Garden District- Shindig Street

The richest part of Garden. Wealthy, high class, every street you peek down you'll see several movie and radio stars, giddy socialites and young promising business men. It is ruled by the hides-in-plain-sight group; the Sequin Society. To even get on this street is a challenge, as it requires either a golden membership card (without an escort, the elite can take guests if chaperoned) or a hefty bribe to the guards stationed at the entrances to the area- both of which are very expensive and ensure that only the wealthiest can enter. The street is also one of the nicest and well illuminated places in Garden, with booths offering free samples, street performers, and businesses with open doors and high quality good for sale. The nightlife here is second to none, with entertainment, dining, and the best brothel in the city. Movie stars walk the street and rub elbows with executives. If you want to get to know someone powerful and influential in the city, this is the place.

The street itself is arranged along a central canal, which offers gondola rides to those too tired to walk. Stinking motors of public transport are discouraged, and while hovering cars are allowed, only luxurious and well maintained cars are accepted. Cars with a visible scratch or dent are given a traffic violation ticket every single night from the roving bands of community enforcers until the owner gets the message and replaces it with a nicer one. If your paint color is especially egregious and out of season, you might also be given a ticket for "surface level damage along the entire length of the vehicle". 

The other curious thing about Shindig Street noticed by first time visitors? The lack of advertisements. Most commercial areas of Garden are like an otherworldly Kabukichō or Las Vegas; a buffet of lights and signs in every language imaginable. Here, the streets are clean and decorated- calming yellow lights that are directly contrary to the attention grabbing instruments of business. Shindig Street is no less capitalistic as any other part of Garden; this place just has different rules. You are told to knock three times on the blue door on the ground floor of the unmarked building overhanging the canal- and then you are brought into the most exclusive and high-quality gun shop in the entire city. If your business can't survive on the word of mouth of the rich and powerful, then the rich and powerful believe you shouldn't be here.

Residents
Shindig Street is described perfectly by one word; Cosmopolitan. It is an incredibly diverse, multi-ethnic, surprisingly welcoming part of the city. However, it is not multi-cultural. Everyone here is expected to behave a certain way; and attain and keep a certain level of wealth. They don't care much about what you are, as long as you have the money to play with the trust-fund kids, investors, tycoons, and bank-breaking highest class alien escorts one can imagine.

The above properly describes the visible residents of the district. In fact, the entire street seems to be very low in population, comfortable, with groups of friends, couples, and loners walking the glittering lamp-lit canal. But for every one of those, there are three invisible people here as well. Servants, engineers, bodyguards- snipers watching from nearby rooftops to protect the mob boss's daughter as she takes an innocent stroll with her very rich friends. The milkman and courier coming out of a hatch in the ground- an arm leaving its package before returning back underneath- so out of the way as to not even be seen except for the briefest flash. While Shindig Street is for the rich and powerful, anything that needs to be done by someone of a lower class is done so in the most unobtrusive way possible. The rumors of rich men having a family of servants living in the walls of their mansions are mostly exaggerated- they'll just employ one of them to come live in their walls instead!

While the cosmopolitan upper class of Shindig Street is incredibly diverse, the lower class is actually less so. While the roots of this "tradition" were started by one incredibly wealthy old telephone magnate many years ago, it spread to the entire upper class and became ubiquitous. While bodyguards, butlers, and escorts may come from many places and cultures to become another colorful accessory to the rich and famous; the basic canal workers, painters, repairmen, and all manner of basic laborers of Shindig Street are of one race exclusively; the mouthless Imnar. This alien race cannot speak, and exclusivity communicate through sign language and writing on their home world- they feed off certain wavelenghts of light which cannot be found anywhere in Garden except the underground light-farms beneath the Shindig. Any new immigrant to Garden from their world will find themselves quietly rushed here- to serve the interest of the rich and powerful in silent service. They are not treated poorly either- the night laborers of this district have a higher average salary and more luxuries then most in Garden, but their presence in the city is funneled here- a secret society underneath another secret society.

But as for the true ruling power on Shindig Street- one only look to the Sequin Society.

Notable Characters - Roll 1d4
[1] Lady Ghostie - 3 HP, 1d4+1 Pocket Pistol, 1d4+2 Little Knife
Incredibly pale, paper-white thin starling. She has big black almond shaped eye, like an alien. She's a movie star, and everyone is surprised that she is actually that white, just like in the pictures. People are also surprised that her bubbly ditz personality and high pitched voice are also faked for the camera. She's incredibly vicious and will kill to get what she wants. Probably the most archetypal member of the Sequin Society.

She's also a bit of a talent scout. If your character is also monochrome, or if she just likes the look of you, you'll probably get invited to be an extra in her next Talkie. It is highly advised you attend and accept the small but fair paycheck. If you don't, you shouldn't come back to Shindig Street.

[2] Powerman - 10 HP, 1d6 Fists, 1d6+1 "Justice Calls" Backup Pistol
Superhero. Star of a very popular black and white movie of the same name; really pushed the envelope of special effects in the movie industry. Due to very specific wording on the acting contract, now required to play the character in real life. Forever. Stays on Shindig Street to avoid the occasional monster or aggressive violent gang assault; will play up small favors and helping ladies across the street as the only heroics he can handle. Despite this cowardice; is actually superhuman and had a few procedures done to make them extremely tough and capable of bunching through solid metal.

Having a bit of money trouble; especially considering the fancy diet they require with all their special alien organ implants giving them superhuman strength and toughness. The royalties are good, but the studio is dragging its feet on making a sequel. If you can somehow arrange it with the big movie studios, you'd have a superbeing in your debt!

[3] Tulok'Tul'Vul - 4 HP, 1d6-1 Snappy Pistol, +1 Psychic Resistance
Musician and amateur fortune teller. Makes most of his money on the stock market and selling his (totally real) psychic predictions about the future of the stock market as opposed to his shitty music. Convinced he's a big shot when his fortune is dwarfed by most of the casual walkers on the boardwalk. Will take any insult on the chin with a laugh and an offer to buy you a drink- except his music- in which case you're getting challenged to a duel.

His attended by a high-class Valet with him at all times. The Valet works directly for Kev Zapir, relaying the occasional ramblings of Tulok during his worst episodes to his boss, in the event that sacred prophecy slips out between the dividend returns of the construction companies and pig farmer magnate declarations of quarterly profits.

[4] The Madame - 6 HP, 1d8+2 Heavy Rifle (not carried), +1 Armored Fur Coat
She's purple, short, pudgy, and refined in every way, even when she swears. Something about her persona is just warm and inviting, and it isn't for sure or a trick either. One of the kindest and most open people among the Sequin Society, she's been around long enough to protect herself and those she cares about. Way too short and fat to be a big starlet, she instead manages talent and owns several extremely important businesses in relation to the movie business, like the teamsters and film production companies, giving her incredible influence.

She also used to hunt people down on a private game reserve with a high-powered rifle for money, but that was a long time ago. She's moved on from that, promise.

Notable Gang - Valets
Manpower- 2
Holdings- The Tip Jar (+1), High Class Hovercars (+2), Blackmail (+2)

The high class individuals of Shindig Street will claim up and down that no gangs can gain a foothold in this district. It's too posh, too clean, too exclusive. Despite their own secret society operating more or less in the same fashion. But for the most part, they're right. No street gangs or dredges of desperate criminals harass individuals walking down the opulent streets nor charge protection money to the exclusive few who qualify to run shops here. It's very disarming for those who keep their sidearm close in all other parts of the city.

