail wagging happily. Tied to the dog's saddlebags is a note asking whoever finds
'Bruno' to please send any spare rations, and ask for Q Cell out of the nearest enclave - they'll
make good on your help. If the Takers do not add any rations to Bruno's saddlebags, he will
follow the Takers for 2 legs, whining the whole way, before trotting off. No Profession:
Animal Handling checks will be able to convince him to stay. If the Takers do add rations to
the saddlebags (one will do), Bruno will lick that person's hand and then trot off the way he
came. Any Takers following Bruno come upon a vehicle. Succeeding an Awareness check
2 4
means the Takers notice that Bruno has stopped and is growling at the vehicle - Bruno's
Taker handler has died and is now a Vector, but trapped inside the vehicle. A Foresight check
reveals that the Takers could, with a sufficiently powerful weapon, simply shoot the Vector
through the closed windows of the vehicle, although this will track a mob of Casualties. If the
Takers do not engage the Vector and simply walk off, Bruno stays by the vehicle. If they
successfully kill the Vector, they find 1d10 Bounty, a journal with Q Cell's brainstorming
plan's for a score, and Bruno follows the Taker who put the rations in his saddlebag. Bruno is
trained, has the Friendly upgrade, and comes with the saddlebags gear.
There are several vehicles in the middle of the road ahead. They look like they've seen
maintenance and new parts within the last few weeks, not sitting out here for five years - this
is a Crusader caravan just sitting in the middle of the road. An Awareness check alerts the
Takers to the Vector (who is several hours past the apologies stage) lurching out from the far
vehicle while they still have time to run away. If the Takers kill the Vector, the rest of the
2 5 caravan has entered the torpor stage and can easily be decapitated with a machete (there's one
in the back of the experimentation ambulance). Make a Self-Control check against Trauma
upon entering that vehicle. Blood and viscera are splattered everywhere - a team was
experimenting on/observing a Latent dying and didn't kill decapitate them fast enough to
prevent the Blight's awakening. The Vector the Takers killed outside was one of the Latent's
victims. The caravan has 1d10 in Bounty, a machete, and 3 Haul of medical supplies.
The sound of fighting reaches the Takers from around the bend. As the Takers approach, the
last person with a gun defending a small caravan goes down under a mob of Casualties. There
2 6 are two preteen children and one adult enclavist on the other side of the mob from the
Takers. The children are looking around for somewhere to run while the adult is picking up a
melee weapon they clearly have no idea how to fight with. The mob of Casualties is busy

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 tearing apart the corpse under them - the Takers could just walk away. If they kill the mob or
otherwise help the enclavists escape, the survivors thank them and tell the Takers to contact
'Delta'. A successful Research test will tell them that Delta is a Taker based out of an enclave
several pre-Crash states away, with a good reputation on the Ubiq forums. These are Delta's
Dependents, who were being escorted to the Recession when the coyotes escorting them ran
into a mob too big to handle. There is 1d10 bounty on the bodies of the coyotes. The
enclavists ask the Takers to escort them to the nearest enclave, promising payment. If the
Takers refuse, the enclavists ask to tag along to the jobsite reasoning that is still safer than
trying to walk through the Loss on their own, even if they do have enough rations to make it.
If the Takers get the enclavists to safety, Delta will pay them 15 bounty and give them a +Rep
spot "Takes care of our own".
On an Awareness check, the Takers notice the campfire before stumbling across it. Sitting at
the campfire is a lone, older woman putting a pot in the coals. There are signs of her having
recently butchered a large animal. If the Takers approach, she will greet them warmly and
offer to share a meal and a drink. A successful Awareness check let's the Takers notice that
she drinks from a different jug or that she adds something to the food she passes it to the
Takers. Alternatively, a successful First Aid or appropriate Profession check tells the Takers
that the meat roasting in the fire is human. These alternate checks can be made from stealth if
the Takers do not approach the campfire. If the Takers eat with the woman, the poison does
2 7 1d10 Stun damage to the head per round. Once all the Takers pass out, the woman signals her
Sawney Bean-like clan from their hiding places. The Takers are returned to their junkyard
enclave, trussed up upside down, and prepared for slaughter. It turns out the clan is a sect of
the Church of Holy Communion. They perform a ritual where they blood test victims for
immunity before slashing the throats of victims. This "fine meat" goes to church elders.
Latents are chained up to the junkyard fence outside, allowed to be eaten, and used to deter
other casualties once they turn. Waking up before the ritual begins is the last chance for the
crew to escape. If the clan is killed, they have nothing but melee weapons and bows, but
they're carrying 1d10 bounty.
Across the expanse of an enormous empty parking lot, the Takers spy a strange obelisk over
four stories tall erected in a corporate park connecting three drab office buildings. Obvious
range markings chalked into the asphalt reveal the structure to be a sniper's nest. The tower is
made of filing cabinets, hundreds of them stacked, welded, and riveted together. It's
supported by wires bolted into the concrete of the surrounding buildings, and a tiny hut made
of plywood is perched at the top. Rope bridges lead between the hut and the roofs of the
three office buildings, but there's no easy way to the top: every other piece of office furniture
was stacked in the entry ways of the buildings from the inside. It would take days to clear the
barricades and go up the stairs. It appears possible to climb up the handles of the filing
2 8
cabinets; all the units on the ground have been filled with concrete to add weight and stability.
Takers that try to climb find the drawers labeled with letters corresponding to prime numbers
(B,C,E,G,K,M,Q,S,W) are trapped. Some merely slide out when the handles are gripped.
Others slide out but drop a payload of cinderblocks or caltrops. Some have grenades or
sawed-off shotguns rigged with tripwires. Markets should roll for each of the four stories;
success means no trap, failure means trap. Takers use Athletics to leap to safety if a trap is
triggered. Foresight can provide insight as to the pattern, but only after at least two are
triggered. At the top, the Lala that built the tower is long dead of some mundane disease, and
the crops in his rooftop gardens gone to seed. A rifle can be found on the corpse, along with

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 a hard drive containing 2d10 bounty worth of pre-Fall media.
Someone's last stand against the undead has sterilized the surrounding landscape. The Takers
see a makeshift outpost surrounded by hundreds of casualty corpses, each shot in the head.
Years ago, someone with an arsenal of weapons took out as many c's as they could before
dying under the horde. Any casualties that survived the attack have long since wandered away.
2 9 However, the blighted corpses have killed off the local flora and fauna. Not even grass or
mold grows in the area. It is utterly silent as not even insects are present. Seeing the effect of
the blight on the landscape is a level-1 trauma threat. Crossing the area is a 2 stress threat.
Bypassing it takes an additional 2 rations. There is nothing salvageable in the outpost and
attempting to dig through the pile of corpses is a 1 stress threat.
Takers encounter a Circus inside a newly secured college gymnasium or rec center. Circuses
are high-end illegal gambling events where people fight casualties for sport, sponsored by
degenerate elites for rebroadcast in the Recession. The building is well-guarded by Recession
mercenaries under the employ of wealthy sports fans attending the games in person via
private helicopters. The rest of the crowd is made up of local factions, believers, and other
crews. Anyone can compete in the games, but the only game is bloodsport. No melee
weaponry is allowed, and the fighting takes place in a massive pool complex drained to make
a pit. Casualties have their restraints cut and are sent down the old waterslides into the arena.
3 0
Takers can bet on their crew members, but the odds change depending on how difficult the
encounter is made. Fighting with an edged weapon is standard, but using a blunt weapon ups
the odds by one (2 to 1). Odds increase again for every mob added, and again if the Taker
fights in the octopus's garden (a kid area with a lot of slides, where casualties, weapons, or
traps can be thrown down the tubes at random by fans). Anyone bit during a fight must take
a blood test before being allowed to exit. Anyone infected gets shot by the guards. Latents
and the uninfected are ignored. The Immune are taken into custody by slavers co-sponsoring
the event.
While passing through a suburban neighborhood, the Takers hear loud music blaring in the
distance. If the Takers don't want any part of it, they need to add a Leg to get away from the
music. If they go forward, they see signs that the area is being "card farmed." Pre-Crash tract
housing with garages shared a similar floor plan: a recessed double-car garage leads up a short
flight of steps into a narrow laundry room before entering the house. In neighborhoods
where residents had enough time to board up windows to prevent looting, some Takers turn
these areas into card farms. They break in, reinforce existing fortifications, open the garage
door about 1 foot, and start blaring music. They they pull back to the laundry room, remove
the steps, and push the washer/ dryer in the doorway. This funnels C's through two
3 1
checkpoints and puts their heads right in striking distance for the elevated farmers. As the
Takers reach a house absolutely surrounded by casualties, it appears this man bit off more
than he could chew. To save them, Takers must chum the horde away from the house,
destroy the malfunctioning stereo system blaring on the roof, and get inside to help a pair of
men trying to hold the garage zombies from advance. If they succeed, the smaller of the two
men runs away. The larger of the two -- who is obvious suffering from some sort of mental
handicap -- has been bitten multiple times. The smaller man messages on Ubiq: "I can't do it.
He's my brother." The reward for making the hard choice is Scavenging checks for bounty on
the piles of C's in the garage.
3 2 As the Takers are walking down the road, a light spring rain begins. Takers can continue

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 walking through the shower or turn off to the big box store in the distance. Approaching the
store, they spot rain barrels on the roof. If they try to get out of the rain in the store, they
have to kill a small mob of Casualties wandering through the store in singles and pairs. If the
building is secured, Takers can scavenge 2 Haul of electronic parts and one refresh of water
rations from the rain barrells.
A flash flood of heavily contaminated water catches the entire group off guard. A successful
Awareness check gives a character 1 round to find high ground and warn others, but by the
time the water is visible, it's up to the ankles and rising fast. Perhaps a sewage treatment
plant's reservoir has burst open or a group of raiders has diverted a river in order to wash
away a horde of casualties. Regardless, the water causes 1d10 stun to the chest if a character is
3 3
immersed in it. Submerged characters that fail a Self-Control check take 1d10 Kill as they
swallow a significant amount. Vehicles may be washed away or damaged. The flood may also
carry hazardous debris or casualties. The water subsides relatively quickly, but other threats
may remain. At a minimum, survivors take Stress damage as they imagine what diseases could
be lurking in the filth covering them.
The Takers come across a single corpse at the base of something tall (a building, bridge,
mountain pass, etc.) which fairly obviously landed head first. If the Takers roll the corpse
over or make a Scavenging check, they find an old-fashioned media player/recorder clutched
in the corpse's hand, underneath the body. Picking it up starts the last recorded file playing
and triggers a level-2 Detachment threat as a frightened, pain-laced voice comes on: "My
name is Jimmy Alden, I'm from Macon, Georgia, I was out here visiting family when
3 4 everything went to shit. ... If you're listening, please let my family know I'm dead... and that I
love them... Oh God, it hurts... I finished off those crazy fuckers trying to get in the car with
the kids, but I think some got in my mouth and I'm out of bullets..." If the Taker's haven't
turned off the recording by this point, they make a Self-Control check as they listen to Jimmy
turn into a Vector, followed by the sound of the Vector going over the edge of the tall
structure and hitting the ground. The recording is worth 1d10 to an archivist or crusader
group, while the electronics by themselves can fetch 1d10/2.
Cars and trucks have been circled around a group of casualties, effectively corralling them.
Large signs read "PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT THE SICK" are hung up around the vehicles.
The mob is contained within the corral as long as the vehicles are not moved or tampered
with. If the characters leave the scene, nothing else happens. If the characters try to scavenge
materials from the vehicle, then they risk being attacked. A failed skill roll means a casualty
can grab them with a single attack. If the attack succeeds, the character is pulled into the
3 5 corral. If the characters kill the casualties, they find no bounty on their bodies. After a few
minutes, a sniper will open fire on them. A maddened, lala latent created the corral, believing
that supressin can reverse the blight in a long-dead casualty. She has been scavenging in order
to save up enough bounty to buy supressin for everyone in the corral. She cannot be reasoned
with and will fight to the death if the takers kill the casualties in the corral. Remember she will
turn into a vector when she dies. She only has a standard rifle and the noise will attract other
casualties in the area.
A group of immune hunters, prisoners in tow, taking a rest at an abandoned school
playground. A sniper with a heavy rifle takes overwatch on the camp from the roof of the
3 6
building. The group is obviously shifty and ready to shoot, but they'll trade if approached
carefully. The immunes are tied to the jungle gym. They're gagged and badly beaten. It's a

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 level-3 Detachment threat to see them and do nothing. When speaking to the leader of the
slavers, he'll demand all crew members present take a blood test before they go on their way,
but Intimidate can convince him no payday is worth a bullet. If the Takers provoke the full-
blown gunfight required to save the immunes, they can scavenge from the slavers and earn
the +Rep Spot "Law in these Parts." Just remember that the rescued will need some sort of
provisions if they're going to make it to safety.
The crew sees a huge military convoy approaching in the distance. The equipment is outdated
and barely holding together, indicated the group is made up of traitors. It's up to the Market
whether the troops are former American soldiers, Canadian diaspora, or part of another
national military. Regardless, the crew heads East towards the border. They have drone cover,
so it's very hard for Takers to hide from them. Still, they aren't hostile. The leader (who
demands to be called Captain Hannibal) even comes to speak with them. He promises they
3 7 won't have to be Takers for very much longer because he's going to "give the world back to
humanity's real survivors." Check Sensitivity to realize the commander has come unhinged.
Best case scenario, all the troops are doomed for slaughter. Worst-case? They actually breach
the border and cause a second crash. There's nothing the Takers can do to stop the massive
force save rat out fellow Lost to the DHQS. Call for Self-Control checks against Stress. On
the plus side, the doomed soldiers are willing to trade and will even gift some rations; they
won't need them where they're going.
On a highway or other larger roadway, the Takers come to a small waterway. The bridge
across has collapsed of neglect and exposure. Numerous cars were on the bridge when it
collapsed and now join the rubble blocking the water, creating an impromptu dam on one
side of the bridge and a shallow mire on the opposite end. The banks of the waterway are not
steep. If they are in a vehicle, a successful Awareness or appropriate Profession skill will tell
them it is safer to ford across the dry waterbed further down, where less water has escaped
3 8 the dam and the bed is drier. If they choose to ford at the collapsed bridge, a failed Drive
check means they get stuck in the mud and must make a successful Resistance check to get
their vehicle out. If on foot, a successful Athletics check means they can wade across the
water or hike through the mud without any further penalties; a failed check requires spending
an extra ration as it is tiring. Hiking further down the waterway to the drier section takes time
(spend a ration but no checks). If the players cross at the bridge, they find optimized Ubiq
specs and 1d10 in the gloveboxes of abandoned cars washed past the dam.
Characters that fail an Awareness check stumble across numerous potholes/sinkholes in the
ground. Resulting from an experimental scatter bomb used in the Crash, the tiny pits are now
hidden by grass. Every PC must make the check and any failure causes 1d10 stun to the leg -
3 9
it is possible to twist an ankle badly. The ground is too unstable to drive a vehicle across - any
attempt automatically damages it. Casualties are nearby, hidden in the grass in torpor. Loud
noises awaken them. Check Self-Control to prevent a shout if injured.
The crew follows train tracks for a bit to avoid the main roads. They find a passenger train,
long derailed in the Crash. The double-decker dining car operating as the caboose remains on
the tracks at the top of a hill, but bloody handprints and shifting shadows in the windows
4 0 suggest the inside is filled with casualties. Scavenging checks reveal the inside likely contains
valuable goods with a long shelf-life: instant coffee, over-the-counter painkillers, etc.
Foresight can come up with a plan that eases engagement with the creatures. The car is still
on the tracks and at the top of a hill. If someone has the Mechanics or Profession skills

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 necessary to detach the car, the crew can send it down the hill, pull the manual emergency
break, and send the zombies flying. They'll all be knocked prone and much easier to kill. The
car contains 2 Haul of salvable goods, plus a mob's worth of bounty.
Takers encounter a family travelling across the Loss in a horse-drawn wagon. The man
attends to their armored horse and his wife rides shotgun (literally). In the back, a latent girl
dangles her feet off the tailgate, playing with dolls. If asked about why they're risking a
crossing, they tell a story about how their little girl got bit playing next to the fence. They sold
everything to buy Supressin and save her, but their enclave didn't allow latents. They're out
looking for a new home. About ten minutes after the Takers part ways, they the chopping of
helicopter blades can be heard. Check Foresight or Research to remember that DHQS trains
4 1 new recruits in old-school choppers: the ones you can hear coming. Rumor has it that
newbies have to prove they believe in homo sacor on their first outing by opening up on
some Lost (The Market rolls in secret: even its true; odds mean not today). Do the Takers
rush back to save the family or get under cover themselves? Do they try to draw the gunner's
attention? Can they save the horse and cart too, or will they stay stranded in the Loss with
nothing? Either way, Self-control checks are needed. If the helicopter guns down everyone in
the wagon, two vials of Supressin can be found in their meager belongings: the parents were
going to join their daughter in quarantine.
It is unusually windy, causing one of the Ubiq Aloft servers to crash. Awareness checks are
necessary to spot it as it crashes or the PCs may just stumble upon it at the Market's
discretion. Regardless, it contains salvageable electronics, if the characters can reach it - it's
either stuck in a tree, atop a building, or someplace equally challenging. The noise of its crash
4 2
has alerted casualties in the area. If Takers do salvage the materials, the most valuable parts
are the hardest to move. The server might be extremely heavy, or the carbon nanofibre
balloon might still be partially inflated, capable of pulling Takers a dozen feet off the ground
with a strong gust of wind.
The terrain ahead is extremely treacherous and slow to walk through. A recent storm has
knocked down many trees or the rubble from a bombed neighborhood chokes the path.
4 3 Bypassing it would take an extra Leg. Navigating through is faster but hidden danger lies
within the debris. Noxious hazardous chemicals create clouds that can choke unwary Takers,
and casualties pinned under debris can still reach and bite.
The Takers come across the crashed vehicle of another Taker crew. There is a Casualty in
torpor strapped into the driver's seat as well as one or two other corpses in the vehicle, either
4 4 also Casualties in torpor or dead by self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head (mix and match
at the Market's discretion). There are 3 Haul of goods in the trunk (roll for price point), 1d10
of bounty on the dead Takers, and one charge of gas in the vehicle.
The Takers are passing underneath a large series of interstate overpass exchanges, or through
a canyon, or amongst a series of tall buildings. The web of makeshift bridging and flags makes
it apparent that some sort of massive enclave set up shop there, using the elevation as
defense. The construction looks to spread at least 500 yards in every direction. Takers see a
4 5 bell in the path with a weather worn sign reading 'ring for entry'. Check Foresight to realize
this might not be a good idea, and Stealth to continue on unnoticed. Passing underneath
silently still causes everyone a Self-Control check against Stress (new enclaves mean new
jobs), but it's far preferable to getting the inhabitants attention. Once they make noise,
Casualties begin raining from the sky. The enclave fell long ago, and the resulting zombies