But there is one exception to this; the Valets. While most of the servants and underclass of this district of the city are made up of the illusive Imnar, the valets are much more out and about. Acting as the chauffeurs, bag-boys, and other well dressed servants of high society; the valets are always ready to serve when anyone snaps their fingers; the universal sign of an aristocrat needing something. Over many years, this group of lowly servants have banded together in a sort of strange work union, pushing out individual servants, butlers, and even adventuring parties trying their best to make-good with the snobby high class residents of this district. Those who try to muscle in to this territory seem to find themselves losing friends and opportunities, the best parking places for their clients taken away just in the nick of time, their bags and belongings mishandled, until they either give a generous tip from an outstretched white-gloved hand or get with the program.

While almost always found alone and with violence being the last resort, the Valets own quite a strangehold on the high class service among the boujee hotels and walkways overlooking the scenic canal in the heart of this district. Their leader is Kev Zapir, a short and unassuming middle aged human with a clean haircut and even cleaner eyebrows. As the most popular valet of several of the cities higher level clients, he was gifted the ability to use their (very) expensive cars at his own use as long as the residents have no need of them on a visit; which they rarely do. Destroying these would be a massive blow to his credibility, and saddle him with debts that even the entire valet union couldn't possibly hope to repay.

Notable Location - The Red Theater
Angular art deco exterior, a well kept facade of a Tulorian fruit orchard stands out front, with a small curved path leading to the inside of the archway into the most important cultural hotspot in the entire city. Movies dominate here; and they are all first shown in this very theater. Exclusive to the extreme, even the paparazzi and beggars outside have to pass a certain license threshold just to stand along the main pathway, kept clear to the shining stars of Garden's culture.

Within, gifts and special announcements are given out with extreme focus and intention. You might see a woman receive a yellow bouquet of flowers and swallow nervously, before a servant pops out from behind a boiler to give her a bouquet of blue flowers; showing she has protection from a third party. Later, when dinner's appetizers arrive, a pile of bladefish eggs are presented to her plate, pointing towards the center. She excuses herself to leave and makes way to her vehicle, only for her hovercar to launch itself hundreds of feet into the air and come screaming down flattening some poor apartment building somewhere else in the city. What you just witnesses was a typical execution of the Sequin Society; a merciless war fought with big ceramic smiles and sidelong glances. This is their headquarters.

While mostly populated by rich and famous movie stars, anyone high up in the art world or their financiers can find themselves among their numbers. They show up to every new movie's first showing, having long social codes and guidelines that can only be learned from experience and decades of in-jokes and intentions, completely inscrutable to outsiders. If one of them wants to make an emergency meeting, then they need to release a new film. The theaters all over the cities are flabbergasted that people will waste millions on shoving up trash black & white films like this; but in their world, it makes perfect sense. The house is rife with assassination and secrecy. Any aspiring Sweeps can find themselves here; tasked with guarding, following, or assassinating members of the society even as they duck and dive in the secret side rooms and underground service tunnels deep beneath the city which all seem to crisscross right over this exact location.

Random Encounters on Shindig Street - 1d10

[1] Two extremely annoying young floozies walk in your path ahead of you. They walk just slow enough to slow your progress and would waste a lot of time (two turns) to just sit and wait for them to go far enough ahead, but just fast enough that overtaking them isn't easy without running and causing you to get weird looks and glances. They are constantly giggling and babbling on but ignore all polite social cues to be quiet or tone it down, and will act like YOU are the problem if you speak up about them. Just really, really annoying.

You either politely wait for them to get out of your hair or take 2 points of stress/temp-HP damage from dealing with them. 

[2] An Imnar pops out from a manhole, behind a dusty alleyway door, or from underneath a large car and opens fire at you with an SMG. He seems to be aiming high; his attack roll is made at -6 so you only get hit if you're an especially big target or very unlucky. Then, he'll attempt to run away and disappear if he manages to get out of sight.

If you catch him, he'll surrender immediately and attempt to communicate (not through spoken word) that he was simply told to try and scare you away from Shindig street by somebody rich and powerful. Either roll on the Notable Characters table (d4) to see who it was or tie it in with another dangerous NPC who has already had beef with the party before.

[3] Old irrelevant actor falls on his knees and begs you for help- he's saying that if he doesn't get some clout in this district soon he'll get killed by the Sequin Society! People are staring. It's one thing to upset them, it's another thing entirely to upset them in public. It's probably too late for this guy and it'd be best to avoid associating with him, but if you do manage to get him out of the district safely he'll be very grateful and give you his gold pass to enter Shindig Street freely, as well as giving you the location of the Valets room filled with secrets stolen from actors (Blackmail +2 can be removed in one fail swoop; for irony it's literally in a room full of dirty laundry).

[4] Well dressed street merchant tries to sell you something gaudy. But right before you push him away, somebody notices it's something from their homeworld. Like a fresh can of Coca-Cola or a pinch of black sugar salt from the hills of Xander. You just have to have it. It's expensive, but buying it gives you something that grounds you in the otherwise wild and alien city (recover a point of stress or HP).

[5] Two alien dogs, a long pink skinny one with three eyes and a short and stumpy green one with the generic antennae on its head both break loose from their handler. Naturally, the handler is (rightfully) concerned that he'll be killed if he can't get the dogs back. If you ask their names, you'll get a hint as to where each one went once they split up. If you collect both safe and sound, you'll receive an invitation to the next big movie screening for a Talkie; even the hors d'oeuvres are basically a roll on the treasure table. If you back the green one into a corner it'll spray acid at you at 2d4.

[6] You are approached by a sleazy looking man looking to invest in real estate and a peer-to-peer payment network. If you do not threaten him with violence immediately, he'll have you at the nearest restaurant, wined and dined, after having scammed you out of 20% of your current carried cash and fitting you with the (very large) bill. He's actually a low level psychic with certain mind control abilities, and will steer well clear of the party if you have psychic resistant members or psychic blanks. While he's not physically dangerous, any restaurant you end up at will have a professional hit squad on call to deal with dine-and-dashers.

[7] Confused looking old man dressed in a gi walking about. His body is lean and he practically floats when he moves, and knows kung fu. He tells you he's from the GOOD version of this setting, and is curious how he exactly got lost in this shitty version of it. If you fight him hand to hand he will absolutely kick your ass, but he can't do anything against bullets and will die like anybody else.

If you help him start a martial arts school or get him a leading role in an action movie he'll give you some pointers- permanent +1 to all hand to hand combat damage and you can ignore a point of armor on hand to hand attacks from body-weapon-strengthening techniques.

[8] Young Starlet approaches one member of your party; whoever has the nicest and longest hair, fluffiest fur, or most attractive feathers. She offers to pay you a large sum to have it shaved or plucked for her next outfit. If you refuse, you'll be followed for the next 2d6 weeks by shadowy figures, and if you're ever in a really wakened state a highly trained Collector will appear to take the offending material from you by force.