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 plummet to their deaths in search of new victims. Takers must check Athletics to run through
the rain of Blight cadavers. Those that fail catch corpse shrapnel. Treat this like a Kill damage
explosive that requires an infection check. Critical failures are direct hits, inflicting Stun + Kill
to every hit locations as well as risking infection. If the Takers can get undercover, they can
wait for the rain to stop and salvage bounty from the stains on the ground.
A horn sounds in the distance. Over the horizon, a massive semi-truck pulls into view. The
NatGas vehicle is part of the infamous Titan Trucking fleet and pulling two trailers behind it's
massive fuel tank. If any of the Takers have Ubiq, they get pinged by the username "Flapjack
and Baz." If they answer, they're greeted by a dash cam view of a wild-eyed trucker and his
squinting, chain-smoking partner riding shotgun. The pair is working a job for the DHQS,
hauling supplies to a settlement somewhere out West. The satellite feed and government
4 6
handlers are warning them they're about to drive through a stampede. They're trying to divert
to a different route, but that'll cost them the on-time bonus. "Fuck that," summarizes Baz.
They'll plow through the bastards. Flap promises to drive the Takers the rest of the way to
their destination for free if they hop aboard the trailers and repel any casualties that latch on.
If the crew agrees, he's as good as his word to any that survive. If they don't answer the call or
decline, the truck plows forward anyway, hell or highwater.
There is a small shack by the side of the road, along with a wooden saw-horse painted bright
yellow directly in front of the bridge/pass/[choke point appropriate to the setting] the Takers
were planning to cross. Awareness or Foresight check to notice the two snipers positioned to
4 7 cover the toll booth. The toll booth operator demands 2 bounty per person, 1 per pet (except
horses, they're counted as vehicles), and 4 bounty per vehicle (including horses). A successful
Persuasion, Leadership, or Intimidation check will bargain them down to 1 bounty per person
and 1 per vehicle or 3 bounty for the whole group (Market's discretion).
The Takers come across a military last stand from the Crash. A choke point was created using
the local terrain and sealed off (the soldiers triggered an avalanche, blew bridges, etc.) but
erosion has opened it back up, allowing the Takers through. The Takers can continue on their
original route or take the shorter, newly opened route. If they do go through, they need to
make level2 Self-Control check against Detachment – there are dozens of skeletal corpses
4 8
dressed in weather-damaged military gear, slumped against remains of the choke point.
Anyone with medical or law enforcement Professions recognize that some wounds were self-
inflicted, a major gunfight broke out near the triage station, no doubt a fight about putting
down the infected. Takers call these "Wait and See" massacres. 1d10/2 assault rifles and
1d10/2 pistols are still salvageable.
Takers reach the bottom of a long-incline with a long abandoned military checkpoint on top.
If it's in an urban area, the road leading up the long hill is lined with boarded up townhouses
tightly-spaced together. If it's a rural area, the checkpoint is at the top of a cleared highway
overpass lined by concrete medians. The Takers are walking up it to avoid the zombies
wandering underneath. Unbeknownst to the crew, casualties trapped in an armored personnel
4 9 carrier sees the humans approaching, lunge towards the them, and strike the brake lever. The
tank is now rolling downhill, careening off the sides of the road and gaining speed. Those that
succeed can use Foresight to predict where the APCs path will take it and step out of the way.
Those that fail need to use Athletics to dodge (taking 1d10 Stun to a random location) or
ditch off the side of the road. If in the townhouses, they jump through a townhouse window
to find a mob inside. If on the overpass, they take falling damage and find a mob waiting

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 underneath the overpass. Once the APCs gets beyond the Takers, it crashes for good.
Refreshes of ammo and two rifles with the automatic upgrade can be found inside.
Takers see a broken down convoy of Crusader vehicles by the side of the road. They're armed
and guarding their stuff, but not hostile otherwise. It's uncertain whether this group has
succumb to temptation to use unethical experimentation in their desperate struggle against
the Blight, but, if they haven't, their resolve is definitely weakening. None of them look like
they've slept in days, and weeping can be heard in the back of one of the ambulances. The
5 0 leader (when not muttering to himself) offers trade for anyone that can help fix their vehicles.
They'll also pay bounty for samples of interesting cases of infection. Latents can earn a
bounty for spit, hair, or sweat; 2 for blood; 3 for semen or sexual fluids; and 4 for bone
marrow. The prices for Immunes are doubled, but the Market rolls in secret to see whether
this group kidnaps 'munies or not. Anyone injured receives free medical care, but the
Crusaders bedside matter is less than comforting (check Self-Control).
When approaching a suburban area, the Takers smell acrid smoke and see a small pillar of
black wafting upwards. Small fires are common in the Loss, and there's nothing to tell them
any different. As they walk through the streets though, the smell of smoke is getting worse.
Those that roll Awareness can hear a voice in the distance, along with a faint crackling
sounds. If the Takers turn back, they find the houses on the road they just came in on
engulfed in flames. In fact, blazes seem to be popping up all over town, and shadowy shapes
can be seen walking amongst the flames. Eventually, the Takers round a corner and find the
5 1 source of the shouted numbers: a Black Math cultist atop a painter's scaffold stands before a
burning church, using a flamethrower against the hundreds of casualties locked within. The
stampede pouring out the door is scattering, covered in burning napalm and unable to track
prey. The whole city is on fire as they spread in every direction. Takers don't have to worry
about the casualties; whatever sense they have are disrupted by flames. But they have to get
out of the burning city before they get trapped and suffocate. If the Takers escape and
venture into the ashes later, they find a working but empty flamethrower on the cultist, his
burned flesh caught in a rictus smile.
The weather forecast is getting very bad. If inland, the forecast calls for tornadic supercells. If
near a coast, tropical storms and their fallout are about to make landfall. Due to climate
change, these storms are expected to be cataclysmically large and long. The Takers can choose
to find shelter now, spend two extra rations, and lose one Stress waiting out the storm.
However, Foresight suggests that the smart move might be to push as deep into the front as
5 2 possible before it hits. Thunder and lightning brings casualties from all over, but those caught
in a storm aren't smart enough to take shelter. If the Takers can push deep and hole up in the
eye of the storm, debris and flooding will take care of any casualties that would appear for the
remainder of the journey. Essentially, the Market would remove the appearance of casualties
until reaching the site, even if loud weapons are used. If the Takers don't race the weather,
mobs of casualties move back in before they get close to the storm's epicenter.
Takers get caught in a torrential downpour. Roads flood and paths turn into bogs. The
flooding isn't dangerous (yet), but it's hard to move. Keeping livestock or vehicles moving
requires checks to keep from fondering in the mud. Anything costing rations costs double as
5 3
the crew grows heavy with damp. Everyone must make Self-Control checks against Stress as
the onslaught continues. Eventually, the crew reaches a rickety looking railway trestle bridge
with a flash flood raging beneath it. They can push through and try to get out from under the

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 front, or find shelter and lose two rations a piece as they wait for the storm to pass. If they
cross, pick one Taker at random. They must roll Athletics to keep from falling as a rotten
plank breaks. If the Taker fails, they don't drown, but getting to dry land requires ditching all
their gear to the current. After the storm, there is plenty of fresh water about and the crew
can refresh up to five charges of rations.
A passenger jet lies crashed in a field, nose buried into the earth. The fuselage snapped in half;
one wing and the rear of the plane burned down to the framework, and the grass in the area is
still poisoned by jet fuel. The front half of the plane is accessible if a Taker wants to climb up
to where it sticks up a dozen or so feet in the air. Inside, those not decapitated in the Crash
have turned, but most remain strapped to their seats. The stench of jet fuel still clings in the
5 4
air though, and the use of firearms is not recommended. Getting to the front of the plain
requires running through a gauntlet of rotting hands and nails. If someone manages it, the
blackbox is worth 2d10 bounty to tragedy trackers, and the jet fuel remaining in the starboard
wing, though not healthy for actual engines, is still highly flammable. Takers that make it to
the buried cockpit can hit the manual release and dump the contents outside.
(Crit - B) Market picks any aberrant from the list or makes one up. It shows up out of
nowhere and begins assaulting the PCs mentally and/or physically. There is no explanation as
5 5
to where the thing came from or how it came to cross the Takers' path at that exact moment.
Sometimes, shit just happens.
A loud boom distracts Takers from their journey. An Awareness check notices smoke in the
distance. Takers that investigate need to spend an additional ration to make the journey, but
they find a downed StopLoss helicopter in a field. Only a care provider has survived, but he's
busy trying to stabilize one of the militarized orderlies in critical condition. The doctor
promises that help is coming, but he can already see the mobs slowly stumbling towards the
wreckage. He promises the Takers a reward if they help him survive the incoming mobs until
5 6
rescue arrives. They can shoot him or abandon the vultures, stealing their First Aid kit for the
cost of a Self-Control check. If they fight off the dead, a helicopter loaded down with heavily-
armed orderlies arrive. The care provider waves the troops off as they are about to insist on a
blood-test for immunity. He instead provides the Takers with a first aid kit, a dose of Soma,
and a StopLoss medic alert bracelet loaded with a prepaid care plan (worth three sessions
without upkeep).
A large group of young men approach. Their gear looks amateurish, but there are a lot of
them. They seem to be making quite a bit of noise intentionally so they can attract casualties,
and they relish their destruction: picking of limbs with axes and kicking the things to death. If
they see Takers, they run up and urge them to freeze. The leader explains the group comes
from a newly established enclave (they won't say where, and it's up to the Market if this is lie).
5 7 Their former home was destroyed in an outbreak caused by "Latent traitors," and the trauma
has taught them all the necessity of the Triage movement. If the crew has any Latent's in its
midst, they demand the crew leave them behind for justice. The hate group can be convinced
this one "isn't worth it," but not that their views are wrong. They greatly outnumber the
Takers, but they're cowards at heart. Crippling or killing the best of their number causes the
rest to scatter and flee.
Off the beaten path, the Takers come across a Briar Rabbit fortification - a large number of
5 8 DDJs set off down a hallway/between two walls (manmade or rock formations)/etc., typically
set up such that a safe path through exists for humans. If the Takers make three out of the

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 following checks, they can chart the path through: Athletics, Awareness, Criminality,
Foresight, Mechanics, Research, or an appropriate Profession:X. An Athletics check is
required to successfully navigate the path without taking damage - 1d10 to both legs on a
failed check as the Taker stumbles into the wires. Past the patch, Takers find a two family
enclave - Self-Control check upon seeing the bodies, recently dead from starvation. At the
sound of people, a toddler, no more than a year old, wanders out of a building, obviously in
need of food and water. Level 2 Self-Control check against Detachment to leave the child
behind, Level 2 Self-Control check against Stress to rescue the child. There is 6 bounty and 2
Haul of goods in the enclave.
Takers spot a small dog waiting for them in the road (pug, jack russell, chihuahua, etc). The
animal barks at the crew if they don't follow it down a side road, attracting mobs of casualties.
If the Takers make the detour, they arrive at a small suburban neighborhood. Awareness
checks notice the drag marks through the grass and relatively fresh bloodstains. Other animal
companions (dogs, horses, falcons, etc) grow visibly upset. The small dog runs off. Suddenly,
a dozen, much-larger canines emerge from between the houses. The pack has learned that
5 9
casualties are poisonous and living meat is required to survive. Athletics is required to get
away and climb something too high for the dogs to reach. Immobile casualties lurk in the
long grass of the lawns, legs crippled by the canines, but each is capable of attacking if
stepped on. A dog bite does Kill damage and grapples unless the Taker makes a Resistance
check. Killing a few of the beasts causes the ferals to retreat. Nearby houses haven't been
looted, so surviving Takers may make Scavenging checks.
Takers find a beautiful garden hidden away off their route. It's very well-maintained, and
much of the produce is ripe for the harvest. There's no one around, though a Profession: X
or Research check can tell that someone must come out every few days; the methods for
keeping pests away from the crops are as green as possible and require a lot of labor. Takers
can take the crops for a free refresh of rations. There's also a seed vault in the shed, with 3
6 0 hauls worth of materials that can be easily sold. But the crew was photographed coming up
the trail to the garden. If anything is stolen, the group is now hunted by a commune of
Detoxins calling themselves "Incorruptibles." The group believes the Blight was caused by
GMO crops and food preservatives; they regard the violation of their foodstuffs to be
blasphemy and an affront to the group's survival. If the Takers take nothing, the crew gains
the + Rep spot "Cruelty-free" as the Incorruptibles bump their posts on Ubiq.
A small museum stands remarkably intact, albeit locked up. The stench of death is in the air.
Characters can find the corpses of several raiders or scavengers near the museum. It looks like
they were trying to get in when someone inside the building shot them. If the characters
attempt to contact the occupant no one answers. Breaking in without making noise (and
alerting nearby casualties) requires a Criminality check. Inside, they will find a single dead
person, the former curator of the museum. A first aid check reveals the curator bled out from
a gunshot wound but was not infected with the blight. A scavenging check of the museum
6 1
reveals no useful loot aside from a rifle with 1 bullet left and 2 charges of rations - the
curator used or spent everything else in the museum in order to protect its contents. The
museum was dedicated to something pointless, like quack medical instruments, popsicle stick
sculptures, or salt and pepper shakers. The realization that the curator devoted his life to
protecting useless trash is a 2 detachment stress threat. If the characters linger too long, other
scavengers or raiders appear, looking for revenge. If the Takers know any Archivists, giving
the location of the intact museum to them provides the + Rep Spot "Respects the Dead."

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 A recent thunderstorm has knocked trees or powerline poles into the road. Takers can make a
Mechanics check to safely clear the road or Athletics checks to scramble over safely. If they
go around, spend an extra ration or charge on a vehicle for the extra leg. If they go through,
6 2 the ground is muddy and a bit treacherous. In addition, a mob of Casualties was caught in the
storm and washed onto the road. Half of the mob are already permanently dead from bashing
their heads into trees and other landscape features, while the other half have to struggle to
their feet. Normal rules of scavenging apply.
It is a baking hot day. The temperature just keeps rising and there's no wind. A First Aid,
Foresight, or Research check warns the Takers that they need to find shelter and get out of
the sun before they suffer from heat exhaustion. If they are in a vehicle, it will overheat and
require a Mechanics check to get started again if they do not wait out the worst heat in
shelter. If the Takers continue through the heat, everyone makes a Health check. On a critical
6 3 success, the Taker consumes an extra ration to deal with the heat. On a success, one extra
ration plus 1d10/2 Stun to the head. On a failure, the Taker is suffering from heat exhaustion:
extra ration, 1d10 Stun to the head, and 1d10/2 Stun to the torso. On a critical failure, the
Taker is suffering from heat stroke: two extra rations, 1d10/2 Killing to the head, and 1d10
Stun to the torso. At the end of the day, the Takers stumble across the body of a messenger
Taker, killed by heat stroke, and can take the messenger's bicycle.
A convoy of stopped vehicles lies ahead, all with intact windows, is filled with casualties, still
wearing seat belts, equivalent to 2 mobs worth. They are currently in torpor. Careful Takers
could clear out the entire convoy, looting both mobs and their vehicles for 2 haul worth of
goods. However, each vehicle is locked, requiring Criminality checks to open a door silently.
If the convoy mob wakes up, they will create enough noise to lure in another nearby mob. As
6 4 the work goes on, anyone with Profession: Medicine or Alertness realizes that, for everyone
in the cars to be infected with the doors locked, literally everyone in the convoy had to be
hiding a bite. When the bodies are checked though, no infection wounds are visible. The new
provokes a level-3 threat against stress for all who realize it. (The Market know the cars were
hiding from mobs when an Aerosol aberrant came by, but the Takers have no way of
knowing this).
Anyone with Ubiq specs or a laptop is pinged by a Taker in the area. She explains that a
casualty bit her, the blood test was positive, and it's only a matter of time before she turns.
She ran out of bullets and has no way to kill herself. She begs for help before the batteries die.
If the Takers go to her location, they find she is stranded on top of a small building
6 5 surrounded by a mob. Killing her with a long range weapon is a 3 detachment threat, plus it
may attract the attention of the mob. If the Takers fight their way through to her, they can
find out what her last request is, which may heal 2 humanity if fulfilled. She begs for death so
killing her then is only level-1 Detachment threat. If the characters do not follow up on her
location, then she will become a vector and attack the group before they finish the leg.
Takers find themselves suddenly surrounded by dogs of every size and breed. The animals
keep their distance, but more and more join their ranks, keeping pace with the crew at a
respectful distance. They don't look feral; in fact, these are some of the healthiest dogs they've
6 6 seen since the Crash. If they remain calm, the crew eventually comes upon a dumpy old
woman cooking stew on a camp stove. She looks up, greets the newcomers, and returns to
her cooking. Successful Research (or simple conversation) reveals this to be the legendary
Alpha, a Taker rumored to keep herself safe with a circling pack of dogs trained to lure