Collector- (8 HP, +1 Armor, 1d8+1 Pepperbox Gun, 1d4+1 scalpel, those hands at +1 to all attacks, Psychic Blank)
Shadowy man in a trenchcoat and wide-brimmed hat. Patches on elbows and knees. Looks like a private eye, but less noble and more sketchy. Seems immune to having his mind read, and is almost unnaturally dedicated in collecting whatever item he has been tasked with. If you look hard enough in the city archives, you can find a way to call him(?) to yourself, to which he will retrieve any one item for you, for an unusual price you may not be willing to part with.

[9] Roll on General Gang Table.

[10] Roll on General Encounters Table. 

Garden District- Waffle City

This district is not named after the food (though Shepard's Waffle-House is highly recommended by everybody around here) it is named for the look. When this part of the city was built, the city council members in charge were filled with brutalists and order-focused city planners. This section of the city was built in a perfect grid, with every building being a thin wall connecting to each other building. The top of this mega structure would act as its roadway system, with each opening being an inner courtyard granting ambient light from the windows and fostering a sense of community among the residents.

This place is a real hive. And yet, somehow, it's still not the poorest place in this shithole city.

The top of the city is a constant traffic jam. Every road being identical in length and every road being a 4 way intersection means there is no easy flow of traffic. Accidents can cause hover-cars to fly down into the square holes around every turn and intersection, causing a minor fender-bender into a deadly crash and crushing innocents below. The topmost suites are supposed to be the fanciest, getting the most light and fresh air from the choking fumes of the undercity below, but are constantly rocked by the noises of cars above- not to mention the security risk of someone stepping down from the road onto your balcony. Nobody wealthy lives here. Down each repeating square-shaped hole are more apartments and floors with more darkness and filth all around. Many of the apartments; once perfectly ordered and identical, have had their walls and floors knocked out to lead to large factories or storage areas- identical housing solutions don't fit everybody.

The courtyards themselves are varied. Most are filled with trash thrown from the windows, while many have had an artificial roof installed for a walled garden- some community run, others privately owned. Some enterprising residents built catwalks across the inner courtyards- a trip that would take an hour because of requiring to go the longest distance around a square through the very crowded passage hallways becomes a fraction of the time if one is to brave the open air.

Residents
Waffle City-ites are insular. It's its own community, mostly self sufficient and isolated from the outside world. They do things differently. With vertical distance being nearly as important as horizontal, messengers and foot-delivery men who climb stairs are favored over cars and trucks. Most consumer goods, packages, and all facets of life are shrunk down to fit in the cramped, interior space. Most live in a one or two room apartment, exactly identical to its neighbors in every way except whatever utilities don't work and where the leaks are. With everything so cramped, there is a great sense of community despite the fact you can go a very long time without seeing an other person in the dim hallways and the numerous blind corners- mixed with impossibly long straight lines.

For these reasons; the residents here are scrappy, thin, focusing on superficial visual arts. With little room to show wealth or hoard physical objects; painting and decorating your apartment door becomes a primary means of showing status. Some members have created tiny dioramas; hollowing out a tiny space of wall between the hallway and their personal room to make a "front lawn" of a few inches of astroturf and a single pink flamingo, nailed to the door. Some even install windows. People adorn their bodies even moreso; punk styles and flamboyant clothes are the look of the day, with piercings being the primary method of hoarding and storing wealth- too easy for someone to break into your apartment if they think you're worth the trouble. At the same time, every spoken word and interaction probably has at least a dozen pairs of ears listening in, and the walls here are paper thin. News and disease travels very fast in the Waffle City, making it a real maze of intrigue and petty-politics that further pushes away outsiders. And they can tell who you are with one look at your feet; every shop, friend, and home they've visited is covered in carpet. You're wearing shoes.

Everybody here works three jobs; not full careers with an office, or workshop but side hustles. Delivery jobs are a convenient time to pick up your ink for your tiny tattoo booth that's a single shower-curtain's away from your bed and library, where you study to compete in the well paying puzzle and poetry competitions. Specialization and diversifying are both absolutely key. In a place where they are heard by so many, music of any quality is the greatest boon one can have, and musicians are even more highly prized as those who try to learn the craft rarely survive the first few rough years from all the ears they offend.

Notable Characters - Roll 1d4
[1] Lance Turtle - 6 HP, 3 Armor, 1d6 vintage spreadgun
He's a bipedal turtle man; not all that weird for Garden. He wears a tophat that is squished after a big fat monster dude sat on it, who the turtle later went to the trouble to kill, but preferred the new style. Lance is an old man, and was around for the building of the Waffle City; once it was known as "Griddle city", and was supposed to be the opposite- huge skyscrapers with roads low the ground, a much superior design that was scrapped in favor of this crammed reality.

Lance is one of the wealthier inhabitants of Waffle City. He runs the largest courier service with secure packages and discrete packaging- though they aren't the fastest, they will always arrive at their destination eventually. This courier service isn't really a gang, but has gang like mechanics and could muster up to 3 HD worth of Manpower in a pinch.

[2] Blase Lawrence - 8 HP, 1 Armor, 1d8 repeating shotgun
Looks like a giant, bone-white ogre dude with a frog face. His race isn't very common around garden, and communicate through gurgling noises, making his real name unpronounceable and culture totally foreign. Blase just took the last name of the first man he killed, and has continued to work in the debt collection business ever since.

If you borrow money in Waffle city in amounts greater then $500, you're probably getting it from Blase's employers. Blase is quite the bastard and is resistant to most psychic attacks too; he's known for using any method for extracting payments from his debtors.

[3] Johnny - 3 HP, no armor, 1d4 pinnose pocket pistol
Young, vaguely human-ish boy who never seems to get any older every time you see him. He's always getting other people into trouble; those his intentions are always good. He's the type to paint the outside of your apartment blue after hearing that's your favorite color- not realizing you live in red gang territory. Has a habit of getting out of trouble and disappearing as soon as nobody is looking at him.

Johnny's main talent is boyish antics of playing pranks, tricking dumber kids and playing a harmonica, as well as being good with animals. He seems strangely attracted to situations involving the more spooky parts of Garden life, like the Strange Objects or psychic manifestations. Most people think he's some kind of reality warper; though if his intentions are benevolent or malign are yet to be determined.

[4] Merlinda Shepard - 2 HP, no armor, 2d2 pepperbox
She's an old lady who is very attached to her apartment and the residents. The master of spying and gossip. She has the body of an old frail human woman with the head of a porcupine and quills going up and down her arms and back. Beyond tricking her visitors to do chores for her; her hobbies include sudoku and murder mystery pulp novels.

Merlinda is a sweet old woman; but has to pay the bills somehow. She will trade dirt on some of the more unsavory residents of Waffle city- though she naively wants people to just shape up and act nicer instead of being killed or being forced from the nieghborhood. She has a serious problem with Blase and Lance- who she views as being the main causes of disharmony in this borough of Garden. 

Also; the apartment next to her is hollowed out and used as her restaurant. It's pretty good.

Notable Gang - Skate & Die
Manpower- 4
Holdings- Outside Connections (+1), Punk Energy (+1)

This gang of young punks rule the never ending hallways of the Waffle. They all wear rollerblades with specially designed wheels to glide over the cheap, industrial carpet and to move at high speeds. They tend to use melee weapons and small arms with low recoil which better fit their hit and run fighting style. Even a capricious gang has to be mindful of the paper thin walls- a "driveby" down a hotel hallway could end up breaking through five apartments with strong enough guns; small calibers and careful consideration is a way to keep the general public fearful instead of enraged and sending vigilantes after you.