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 casualties away from their master. If asked, Alpha confirms her identity and reveals the Takers
are only seeing about half the pack now, as the other fifty or so are out on duty. She
occasionally stops eating to scroll through camera feeds of various pooches on the perimeter.
If the Takers stop and burn their rations for the day, the dogs stop circling and come into
play, healing one Humanity for each PC. Alpha will gift a crew that's good with animals a
newborn puppy. Though helpless now, the dog will grow into an animal capable of service in
two jobs, with both the Friendly and Hardy upgrades already purchased. Needles to say, but
anyone attempting to harm Alpha or her pack will be ordered eaten by the horde of attack
animals surrounding them, but the interaction is otherwise quite pleasant.
Takers who make a Foresight check note how good the area ahead would be for an ambush;
an Awareness check spots the crew of teenage Raiders set-up ahead. Going around the
ambush requires an extra Leg's worth of rations. The crew has two more members than the
Taker's party and none of them are over the age of 15. A successful Intimidation check will
6 7
convince them too many of them will die if they fight the Takers. Persuasion or Deception
will convince them that the Takers aren't carrying enough for the fight to be worth it. If a
fight breaks out and the Takers survive, they can Scavenge the crew's weapons and 1d10/2 of
Bounty, but will gain the -Rep spot "Child Killer," regardless of who fired first.
PCs that make an Awareness or Research check spot "Taker" sign, a form of graffiti used in
the craft to communicate with other crews. The signs advertise a respite at Sunset Glens. If
Takers go, they find a gated community with no community, merely a single model home
inside a wrought iron fence. A sign on the gate reads, "Shady Pines Enclave Coming in..." and
it's dated two years ago. The gate is easy to climb, but to enter the house, the crew has to
6 8 crank a generator for an electronic security system. They must state their names into a camera
to "sign-in" before the door opens. Inside, they find bicycle run generators, a functioning hot
water heater, and a table with a "Take a Weapon, Leave a Weapon" policy. State rules require
the crew to clean the house and replace water in the cistern from the well before they leave
the respite. If the crew stays the night, the amenities heal one Humanity. If they abuse the
respite policies, they still heal Humanity, but the crew gains the - Rep Spot "Scrub Crew."
Characters that make an awareness check see a zipline on top of a nearby building leading
several blocks ahead. A Foresight check determines that if someone took the trouble to put
up a zipline, there was a good reason for it. A follow-up Awareness check spots craters
littering the ground ahead. Profession: Demolitions or Foresight reveals that the military must
have dropped a cluster bomb in the area and it is extremely likely that unexploded ordnance is
still around. Bypassing the area entirely adds two extra legs to the journey. Characters trying
to go through the minefield must make an awareness check or suffer 1d10 kill and stun to
6 9
every hit location (mines are very dangerous). A critical failure triggers multiple mines that
endanger other Takers and alert nearby casualties. Characters that wish to use the zipline can
easily get to the top of the building but using the zipline is a level-2 trauma threat and requires
a Resistance check to hold on. Failure results in a drop that inflicts 1d10 kill to both legs and
may detonate a mine. Mechanics can be used to rig up a device to safely hold onto the zipline
without risk of falling off. Characters with a pro-go camera can record the zipline run and sell
the footage for 1 bounty.
A structure with external stairs, such as a fire watch tower, has numerous casualty corpses
7 0 scattered around it. The stairs have large gaps, where someone deliberately removed multiple
rungs. It is possible to jump the gaps with a single Athletics check. Failure inflicts 1d10 kill to

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 both legs. Characters that reach the top of the structure see a strange device powered by a
solar panel. Several skills, like Research or Profession: Electronics can reveal that the device is
a jury-rigged noisemaker, set to play pirate ska fusion metal in order to lure casualties up the
stairs. The casualties fall through the gaps and break their skulls or legs. 1d10 bounty can be
scavenged from the corpses around the structure but 1d10/5 casualties are still active there,
just crawling around with broken legs. The device can be disarmed and looted with a
successful Mechanics check but failure indicates the character does not disarm it. At a random
time later on, it will activate and alert anyone near the character carrying it. The device is
worth 3 bounty and weighs 1 haul.
Zoos didn't fair well in the Crash, but some animals got loose and adapted quickly to their
freedom. In this instance, the Takers have made the mistake of wandering into the territory of
the wrong beast. Pick one:
Lion: always has initiative/ two attacks per round/ blows do Kill+Stun or Kill and
knockback/ 20 hit boxes
Bear: attacks do Kill+Stun and knockback or grapple/ 30 hit boxes
Rhino: attacks do Kill + Stun and knockback/ 40 hit boxes/ armored against all but firearms
7 1
Elephant: 100 hit boxes/ counts as being hit by a vehicle
Predators know not to eat casualties (they claw their heads from their shoulders easily
enough) but that they need to hunt live prey. They only break off attack if sufficiently
wounded. Herbivores are protecting territory and only stop once Takers flee the area. If the
PCs kill the majestic beasts, Foresight or Research reminds them that superstitious folk
medicine has grown in popularity since the Crash. Many of the animals parts can be sold for a
high profit.
The Takers wake up to a solid frost on the ground (if it is the summer, call it an 'unseasonable
frost'). Their footing may be treacherous, but if the Takers elect to press on before the frost
melts they will find 2 mobs of Casualties along their route, unable to shamble after them. If
7 2 engaged at melee range, the Casualties can still attack, but treat each Casualty as a mob of one
(they are too spread out to gang up on the Takers). Normal scavenging from Casualties
applies. Make an Athletics check to avoid twisting an ankle (1d10/5 to one leg) in the slippery
footing.
Takers who make an Awareness check realize that the ground beneath their feet is hotter than
usual or there are plants and insects in the area which typically only thrive in warmer climates.
A successful Foresight or Profession: Computer Science check means they have alerts
programmed into their Ubiq specs (if the Takers have Ubiq specs) – these alerts go off due to
the high levels of carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide in the area. Spend one extra ration to
go around the area. Takers who fail these checks take 1d10 Kill to the chest as they breath in
the fumes, before realizing they need to get out of the area. On their way out, they come
across the body of a Taker who asphyxiated from the fumes. Most of their gear has been
7 3
damaged by the sulfur dioxide, but the Takers can scavenge one axe with the Sturdy upgrade
from the body. Take 1d10/2 Stun to the chest for the time required to examine and pull gear
off the body.

A successful Research check later let's the Takers put together the clues: they were walking
over a coal seam fire. Posting the location of the fire to the Ubiq forums gains the crew the
+Rep spot "Helpful." This check can be made whether or not the crew took damage from
the fumes.

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 A dron-key is leading a mob of casualties across the path of the Takers. Characters can easily
remain silent and wait for it to pass or they can attack the mob themselves. If they kill the
mob, the dron-key stops. Characters with Ubiq specs or a laptop will realize it is sending an
encrypted message to someone over Ubiq. If the characters wait for a few minutes (perhaps
by looting the corpses of the mob) and leave the dron-key alone, the dron-key's owner
reestablishes contact with it and speaks to the characters. She is grateful that the characters
7 4 have spared the dron-key and tells them that she is at a nearby enclave and used the dron-key
to kite the undead away. If they make sure the dron-key returns safely, she will pay them 2
bounty and provide a +Rep Spot "Upstanding Ex-citizens." Characters with a Profession:
Computers skill (or equivalent) and a laptop can hack the dron-key's security system and claim
it for their own. In this case, the owner eventually discovers the theft and identifies the
characters by using the cameras on the dron-key. The characters gain a -Rep Spot "Thieving
Takers" in this case.
Extreme weather and erosion caused a landslide some time ago, half-burying a large mob of
casualties. The result is a treacherous hill that conceals dozens of undead, many of which can
still get up and attack unwary travelers. All characters can make an Awareness check. If
7 5
successful, they spot several corpses in the ground, half-buried. Bypassing the hill takes an
extra two legs. Walking down the hill requires an athletics check in order to avoid the undead
and avoid slipping on the unstable terrain.
The Takers pass by a farm, a house and barn visible from the road with no signs of
fortification. A teenage girl comes pelting out of the house, running up to the Takers, begging
them to "please come help, something's wrong with Daddy." If they walk away, make a Self-
Control check against Detachment. Walking towards the house, making a Sensitivity or
Persuasion check reveals that the girl is a Shepherd, as is her father. Inside the house, on the
second floor, in the master bedroom, is Daddy, strapped to a bed with several leather belts.
Once the first Taker walks into the doorway, the belts snap as the Vector lurches out of the
bed. He is so tangled in the bed and belts that he is limited to one Shamble for two rounds,
although the murder modifier is otherwise unchanged. The girl screams at the Takers that
7 6 they can lure him into the barn "with the others" and then runs back down the hallway. She
will show back up on round three with Scent Blocker and throw it on the Takers, if they
haven't killed the Vector by then. If the Takers run away, they must make a Self-Control
check against Detachment as Daddy will almost certainly kill the girl. If the Takers manage to
kill the Vector, the girl will begin wailing in grief – make a Sensitivity, Persuasion, or
Leadership check to calm her down before the 3 mobs of Casualties in the barn break out. If
they succeed at calming the girl, she will show them two Haul worth of goods (in addition to
the supplies she takes for herself [the Takers will not have to spend any rations on taking care
of the girl]) and accompany them to the nearest enclave. If the Casualties do break out and
the Takers survive, they can Scavenge 3 mobs worth of Bounty but the girl runs off.
Takers come across an eerily silent stretch of road. If it's in a rural area, there is little to be
seen besides a gas station and adjacent feed store riddled with bullet holes. If it's an urban
area, the two buildings across the street from each other can be of any type, but the pavement
between is littered with the corpses of casualties. Those with Ubiq get pinged simultaneously.
7 7
One has a message addressed to "those on the road," while the other is a cheap public
bandwidth, reserved for advertisements pre-Crash. The addressed message is from the last
surviving member a Black Math cult in one building. He warns the crew that his sect has been
fighting a cult of Meek for days. He's the only survivor and out of ammo, but he's fought

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 them to standoff. The other message is the Meek, screaming, "Reinforcements come
brothers! Come to help us destroy the defilers and transcend!" The Meek are armed with two
riflemen and two kamikazes. The latter are armed with vials of Vector blood. They'll try to get
as close to the crew as possible, take cover, then inject themselves while the rest of the cult
lays down covering fire. The hope is to infect the whole crew and start a fresh outbreak in the
area. There's only one, unarmed Black Mather left, but he'll try to help if he's convinced he
can take at least one of the Meek with him. If the Takers survive the fight, it yields almost
nothing of value. The cults had been besieging each other for days. The rations are gone, the
ammo spent, and the weapons damaged in explosions.
An overturned semi-truck and trailer has been partially scavenged but valuable machine parts
from the truck's engine are clearly visible on the ground. It looks like whoever was scavenging
it left in a hurry and never returned. A Scavenging check reveals that the survivor has been
gone for some time as the exposed parts show signs of weathering - they are still usable
though. A Mechanics check is required to identify the valuable parts over the truck. The
trailer is still closed. A cursory check shows it will not open from the outside. A Mechanics or
7 8
Awareness check reveals it has been welded shut from the inside. If the characters can
somehow find a way in the trailer, they find a single casualty hidden in crates of machine
parts.The parts were bent and damaged when the truck flipped over, so finding useful ones
would take days of sorting. A successful Scavenge check finds 1d10 bounty of small parts
with a few minutes of searching. Of course, if the characters linger too long in the open,
casualties or raiders may notice and attack them.
On the road/path ahead there are several Army sized large trucks in a circle. Make an
Awareness check to notice the 4 mobs of Casualties coming out of the truck corral for the
Takers before they are 3 shambles away. If the Takers succeed the check, the Casualties are 6
shambles away. If the Takers kill the mobs, they can scavenge from the trucks. The Casualties
are Army soldiers and therefore assumed dead after going MIA. Their gear has been exposed
7 9
to the weather too long to be worth scavenging. The convoy was carrying samples of the
Blight, still in their test tubes, to a research base somewhere in the Loss – the orders in the
lead truck do not specify where that base is. A successful Research or Networking check can
sell the samples for 10 bounty to the Crusaders or the Meek. The convoy contains 2 haul
worth of medical equipment.
An abandoned National Guard outpost with a pre-fabricated watchtower is spotted.
Characters can easily bypass it but if they investigate it, they will find that scavengers have
picked it clean. Even the casualty corpses have been dragged away and burned. All that is left
are the sandbag fortifications, heavy metal barricades, command post, and watch tower. It is
8 0
easily defensible. Characters with binoculars who climb the watchtower can make an
Awareness check to get a clue about what the next leg of the trip will contain. A Scavenge
check reveals a mortar hidden in the dirt. It has no shells, but it can still fire. It is worth 6
bounty and weighs 3 haul.
Each Taker in the crew rolls a Black die and adds their SPD. The Taker with the lowest roll
begins sliding down the edge of the sinkhole that opens up under their feet. Make an
Athletics check to arrest the slide without injury. If the Taker fails their check, they slide into
8 1
the dry underground cistern the sinkhole has just opened up and take 1d10/2 in Stun to both
legs. There are 2-3 Casualties in the immediate area the Taker slides into, all of which have
Bounty on them. Two more mobs of Casualties are attracted by the loud noise of the Taker

341
 hitting bottom; both mobs are minimum five shambles away. Getting back out of the cistern
requires two Athletics checks.
The Takers spot a DHQS farm up ahead and the fruit has just ripened. But the forecast is
calling for a killing frost overnight. If that's accurate, most of the food out here will go to
waste since the drones aren't out and harvesting. Even if they were, they couldn't get
8 2 everything in time. Athletics check to get up and over the fence without injury (1d10/2 Stun
to one leg or arm on a failed check). Takers gain one refresh of rations and regain one
Humanity if they harvest some fruit. The fruit would spoil before they could get it back to
their enclave, so Takers may not harvest any as Haul.
A locust plague has sprung up in the area. The creatures swarm over every surface, blacking
out the sun. Waiting for the feeding frenzy to die down costs two extra rations and does one
Stress damage as the swarm settles down. Walking through the creatures is possible, but the
constant buzz and prickling legs represent a level-2 threat to stress. Casualties are drawn to
the noise. Ask the crew to designate a leader to navigate the swarm or have everyone check
Awareness separately. On a failure, the Taker walks right into a lone casualty lost in the
8 3
swarm. On a success, they just manage to avoid them as they snap their teeth at the air,
lurching silhouettes moving in the swarm. Realizing the dead are amongst the cloud causes a
level-2 trauma threat. Those with successful Foresight that brave the plague realize the
protien in a locust can't be ignored back at the enclave, especially with the decimation of
groups. Any synthetic fabric can be used to trap and bag the insects, and every Haul of dead
locusts is worth 1d10/5 bounty back home.
A pickup truck is stuck in the middle of a shallow pond. There are boxes and bags in the bed
of the truck, easily visible. However, a mob of casualties is standing near the truck. The thick
mud floor of the pond slows them down, so characters can easily outrun them or shoot them
8 4 down with ranged weapons. If they do not lure them away from the truck, several casualties
bleed on the boxes when they are shot, ruining any salvage in the truck. A Foresight check
allows the characters a chance to realize this before they attack. There is 1d10/2 bounty in the
truck's bed if the characters make a successful Scavenging check.
Around the bend, the Takers come on a dead trade caravan between enclaves. The mob
Casualties that wiped it out look up from where they are chowing down on one of the bodies
and start lumbering after the Takers. Make an Awareness check to realize that the body the
Casualties are abandoning will get up as a Vector in four rounds. If the Takers survive, there
8 5
is four haul of goods in the caravan and 1d10/2 Bounty from the caravan members.
Alternatively, if the Takers call either the origin or destination enclave to let them know what
happened to the caravan and where they could come pick it up, they will receive a four
bounty finder's fee and a +Rep spot "Honest."
Takers find a raccoon digging up a half-buried bag by the side of the road. If they shoo the
creature away, they find a bag with a full compliment of grenades and a refresh of rations.
The bag hasn't been there long, and Foresight suggests the explosives were meant for a
fallback position. Diverting down the path reveals a weapons deal between the Chosen and
8 6 the Meek. The latent group has a vector restrained with dog catchers snares. Those not
holding the fresh infected have guns drawn on the other group. Just seeing what the Meek
have done to themselves requires is level-2 detachment threat: teeth filed to points, eyes
gouged out, running sores cut into flesh. They're aesthetically molding their bodies in
preparation for transformation. They're mostly armed with melee weapons, but the negotiator