But with that being said; the Skate & Die gang is filled with tremendous punk energy. Their entire gang is very young, with bright hair and bold styles. Their youthful energy makes them popular and less cynical. They also have strong outside connections- different shipments and retailers to the waffle tend to go through the gang first, meaning they have eyes on everything that comes in and can sometimes steal anything that would give any up and coming rivals too much power. The few crime families that existed once in the waffle were suffocated by this supply line. This gang's holdings could be eroded through simple competition and time- more retailers and ways into the waffle city for products would reduce their grip, and simply waiting a few years means the gang members and leaders will get older, slower, and less filled with that reckless youth that makes them so formidable.

The leader of the gang is Alto Thrash, a rodent-man with a lime green mohawk. He's shorter then everyone else in the gang, and rules it through sheer intimidation and grit, along with his trusty switchblade. He is known to use his small size to his advantage; like hiding in the walls in the gang hideout to spy on anyone who may want to move against him. He has a long standing vendetta against Blase the debt collector and wants to cut his eyes out, but is waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so. Anything that would distance Blase from his employer would act as a vehicle for Alto to get his long awaited revenge.

Notable Location - The Convention Center
The entire city within a city is meant to be a symmetrical, ever-repeating pattern. If you took a vertical slice of the waffle out, it should be identical to any other slice structurally. But a few compromises had to be made to build it; the bottom level of Waffle City is a little different from the others. The walls must be thicker, with columns in the hallways to keep up the weight of the large structure. This perfect sameness was also ruined by one other factor; the convention city.

Near the heart of the waffle is a spot which, from the sky, looks as though the "holes" of which the windows of the various apartments face inwards is filled in. It just flat top. This is hidden by a stop on the roads that criss cross the top of the waffle where there is a little parking and elevator area- but this is the top of the only anomaly in the city. Beneath this spot is a great hollowed area; the convention center.

Huge empty rooms stretching onwards, shifting hallways to lead to these cavernous carpeted nothing places. Dark and unused. Heavy curtains that could stretch across a mountain pass. Nobody goes near the convention center anymore; the few conventions and events it once held were soon cancelled and given a bad reputation when people fell to their death from the few offices suspended on the catwalks above; the vibe of the place being evil and unnatural. Even now, stories of this place circulate around the Waffle, which is thought to be a pretty normal, "safe" place in Garden, without the monsters and entities and the evil- but not here. People warn of giant monsters, moving as silently as an old film, cramming into shadowy corners to stalk whoever dares walk through these black voids.

Random Encounters in Waffle City - 1d10

[1] Fire? Fire! Somebody started a fire here- the indoor city isn't exactly designed with fire safety in mind. Make a saving throw or be trampled. If you fail that one, roll again to see if you get trapped in by the fire. The fire authorities will be here in twenty minutes.

[2] Gang of actual children harass, bully, sling food at your face, and pick your pockets. They steal 1d6 bullets, cigarettes, candies, or dollar bills from you. If you're friends with Johnny they'll leave you alone.

[3] You come across an empty space. The floor is carpeted as all the others and the walls are the same color; but a large space is just open in a hallway where an apartment should be. The door number of the nearby apartments skips a number. If you spend too long in that open spot, you take 1d6 psychic damage. Researching that number leads to tales of insanity, murder, and reality warping in the old newspaper clippings.

[4] Trashguy! A big alien pushing a giant cart through the hallways is running at top speed. Save or get slapped aside by the big plastic bin and take 1d4 nonlethal damage. The nearby residents open their doors to throw bags into it as he passes- they've gotten quite good at this. He doesn't have the patience to stop at each door, so you'd better make it on the first throw.

[5] Trapped apartment. This place is hinted at be haunted, filled with treasure, hideout of a criminal, etc. While a tiny space, every single thing is boobytrapped- blades behind each doorframe, poison gas comes out of opened faucets, and a mold monster in the fridge.

Mold Monster (2+2 HD, 2 Armor, 1d8 goo bite attack)
Morale- 11 (if loses morale- tries to cram itself in the nearest fridge or cooler to stay cool)

[6] You find hundreds of scraps of paper plastered along every inch of this hallway. The papers are hand drawn posters for a concert for a band nobody has ever heard of.

When you arrive, 1d6 Skate & Die members, as well as one random notable resident arrive at the concert as well, along with some random people. The concert is by a band that plays really sad and depressing songs, and at the end they tell you all you have three days to live if you don't hand out flyers and get people to come to the next showing. 

Strangely, the band members seem like normal people but if a psychic probes their mind they find they have a psychic resistance of 4 and retaliate with an instant 1d6 psychic stress damage blowback for attempts to read their minds.

[7] Somebody's pet ferret keeps slinking away with valuable stuff. It's cute and very mischievous. If you manage to follow it to its lair you'll find $300 worth of stolen stuff.

[8] The Scintor Peeper is an infamous psychic that lives in the Waffle- said to be able to see through walls and doors using his psychic dowsing. Claims to use his power to case people's places and find things to steal, usually just pervs and watches girls shower. Of course, anyone who can see through paper thin walls, floors, and ceilings in this part of the city will be highly prized.

Currently owes Blase $95 and is getting awfully close to the "go over $100 and I'll break your legs" threshold with his failed interest payments.

[9] Roll on General Gang Table.

[10] Roll on General Encounters Table.

Garden District- Treebranch

If you looked at Garden from Tower Central or from the air, you would see a large black splotch within the glowing bright city. Before Garden existed, there was just the forest. The landscape was swallowed by the urban growth of the city as the electric lights could keep the darkness at bay, but a small valley retained some of that darkness. It was built in with homes and stores spread out further apart, patrolled and tended to be heavily armed game wardens, now a comfortable getaway. While kept clear of monsters from outside of the city, this part of town has far more wildlife then most, especially of the larger variety. People live here with the elusive pitch-black deer, the megafoxes, many other creatures not found in the back alleys and little walled gardens of Garden. It's secluded, and by far one of the best neighborhoods to disappear to if you're a wanted man.

Treebranch is very laid back. Not a lot of construction or manufacturing goes on here. Conversely, people ply outdoor skills and hunting to make their meals; more challenging game is here then the lemurs and hogs in the inner city. It isn't wealthy, but the people here always have acres of land to trade and make everything they need. Sometimes tourists get lost, and it advised to not dig in any of the clearings, as shallow graves from the mobsters and killers of Garden liter the ground like molehills. Rifles are the preferred weapon, and walking on foot is preferred to an obvious hover car.

Residents
Everyone here looks old and wise, even if they very clearly aren't. There is a forest-induced leanness to these people. Races included the Fawns, who appreciated the forests and natural beauty, but have taken to marking their horns with reflective paints and wearing white as to not get shot by overzealous hunters. Snappers, the blue-skinned crocodile peoples who mostly live around the docks, have moved here in high numbers due to the ease of finding and trapping small game for their endless carnivorous appetites. Other aliens include the many legged Surbabbi sneaking through the underbrush, but beings of all species can live here as long as they have an appreciation for nature.

Treebranch is the most “rural” part of Garden. As far as a huge, electric walled city goes, this place is as close to rural as you can get without it being a deathtrap. The outside of Garden city is stalked by foul monsters, psychic beings of great power, and the Torchlight society, all of whom will kill any city slickers who dare wander those woods. As such, this place is much like a microcosm of the great outdoors. Seasons and weather are treated more seriously, there are farmers and ranchers, woodsmen, hunters, wild-men, and crazy nature cultists all wrapped up in this little district.