342
 is covered in plastic explosives and has nails taped all over his bodies. Though wary, both
groups are dealing with each other. The leader of the Chosen takes out an IV bag, syringe,
and pump. She injects it into the Vector and starts draining it. The lead Meek licks what
remains of his lips and throws a bag of 4d10 bounty on the ground between the two groups.
Imagining what the Meek plan to do with that much hot Blight requires a level-4 Detachment
check if the Takers choose to walk away. Planning to stop an arms deal between a group of
armed infected and a group that envys them requires a level-3 Trauma check. If they win, the
crew can scavenge anything left over that's not on fire or covered in infected blood.
Takers see a campfire in the distance. If they approach, they find a group of sitting around it
on the steps of a public library, huddled against the chill. Research or Foresight checks reveal
them to be members of the Bonhoeffers, a well-known hardline Archivests group. The
Bonhoeffers offer a place by the fire and what food they have. They pleasantly ask where the
Takers are going and discuss their faith. After some time, it's apparent the archivists fuel the
fire with distressing items: wooden bats that could be melee weapons, good clothes,
functioning backpacks etc. Watching them keep the bonfire lit causes a level-2 Stress check.
8 7
If asked, they claim only that the items are of no worth, and those that disagree can camp
elsewhere. The Market should ask everyone to roll Black and add their ADP. The character
with the lowest number has to go pee. When the PC walks around the side of the building to
relieve themselves, they find the naked bodies of the family the Bonhoeffers executed before
the crew arrived. If anyone bothers to ask why they killed the men, women, and children, they
respond that it was because they were burning books for heat. But books are of worth; not
people.Check Self-control and start combat as appropriate.
A recent rainfall has washed away some brush concealing a path off the main road. Along the
path are the eroded remains of several primitive booby traps. At the end of the path, the
Takers find a heavy metal door closing off an airlock which, due to a lack of electricity, is
8 8 unlocked - the Takers can open the door with no resistance. Inside is the hoard of a prepper
who, judging by the dust all over the place, never made it out to their bunker. The food has
long gone bad, but the Takers find an arsenal of guns and ammunition, a small library of
survival manuals, a mechanic's toolkit, and an electronics toolkit.
Approaching a river, the Takers find it wider than expected and the bridge marked on their
maps now starts and ends partially in the water. A successful Foresight or Research check tells
the Takers that during the Crash, a retreating military blew the local dam to try and create a
bigger barrier to slow down the Casualty stampede coming after them. And that the crew
should head down river, where it thins out and slows down a bit. If the Takers try to wade
8 9
through the river to the bridge, the single mob of Casualties that have washed up against the
bridge in the shallow ends claw their way up onto the bridge. Awareness check to notice them
while they are still in the water and unable to attack. If the Casualties make it up onto the
bridge and the Takers kill them, the normal Scavenging rules apply. Otherwise, the bodies and
any Bounty on them is washed away.
Takers encounter a DHQS drone swarm. The small aircraft are launched in batches from
missile batteries and fly in pre-programmed formations, gathering intelligence for the
government. A hundred of them dot the sky. The units are within range for two turns (three
9 0
for anyone who made an Awareness check) and one can be shot down for every successful
Precision Shoot check. A crashed drone provides 1d10 bounty worth of sophisticated
electronics. After those three turns, the drones ascend beyond the effective range of

343
 weaponry. Those that make a Scavenging, Mechanics, or Profession: Drones check while
salvaging parts realize this drone is outfitted to carry small packets of ordinance. Whether
they realize it or not, a squadron of six drones has split from the flock and returns to drop
payload on the meddlers. The bombs are inaccurate (Market rolls 6 dice; evens miss and odds
hit) and Takers that know of the threat can make Athletics checks to dodge under cover, but
each does explosive Kill + Stun damage. Even misses can set buildings on fire and attract
Casualties.
The Takers are passing by an abandoned gas station when music begins playing over the
outdoor speakers. An Awareness or Foresight check tells the Takers that the music is motion
activated and how far to move to get out of the sensor's range. If they make the check, only
two Casualties come out of the station and the Takers are far enough away to simply walk off.
9 1
If they do not make the check, 2d10 Casualties come out of and from behind the station. If
the Takers kill all the Casualties, they can make a Scavenging check – the speakers are still
powered by two solar cells on top of the gas station, which are worth 5 bounty each and take
one haul each.
The path is strewn with debris – some powerful weather went through the area the other day
(depending on the area, suggest using a tornado, hail storm, or thunderstorm) making the
road ahead treacherous. The Takers can go around without penalty or spending any
9 2
resources. If they continue down the path, they make an Athletics check to avoid spraining an
ankle (1d10/5 to one leg on a failure), find 2d10 Bounty from Casualties decapitated by flying
debris, and encounter 1d10/2 Casualties.
A light drizzle starts up. On a successful Awareness check, the Takers notice that something
smells a little... off. On a successful Foresight check, they checked the weather forecast for
the day. On a successful Profession: Computer Programming, the Takers get an alert on their
Ubiq specs. They have started to walk/drive through acidic rain. If they succeed a check, the
9 3 Takers can get undercover or go around the storm before the rain does too much damage.
Otherwise, lose one upgrade on every piece of gear exposed to the rain. If a piece of gear
does not have any upgrades, it requires an extra bounty or a successful Mechanics check to fix
during upkeep. If caught out in the rain, on a successful Scavenge check the Takers find a
spear with the Sturdy and Crossbar upgrade abandoned by the side of the road.
In the distance, the Takers can hear several bursts of gunfire, then silence. If they investigate,
they find the remains of a raider group being devoured by a mob of casualties. The raiders
9 4 have scavengable gear but their gunfire will surely draw more undead soon. If the party can
clear out a mob in 1d10 rounds, they can freely scavenge up to 2d10 worth of bounty from
the dead raiders with a successful Scavenge check before another mob appears.
The Takers see a fortified house that appears to be abandoned. If they investigate, they see a
dead man who clearly shot himself near a pile of supplies, including rations and bullets.
Tripwires are lined on each door and window of the house. An awareness check is required to
notice them and the market may decide to allow such checks if the players specifically ask for
9 5
it. If a tripwire is triggered, small explosive charges blow holes in the ceiling, releasing a mob's
worth of casualties in torpor on the characters. They begin to stir and will attack in one
round. The entire house is a trap rigged by Meek cultists trying to infect humans. The rations
are poisoned with blight and the bullets are duds.
9 6 The Takers spot a vehicle in the road up ahead. Three men are standing around with weapons

344
 out, but not pointed at the Takers, while a fourth is changing a tire. All three guards continue
their bickering as the Takers approach. On a successful Networking check the Takers realize
from the bickering that this is a group of Takers out of the nearest Randian enclave. They are
willing to trade but will try to sell all of their goods at upkeep x3 Bounty. A successful
Sensitivity check will inform the Takers that none of the Randians are mechanics, including
the guy trying to change the tire. With sufficient spouting of the Objectivist philosophy and a
Persuasion, Deception, or Leadership check, the Takers can charge the Randians two times
the number of charges they spend on a Mechanics check (limit 4) plus three bounty for labor
in fixing their tire for them. A failed Mechanics check will result in a -Rep Spot "Over
selling."
A drone copter descends into view, flashing a strobe light at the Takers. A voice announces
over the speaker "We will be coming into view shortly. Do not shoot. We seek to parley." A
few minutes later, a DHQS squad pulls into view. They carry some of the finest gear Taker
have ever seen (silenced automatic rifles, carbon-fiber collapsible handaxes, basilisk's skin
armor, etc). Each is flanked by a next-gen dron-key, one of which carries a minigun on its
back. Each of the three is a management level Market force with the determined advantage.
The stewards wait and get prepared to shoot. The Takers need to send forward a
representative, and the rep can pick which one they want to speak to. Every successful
Sensitivity check gets a read on a squad member. There's Twitchy, who obviously think
everyone is out to kill them and the Takers are no different. There's Vet, who sees the crew as
9 7
a tactical variable to be dismissed...for now. Then there's Patron, who seems deeply
uncomfortable holding guns on former countrymen. No matter who they parley with, the
stewards just want to pass by unmolested: they don't have time to hide as the Takers go by,
and no one wants a gunfight. If Takers are skeptical of their motives, the stewards assure
them they have no designs on their enclave (they don't let them know how they know about
the enclave). Twitchy promises not to kill them if they let them pass. Vet promises to delete
their faces from his drones camera's recognition software, and he can be persuaded into
changing the status of Lost characters into unaccounted for citizens. Patron dumps 2d10
bounty in the road as a toll for passing. Regardless of how it goes, dealing with the DHQS is a
level-2 Detachment threat.
For hours, Takers have been seeing signs for "Skeeter's Treasure" painted all over the place. If
they choose to follow them, they come to an actual drive-thru theater, apparently allowed to
survive as a local historical site. In a rural area, the screen is set up on the rocky cliff face of a
hill half-blasted away to make room for the parking lot. If in an urban area, the screen hangs
from a long-abandoned factory as part of urban renewal. Either way, in huge red paint, the
screen reads "YOU WIN. COME AND GET IT." In the middle of the message, a body
hangs from the neck from one of the giant screen's struts. Those with binoculars can see
5d10 bounty stapled all over the canvas of the screen. Across the dirt parking lot, craters and
9 8
body parts dot the ground. Apparently, Skeeter mined his the ground leading towards his
treasure screen in every direction. It takes Awareness, Foresight, Self-Control, and time to
navigate the minefield. Mechanics or some sort of military Profession is required to disarm
mines. Those that go around and try to rappel down from the wall the screen is mounted on
find that the largest explosives were reserved for wise guys. Even if those that set them off
survive, the high elevation causes a landslide that destroys all the bounty. If the Takers make
it to the screen intact, they can take the bounty. Upon closer inspection, it appears the hanged
man had his hands handcuffed to his belt; it turns out this is Skeeter's sick joke rather than his