Notable Characters - Roll 1d4
[1] Saen-Man - 7 HP, 1 Armor, 1d4 switchblade, Psychic
He's a fawn, but with most of his fur and hair missing looks more like a creepy monster. He oils his bald head and isn't much for violence, but he has psychic abilities. He tends to avoid people most of the time, feeling their energy and simply hiding himself, but can be found and talked to if you look like reputable sweeps. Saen-Man has his finger on the pulse of life in Treebranch, and can instinctively sense when something damaging to nature happens here; a large fire, toxic waste dump, or poachers. He will insist that you put a stop to these problems but has little to offer in ways of rewards.

[2] Machine Guy - 8 HP, 2 Armor, 1d8+1 repeating rifle
Mysterious tinkerer. Tall blue alien, with two extra arms. He likes to keep the tractors, huskers, combines and all other forms of farm and outdoorsy equipment working here. Severely undercharges, he seems to just really enjoy his work. Has no idea how to work on the hovercars that populate most of Garden's city streets- prefers four wheels fueled by biofuels. Keeps on a mask and an air of mystery around him- rumor says he's on the run from a violent gang after stealing blueprints to a very advanced machines or powerful weapon that he couldn't let fall into their hands.

[3] Dutch - 4 HP, no armor, 1d10 hunting rifle
Makes moonshine, loves his neighbors. He's a human, which is probably weird for people in Garden, you don't see a lot of those. Bit of a hillbilly stereotype, but an honest man. Dutch isn't honest about his secret stash, a case of 800 silver coins, stolen directly from the mint on Earth. He had them with him when he ended up in this world. He's waiting to find a good price for them all, or a way to put them to good use. They're buried a few minutes walk away from his shack.

[4] Little Love - 3 HP, no armor, 1d4+1 pocket pistol
Small blue alien man, all about free love. Lives in a hover-van; currently propped up on fallen logs. Hits on female party members, shares drugs as quick as he talks, surprisingly not a creeper. Currently hiding out in Treebranch after offending several city officials and puritans for both his lifestyle and accidentally leaking the fact they have attended his psychadelic drug orgies in the past. Huge penis.

Notable Gang - Skinners
Manpower- 5
Holdings- Infamy (+3), Moonshine Addiction (-1)

These semi-tribal hillbillies are said to descend from the Torchlight Society, and a few members can recite their lineage back to before Garden was ever built- just lost souls living in the darkness. They have a large homestead that is fenced in by brutal bone piles and totems made by the members of their defeated enemies- this gang gives treebranch its reputation of being filled with cannibal hillbillies.

The gang is, especially in the past, known for the torturous deaths they inflicted on anyone who crossed them. This fearsome reputation brings fear and respect into the hearts of all treebranch residents; this is especially telling since the people of treebranch tend to be among the most well armed and self-reliant of everyone in the whole city. The gang's original rule of blood-only recruitment had to be lifted a few decades ago due to the original families shrinking and moving away, and the newer generation of the gang are softer then the older. In addition, the gang's main form of income in the form of making moonshine has backfired as most of the gang's members are alcoholics.

The leader of this gang is Two-Is-Better, a fat alien with a gray, eyeless head and a big slobbery mouth. He's very old and may come from a species that is biologically immortal; at least until they get so fat and big they can't move anymore or collapse under their own weight. He was around for the original founding of the gang and was once its second in command, and could tell many stories and reveal truths about Garden's ancient past, but will rarely talk to even residents of Treebranch; city slickers from other districts have no shot.

Notable Location - Growling Tree
Near the heart of Treebranch is a large white tree. It grows alone from the other trees; its scraggling roots uprooting the soil and killing its competition. It has no leaves (anymore) but seemingly gets its energy from an alien, inner source. Some believe it may be the creation of an especially potent Reality Warper. Every night, the tree's roots begin to shift and slither under the soil, breaking up and "swallowing" anything on the surface. Underneath the tree is a patch of  aerated, easily dug soil. It is filled with air pockets, rocks, decaying plants, and corpses of mob hits disposed of here. While there is treasure to be found here; any random shifting or moving of the tree will likely bury you alive, as well as remake any tunnels or chambers you have dug, making you lost in this burrow.

The tree is an anomaly even in a city like this. Beyond its highly energetic state, it is also powered by something in its trunks core. It gives the tree a feeling of heat all throughout its body; the rare piece of root or branch cut from the tree retain some of this heat for several years, leading to the rich and powerful of Garden creating self-heating beds and furniture as the height of luxury. However, the tree is much more "aware" of itself then most plants; it growls. When struck with an axe, it will shiver and move the harmed limb away. Its sap is powerfully fire retardant, and will seemingly erupt into wounds in the wood to put out fires of any size. Those who harm the tree even once will be disliked, causing it to growl at them for getting close; those who cut branches will soon find it impossible to get within touching distance without the tree trying to bury them alive under its roots. If a group it dislikes approaches, the ambient temperature of the clearing will rise too, until eventually it will cause serious harm and fatigue in most species who stick around too long. It remembers those who harm it; but also those who help it and treat it with respect. Only a few highly connected residents of Treebranch can even attempt the dangerous feat of climbing the animate tree; the small cache of owl nests and the unique view at its peak being the only rewards for such a dangerous climb.

Random Encounters in Treebranch - 1d10

[1] Several rednecks are having a party out the back of a big hover-truck. There are at least four dead deer, all of whom are of a rare species that this group is illegal hunting. It's pretty chill once you convince them to put their guns down.

[2] Homeless forest-dweller with leaves in his mane. Probably a criminal on the run. Looks like a mangy upright lion, but a bit too gray and spindly to look majestic. He'll be incredibly gracious for any food; but will absolutely steal the first valuable thing he sees the moment your back is turned. Also knows the location of the Growling Tree and will tell any adventurer-looking group of city slickers if you can find an actual bed for him to sleep in tonight.

[3] You find a Chimney stuck in a tree- its bayonet has been jammed in so deep the muzzle almost touches the bark. Pulling it out requires a very strong person, or several with lots of patience and time. The gun totally works. Roll a Random Gun; it has about half its total capacity of ammo loaded and ready to go.

[4] Two big alien deer in a small clearing. One is covered in horrible sores caused by some kind of flesh-burrowing insect, while the second puts its mouth on them in an attempt to nurse and heal the wounds. If you touch the infected deer, there is a 1 in 10 chance your species is compatible and can be host to the parasite.

[5] The next time you enter a cluster of trees and brush, the air seems to become chilled and the darkness gets darker. Any light-producing tools or flashlights you have dim and you hear ominous whispers. Psychics feel incredible senses of dread, then take 1d3 nonlethal damage as invisible fingernails scratch their bodies. After one turn or a roll of 6 on a d6 by a psychic if they attempt to "dispel" the darkness around you it goes away as though nothing happened.

[6] There is a nigh-pristine fountain of marble and stone hidden away behind two trees and some large stones. The water is drinkable and very clean. There is one small fish in the fountain. If you put your hands inside the fish will cuddle up to them, as though it was a pet abandoned here. The fountain has a small alien-angel statue with golden wings worth about $10 each.

[7] You find a shack with tons of metal tools and bloodied surfaces. There is a 1 in 6 chance you find grisly remains and a useful item if you spend a turn lurking around here. If you stay here for more then three turns for any reason; you will encounter the owner.

[8] You find a patch of disturbed dirt in the nearest convenient place; as though somebody just recently buried something here. If you dig it up, you'll find a weird rock that looks curled up on itself which emanates a strange smell. Any psychis in the party will note that it has a similar "aura" to things brought back up from the city's underground tunnels.After 2d6 hours of being dug up, the next time it is put down somewhere it gets up and starts to crawl away. It crawls towards the city limits to return to the forest outside.

[9] Roll on General Gang Table.

[10] Roll on General Encounters Table.

 

Garden District- The Sunk

The Sunk is a district of Garden half buried in a massive sinkhole. The sunk was once a pretty quiet, generic little district of the nightlight city until a massive earthquake caved it in. The sunk's lonely buildings still stand there, sticking out of the pit at odd angels. Even stranger, people still live in some parts of this district, many of whom were original residents refusing to move. The Sunk is by far one of the darkest parts of the city once you go past the last few illuminated streets, but even stranger how you'll see the occasional light on, pouring in through the window of one of those long abandoned highrises; who could possibly be up there?

The sunk is very dangerous, but all of its old buildings are still ripe for the plundering. There's a feeling of a “gold rush” in this part of the city, as though the sweeps are coming in to make their fortunes digging through the monster infested crumbled structures. Many of the local residents despise them in equal parts to loving the business they bring. Several inns, armor and weapon outfitters, suppliers, and gun smiths have set up shop in these neighborhoods looking to equip any urban explorers. The ones who make it back do so with loot underarm, empty magazines, and usually a few members missing.

Residents
The Sunk's residents are a pretty diverse bunch, with few races dominating the makeup. The “old blood” of this town are mostly larger, stronger people. The gray skinned rhinoceros people, the stone-flaked Gravelkin, and the heavy handed Manosians are common sights along the slanted central streets. The kids here are a lot more diverse, with many of them playing in the streets until one of them drops a ball, rolling it into the blackness beyond the last lamppost, and having to go in for the night. None of them will dare brave the darkness.

Despite its looks, the Sunk has become a wealthy part of town due to the treasure scrapping business and the various stores that supply the sweeps. This extreme influx has wealth despite the cracked and crumbling exterior of this place lead to strange sights; a newly chromed hover-car sitting atop a dilapidated lawn. Women dressed in the finest fashions visible through cracked windows. This is also evident in the huge amount of firepower the Sunk's residents have invested in. Scan the rooftops of this district to see many dusty hatted men, sitting up on the rafters of the various buildings armed with rifles, vigilant against the creatures in the dark just down the block.

Notable Characters – Roll 1d4

[1] Octopus Jones – 8 HP, 1 Armor, 2d10 sniper rifles

Large orange octopus man with two heads. Assures everyone that the second head is of the same consciousness as him, it's not two separate people, the bottom one can't even talk. Spends much of his time on the roof of Milk Tower, the tallest straight-standing building in the sunk. Use 1 Clout with him and he'll help watch your back with his rifles while you explore the Sunk.

[2] Joja “Swamp” Mancy – 14 HP, 2 Armor, 1d6 snub-pocket shotgun

Crocodile-like person with a big fat belly and a straw hat from his homeworld. Sulks around the basements and service tunnels of the sunk, trying to map what areas have been cut off or opened up by the old sinkhole, notifies enforcers of any strange activity. Secretly loves bubblebaths and has a collection of salts and soaps; will buy at top dollar.

[3] Iota – 12 HP, 1 Armor, 1d8 sawblade sword, 1d4 needle-nosed pocket pistol

Broad shouldered blue person with a tiny, triangular head. Not a fan of of the looters that are constantly coming into his neighborhood, but can be won over by those with spirit and who aren't totally self centered. He wants to reclaim the sunk one block at a time by putting up lights and getting construction crews to help rebuild the old crumbling buildings. Doesn't have any money to accomplish this.

[4] Fernad Blackshoe – 6 HP, 1 armor, 1d6 drum-loaded submachine gun

Keeps his gun under the counter. Looks more or less like a human but with huge black-club like feet and a more round face. One of the main shopkeepers of the area, selling guns, ammo, lights, medical items, food, and all kinds of other useful supplies. Desires one of the more weird creatures of the Sunk to be captured and sold back to him, which he hints at in conversations. Underpays for them.

Notable Gang – Black Dandies

Manpower- 4
Holdings- Outcasts (-2)

There are thousands of tiny, insignificant gangs in Garden. The black dandies, even among them, are an outlier for living more or less seperated from the rest of the city. Many of their number are made up by infamous bookies who owe everyone money, crazy conspiracy-theorists, and urban survivalists. They are extremely mysterious and don't let anyone into their group they don't know. Someone within their gang has the ability to build and/or maintain clockwork weapons, that work much the same as a regular chimney but that make a distinct clicking noise as they ready up for combat.

The black dandies rarely use subterfuge or live among the normal population, only having a few helpers/informants to help buy necessities. As such, their grip is tenuous.

Their leader is Enjuaro, who wears a black mask with black feathers naturally growing from his slender, avian head. Prefers to swordfight people over shooting them, but still mostly relies on his clockwork rifle (+2 to hit, cartridges)

Notable Location – Black Hole

Each district of Garden has a location that is attractive to sweeps- a notable location is a dungeon or place of urban exploration with great riches or mystery within. The black hole is no exception. This hole is near the center of the crater'd district and opened up at what was once a public park. The hole is very dangerous, as the earth nearby it is likely to give way and various monsters congregate or crawl out every so often. The only way to enter is to tie a rope around a nearby structure or support and rappel down 45 ft into a pitch black cave system; the only light coming from the clean-cut openings to the white service tunnels far overhead.

Random Encounters in the Sunk - 1d10

[1] Random bullet ricochets inches from your foot- one of the snipers mistook you for a monster. 1 in 10 chance that they'll follow up with a better aimed shot.

[2] You hear clanging and scrapping along a nearby overturned building. It's 1d6 Hookmen, dangling upside down and looking for prey like yourself.

Hookmen (2 HD, 1 armor and +2 defense when hanging, 1d6 melee rusted hook-hands, can climb)

These creatures look barely like a humanoid race, but with long narrow metal mouths rusted shut. Instead they attack with their hook-hands, seeking to pierce flesh. They inhabit the Sunk and scratch strangely shaped marks, almost resembling letters, into the brickwork of the rubble.

[3] Snappy dresser handing out permits to scavenge through the ruins, he demands $50 for each person in your party. It's total bullshit, but you'll get +1 to the first reaction check where you pull out the permits and insist you have permission to intelligent characters.

[4] Group of looters, digging through the bricks for pots, pans, and other valuable salvage. There are 1d6 of them, and they are armed with random firearms. Roll reaction check if your party is carrying a large valuable item to see if they try to mug you for it.

[5] Broken foundation reveals an unnaturally dark spot, which moves like a blob. It attacks if you shine light on it for more then a few seconds.