345
 suicide note.
The path is blocked by a river straining its bank, swollen by distant rains. The bridges were
blown up in yet another failed retreat during the Crash. But it seems the army installed the
prototype of what has come to be called a "troutline" before they left. The device is a net
composed of thin, carbon-fiber netting and strung to the bottom of the river. The whole
thing is suspended on a thick metal cable between sturdy trees on either bank. Across the
wire, wheels and a counter weight move a miniature punch bot to and fro across the river.
The idea was to catch any casualties crossing the river on foot in the net, dicing them on the
thin metal wires or having the Punch-Bot fire the cattle gun into their brains if they climbed
9 9 high enough to trigger the sensors. Takers can cross if they use the guide wire as a hand rail
and walk across the top of the net (check Athletics). However, mid way through the crossing,
a derelict boat comes into view, teeming with casualties from an outbreak on board.
Meanwhile, the bot activates as casualties on the net trigger its sensors. Check Athletics to
balance on the net as the passing Punch-Bot makes holding onto the guide wire impossible.
For those at the back of the line, check Athletics to move faster and get beyond where the
boat full of undead will stick the wires. Finally, check Resistance to hold on as the boat strikes
the net. Falling into the water risks drowning, confrontation with submerged casualties
trapped in the net, or, at minimum, the loss of important gear.
The Takers come upon a massacred horse-drawn caravan. The only visible bodies have been
so thoroughly consumed as to be rendered inanimate. The carpet armor was torn from the
horses and the animals stripped down to the bone. No sign of the casualties (or aberrants)
responsible for the deaths remains. Whatever it was, it wasn't human. Humans wouldn't leave
0 0
the cargo completely intact. What the caravan was hauling is up to the Market, but it's
valuable. If using the MBA rules, the wagons hold 1d10 + 5 units of supply -- enough to start
a small business. If the Takers want to offload everything to a wholesaler, there's enough for
1d100 bounty. But how do they get it back to the enclave?

346
 RED MARKETS CREW TRACKER

Crew Name
Enclave
PORTFOLIO
Contract Job Line Price Earned Bounty per Taker

TAKERS REPUTATION
Earnings
Name Breakpoint Equip. (projected) Spot +/-

Totals

GENERAL NOTES:
 RED MARKETS CREW SHEET:MBA RULES

Crew Name
Enclave

Small Business Name:

Corresponding Employee/ Remaining Value Gouge/ Total
Liquidity Troubleshooter Liquidity
Score/Contract# Taker Working Supply per Unit Mark-up Earned

Investments and Speculation:

Investment Liquidity Inside Trading
(-1 every session) (+1 per action) Risk Rate of Return

GENERAL NOTES:
 RED MARKETS Severed
1

Taker
Dependants Strained
Needy
Crew
Weak Spot

Soft Spot

Tough Spot

References
Potential Skills
Unarmed
STR ( )
Haul Melee
( )
( )
Resistance
Shoot Threats
SPD ( )

Crumble
Detachment

Break
( )

Crack
Stealth Stress
Athletics Trauma
Awareness
ADP Self-Control
Refresh Scavenging ALT
Drive 10
Criminality
Foresight
INT ALT 7-9
Research
Mechanics ALT ALT
First Aid 5 6
Profession
( )
( )
ALT ALT
Networking 1-2 3-4
CHA Persuasion
Sensitivity
Deception
Intimidation
Leadership
WIL

Backpack Rations
Upkeep 1 Charges Static Upkeep 1 Charges 00000 00000
Effect Taker can carry STR in Haul and Effect Rations can be spent to Buy-a-Roll
personal gear on skills that require exertion.
Additional spends add +1
Qualities Essential Static Qualities Essential Addictive Charged
Character Advancement:
1 Potential = 10 Bounty
Skill Points = Bounty equal to new skill level (1B = 1 Skill, 2B = 2 Skill, etc)
 Taker: 2
Charges 00000 00000 Charges 00000 00000
Upkeep Effect Upkeep Effect
Qualities Qualities

Upgrades Upgrades

Charges 00000 00000 Charges 00000 00000

Upkeep Effect Upkeep Effect
Qualities Qualities

Upgrades Upgrades

Charges 00000 00000 Charges 00000 00000

Upkeep Effect Upkeep Effect
Qualities Qualities

Upgrades Upgrades

Charges 00000 00000

Purchasing Price = Upkeep x2
Upkeep Effect Failing to meet Upkeep causes a malfunction
Qualities
Crit Success: No refresh but still functions
Success: No refresh and -1 upgrade
Fail: No refresh,-1 upgrade,and must
Upgrades be repaired
Crit Fail: Item lost

Upkeep
Sustenence Survival Rent Dependants
Maintenance Equipment Purchase Pro. Dev.
Incidentals Health Humanity Favors
Break Point Projectced Earnings

Retirement Milestone Savings

Bounty Bank
 RED MARKETS NEGOTIATION SHEET
Crew Name
Enclave

Client Start

Red Die
As A Favor Buyer’s Market At Value Labor Hazard Pay 100% Mark-Up Expenses
Contract is offered Contract is offered Contract is Client agrees to Add one Bounty Double the cost The equipment
at the Demand price at the Demand price offered at add the crew’s per Taker per Leg of the job upkeep of every
only AND client only (Black result the value of break point to to Hazard Pay. before Labor participating
earns a - Rep spot on a equilibrium Supply+Demand the price (Black (Ex: a crew of Taker is added
to use in future roll) (Black + Red) + Red + break four on a into the price (no
negotiations point) three-Leg run one pays upkeep
earns 4 x 3 more) this session)

Provider Undercut Provider Default

Start Start

Black Die Black Die

Clients Have...
Weak Spot: A character flaw or secret that can be leveraged to provide +1 Sway
Soft Spot: An area of sentiment or great passion that can be exploited for +1 Sway
Tough Spot: For NPC clients, this takes the form of a specific need the client has for the contract.
It can be exploited for +1 Sway
Playing Spots
For Takers: For Clients:
Working a client’s weak, soft, or tough spot into the Sensitivity: Clients can sacrifice a turn to learn one spot
roleplaying behind a skill automatically adds +1 Sway to a roll. from the Taker in negotiations
This bonus remains even if the check fails, so success means Gift Spot: Once per negotiation, a client may “sweeten the
+2 Sway, but a failed play on a spot is still worth +1 Sway. pot” with a piece of gear, earning an irresistible +1 Sway
Spots must be learned in scams or using Sensitivity + Rep Spots: - Rep Spot: If the crew has done something unprofessional,
If the crew has earned a + Rep Spot for a notable deed, the incompetent, or dishonest in the past, the client can use it
negotiator can work it into the roleplay for a bonus +1 Sway. once for an irresistible +1 Sway

Negotiation Charm Skills

Networking: Roll a check to find a contract or find info about it. Total failure means undercutting to “As a Favor.”

Persuasion: Success moves +1 Sway, or defends against opponent’s Sway if heads up. Can be used with spots.

Intimidation can be used to end negotiations early with a threat to “walk out.” Work in a spot to move and end
Intimidation: negotiations in the same turn.

Sensitivity: Read an opponent’s weak, soft, or tough spot, but sacrifice a turn to do so. Failure wastes a turn and provides
no information.
Lie about the crew’s abilities to move +1 Sway. Can be used with spots. Deception can defend against the
Deception: client’s spot play with “poker face”
To Begin: Black + Leadership / 2 (rounded up, to a max of five rounds) equals the number of turns. Failure means
Leadership: rounds are rolled secretly.
To End: Success has Black meet Red at the higher price, and failure brings Red down to Black at the lower price.

Determining Price
To Start: Player makes a Leadership check (see above)

Heads Up: Red and Black cannot be parallel while in negotiation. Each die resolves at the same time (moving
simultaneously once both parties have spoken). It takes 1 Sway to advance unopposed, but in head up, dice only
advance by pushing (negating an opponent’s Sway and having some left over)

Fixing Price: On the last round, player makes a Leadership check. On a success, Black moves right and parallel
with the Red (higher price). On a failure, Red moves left until parallel with Black. Parallel dice indicate the
agreed upon price.

Undercutting: Competition will try to undercut agreed upon prices, unless eliminated or left out because
the PCs are “preferred providers” of a job line. Resisting an undercut requires a successful CHA check or a
dedicated scame. Failure means the price goes down one space; critical failure means two spaces. PCs undercutting
competition always succeed (there must be a game), but they start on “As a Favor” on the tracker.