Dark Cloud (3 HD, only takes 1 damage from muzzle flashes, no defense roll or armor, takes damage from light, deals 1d6 psychic stress damage each round to everyone in it; then deals 1d4 regular damage to hit points for those passed out from stress)

[6] 1d8 Black Dandies (1 HD, +1 armor, 1d6+1 thick barreled clockwork pistol) Mysterious group of squatters, searching for loot in the ruins. Wear strange old style outfits and use clockwork guns, which function the same as the scrappy oily guns the rest of you yucks use.

[7] 1d4 Kangaroo Spiders (2 HD, +1 armor, 1d6 kick and 1d4 bites with kick venom. If kicked after getting kick venom you explode backwards into a wall and take 1d12 damage) Large hairy brown spiders that rest on huge kangaroo type legs. Their venom makes whoever suffers from it take massive damage from the next blunt impact they take; usually from the spiders massive legs.

[8] Nearby the sound of glass breaking and crunching can be heard. High up on one of the dark and dilapidated buildings are 2d10 Glass Lemurs, who will leave the party alone as long as they don't shoot at them or break any glass. These Lemurs eat glass, and have several injection sites along their rear as well as scars on their bellies as though they were subject to experimentation.

Glass Lemurs (1 HD, 1d4 glass shard spit, on death deal 1d4 damage to all adjacent from exploding glass filled stomach, if they fall they also explode like this when they hit the ground)

[9] Roll on General Gang Table.

[10] Roll on General Encounters Table.

Vagueposting- Yeah but guns are actually super lame tho (Garden)

So my last blogpost was about Garden. Specifically, guns in Garden. However, the more I think about it, the more I drift away from the concept.

Why?

Well, two reasons. First off, guns are kind of super lame. Like I think guns in real life are plenty cool, not a political statement, but in terms of combat potential? Kind of shit. You either use a gun or you die- there's no "balance" with firearms. Which is fine, not everything needs to be balanced.

Now this sounds like an paradox, but I also think guns are like super cool in terms of being able to customize them, have different parts, all that stuff. But more options isn't necessarily always better. If you make a game where half the rulebook is about modifying your character's hat, even if the rules behind it are important and very cool, it's still going to distract from everything else.

Thirdly- I'm a little ashamed to admit how much I unironically liked 'i kill puppies for satan', but that game has got it right. There are no good gun rules in tabletop games. Bullets fly out of guns and whiz around and hit people's bones and then spin and kill their neighbor but oh you're fine even though you got shot 6 times. It's all random arbitrary physics nonsense. You could argue that physical combat with swords and shit is plenty as random and not-dramatic/heroic/cool enough for you, but they've been so ingrained in the public consciousness that the "not fucking around deadly factor" isn't as strong.

The second reason is because of escalation of combat.

Hot take: Tabletop games escalate conflict to deadly instantaneously, which is bad. Also a hot take: That's not really a bad thing. See, I had to find a way to make that statement controversial somehow, because I'm pretty sure most people actually agree with the first point raised.

Here's the thing; in a lot of media, fighting with fists fulfills all the roles as a gun or sword battle might, but without the dying afterwards. It's highly based on strength and skill, shows a clear winner or loser, and allows for a vector of force. But people walk away from it. Now of course, this is talking about the fake fantasy version of street fights and fisticuffs. In real life you get in a fistfight with someone and their friend hits you in the head from behind and you hit the ground weird and you get brain damage. There's no honor in a fight. But in fantasy media land, it works.

I think that in any more urban, modernized setting, you need to have combat mechanics and escalation of force that isn't 1 to 100 instantly. This is a common sentiment, I feel. Probably because of the way people view the world as being more ordered, structured, less influenced by individual action. You have police officers, everyone is close together, things are more grounded in that sense.

For this reason; I think Garden would actually work better as a game/setting/concept where the majority of the combat was street fights. Hand to hand or kung fu brawling, moreso then guns. Of course, that's just the combat, the actual game is about working, surviving, or thriving in a big magical sci-fi city outside of space and time. But the combat plays a big role, as its the player's most actionable, intricate part of their "toolkit" to explore the fictional world.

Why guns in the first place?
I wrote about this in the Garden potpourri. When I first began to come up with the ideas for Garden, they were cemented around this idea of "immigration", not just of people but of objects. Everything was "imported". However, if you have people from many worlds with a massive, diverse range of firearms (look how many bullshit calibers we have, and that's just one world) there's no way that you'd ever be able to use a firearm besides what you brought with you at the time when you ended up there. So guns became like treasures, more then anything- even at some point being ultra-rare but magical. But at the time, I was getting super into scrap metal guns for some reason; probably a combination of different aesthetic images (Fallout 4?) and image-boards that collected cool pictures for stuff like that. So I switched the idea over to scrap metal guns.

Of course, the idea of guns being rare and special stuck; so they had to all be handmade. It fit well with this idea of the city being a sort of closed system, getting shittier and more run down the longer it goes on, endlessly recycling and reusing everything. I still like that idea a lot, and it's something that I want to keep going with.

However- while I don't have a problem with the realism aspect of guns being prolific or commonly used, I DO have a problem with the setting implications from that. Fights are more deadly, of course, and threats have to scale to it. At least partially, I wanted Garden to be a sort of borough-crawling game, with powerful monsters and psychic entities or rival criminal gangs you had to fight against as the primary antagonism of the setting. So to a degree, things had to scale up to be able to "match" the player's powerful gun game.

But that escalation and "high power level" if you will isn't something I'm after as much any more. I like to think of Garden as being more intimate. You have characters which you can see multiple times. It's got a much smaller "world" then most high fantasy settings. Even though I imagine Garden as being huge, it still ends eventually, there's a limit. It was very heavily inspired by Bastion as well when I was first thinking about it, reading and stealing everything from Into The Odd as I could, so you can imagine a massive urban sprawl- but still, it's not like a fantasy world with continents of space and world to explore.

Is this rambling? Probably. I hope you get what I mean.

What's the replacement?

Now one problem here is, if you create a system and even a setting with such a focus on a certain resolution mechanic, if that be combat (with guns), magic, or whatever else- and then you suddenly throw that out, you need something to replace it. Something to fill that hole.

I already spoiled it above; but why not fist fights? Cool brawling, martial arts, boxers. Instantly, character ideas and cinematic fight scene play out in your head. Using random objects lying around as improvised weapons, beating up (and getting beaten up by) thugs and mobsters and earning respect in the underground world.

Like I said, it's a trope and media-based concept. Not realism. Don't get it confused.

Do I have a good system for this yet? (No.) I'm working on it. Out of everything on this blog, I tended towards Garden being one of the largest and most "complete" things I've wanted to work on, putting forward a cohesive narrative with a cohesive game engine. Much more complete then my fantasy heartbreaker/untested shitbrew that goes through a revision every 6 months.

But I guess I'm breaking that promise with this post, huh? That's alright- I think this is a better change, ultimately. 

How does the setting change?

When it comes to setting and world changes to push forward these changes; how do you change it up? How do you maintain an internal consistency with the newfound rules. It's a multifaceted thing in the case of Garden, since the setting has a lot of shit going on.

Let's get this out of the way- There ARE still guns. This isn't some kung fu world. It's all about the boxer and grapplers and kickboxers, but people still fight with knives and baseball bats and stuff. Guns are still rare. They're deep in the criminal underworld; it requires very specialized skills to make a gun out of scrap metal and old tuna cans and little chain links twisted up into springs. The bullets are even more of a fucking problem. You have to make them yourself, buy them from rare and exclusive gun-smiths, or steal them from somebody else who also has them.

Now what about the "immigrants"? I always imagine Garden as being a city full of people who end up "lost" in their home worlds, and end up in the city, never able to escape. It's a dimensional funnel. You can slip down, but you can't crawl back up. So people end up here with only whatever they were traveling in, or whatever they had on their back. So what about people who had guns? Lost police officers who fell asleep on highway patrol, hunters with a rifle over their shoulder, and so on. Where do their guns go once they get into the city?

Well, I'd like to say the government destroys them. I've always imagined Garden as a setting with either no government, a sort of totally anarchist pipedream world of anarcho-capitalist power struggles OR a city with a very limited, way understaffed and underfunded cardboard government. This fits better, I think. The only problem then comes with how people actually come into the city, physically, from their home dimension. I always went with the idea they arrived from out of the forest surrounding the city, or maybe woke up on a park bench, or turned a corner in a bad part of their home town and then all the sudden it's night time and why does that guy have four eyes and purple skin?

That definitely seems like the most cohesive method of people getting there. But what if everyone came in from a single location?

Maybe it's like a train station. The "immigration office" they call it. Subway train rolls in. Everyone on the train car doesn't know how they got there. They've got missing time. They are all dressed up in whatever they were wearing; you got an alien wearing a military uniform next to a businessman next to a hobo next to an idol pop singer. They get off the train, confused as hell, guided to the immigration desk. They get a passport, certain items are confiscated. The firearms are taken, the people given a handful of shitty city money, and later the weapons are destroyed. Because pretty much everyone comes in through here- it's pretty much impossible to smuggle stuff in. Hence; the crafted guns.

EDIT: After writing this, I am only now realizing how good this concept fits for Heap actually. Maybe it even works better. Less magic, more dystopian. It also makes sense why people would need to genetically modify themselves with disgusting biological weapons; they can't smuggle things in.

How about them fights?

Let me be honest here- this totally wasn't inspired by the many, many hours of Yakuza 0 I played over the Corona-virus lock downs last year. No way. But Garden has a few setting particulars that make this transition slightly more difficulty.

Firstly; the aliens. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different species in Garden. All of them will have a unique biology, size, weight, muscle, etc. At least how I envision Garden, I think of WEIRD aliens. Like not just rubber forehead aliens but like weird, sometimes even esoteric. But I usually stay away from the Barlowe aliens, for the most part. The people here are bounded to an extent. But even with that, fighting in real life is divided into weight classes for a reason. If a race of beings are built like 350+ pound brick shithouses with arms the size of tree trunks then yeah, you're dead. No human is going to be able to beat that up.

But what if they were more grounded? The humans, aliens, they all have a certain, pretty typical range of sizes, weights, and general physicalities they can draw from. Does that bore you? Well maybe. But in a way, I almost like it more. It almost makes the setting feel weirder, and, in a way, makes all the weird disparate species seem to fit together better. Think of it this way; every species in Garden all evolved independently, on all their different planets, all in planets that had a single primary star that was their "Sun". They all believe in Christmas. They can all end up as Psychics. And, they all evolved to maximize their intelligence, like humans. Evolving from the prehistory means that other traits like biological weapons, strength, senses and the like were all dulled a bit. I kind of like this, because it implies you aren't totally out of your league as a human against one of these beings; but there are still differences. They may be ancestral, but humans get their endurance, grasshopper aliens get strong kicks, a few aliens have claws, or poison spit- but their poison is like pepper spray tier- too biologically expensive to keep lethal venom for an intelligence species that cooks its food and relies on spears and shit for thousands of years.

Of course, this naturally leads to good explanations for things like weird or esoteric fighting styles, randomly generated characters, interesting combat encounters, all that fun stuff.

What are the new gun rules?

New rules? These ones work great!

Of course, using a d20ish combat system wouldn't work for this. I'd say it'd be something like the Unknown Armies system- melee attacks deal the result of your successful attack roll (so 54 = 5+4 = 9 damage) where as guns deal the roll result of your successful attack. (54 = 54 points of damage- with characters having between 30-80 HP most of the time). Or it could be like RIFTS where guns deal something like mega-damage which just blows the fuck out of anything that isn't a mega-durability creature or however that works. Maybe it just kills people on a roll of 6 or higher, everything less just puts you into the dying state, perhaps? Maybe it's the number of major limbs broken; so high rolls can "break" your head which means you die?

The jamming rules are still great though. Guns parts are not. Roll d20 + number of shots fired, get over 20 and it jams. ez pz. I'll proudly display that rule-addition I made like my life depended on it.

Garden- Gun Rules & Chimney Generator

Garden Guns
In Garden, guns are the tool of the masses to protect themselves, and for many, a way to earn their weekly paycheck. Guns are both the tools of the gang, as well as tools of the citizens. Needless to say, players will be using them a lot.

For this ruleset, we are stealing Goblin Punch's gun rules from his Eldritch Americana game system/setting, which was a big inspiration for Garden in the first place.

Gun Fighting
Whenever you shoot a Firearm, you must declare how many bullets you are firing during the round. For every shot you shoot including the first, you get the additional shots benefit for your munition type. For example, a pistol firing bullets would have +1 to hit and deal d6+1 damage on a hit if you fired a single round. If you dumped your magazine of 8 bullets, you'd get +8 to hit and +8 damage.

If you roll a 20 or higher when firing your weapon, your gun jams. Gun jams can be cleared by taking a round to clear the jam. If the gun jam was especially bad (30 or higher on attack roll), you'll need to use field repairs which take an exploration turn or short rest to clear.

If you run out of capacity during a firefight, you must take a round to reload.

Chimney Generator
Gardeners need tools of the trade if they want to survive and thrive within their city. Almost all city-folk either own a firearm or can get one through a friend or college.

All firearms are made of parts. Sidearms are simplified weapons made only of a Munition, Barrel, and Receiver, but they have no inherent flaws. Take the lower, second number in parenthesis for both damage and capacity when creating sidearms. Sidearms only take one hand. (Base Load 1)

Chimneys are the big toys that are made up of a Munition, Barrel, Receiver, Stock, and Flaw. While having greater damage and capacity their flaws make them less reliable then Sidearms. Chimneys take +1 round(s) to reload, takes both hands to aim, and cannot be concealed as easily. Gardeners call two handed guns chimneys because of the soot, smoke, and need for constant cleaning. (Base Load 2)

-Munition-

Name	Base Dmg.	Cap. Mod	Additional Shots
Bullet	d6 (d4)	x3	+1 to hit and damage
Shell	d8 (d6)	x1	+1d4 to damage, knocks off -1 armor per extra shot on a miss
Cartridge	d10 (d8)	x1.5	+1 to damage; (Passive) Half penalties each round you aim.
Payloads	d8 (d8)	x0.5	Can hit 1 additional target; if jams save or gun explodes

-Receiver-

Name	Capacity	Dmg. Size Bonus	Accuracy	Extra
Revolving	4 (2)	x	x	+1 Round to reload
Magazine	8 (4)	-1	x	x
Drum	10 (6)	-1	-1	Drums count as 1 Load items
Break-Action	2 (2)	1	1	Can only fire once per round

-Barrel-

Name	Accuracy	Load	Damage-Die Size Bonus	Extras
Snub	-2	-1	x	Can fire while grappled.
Thick	-2	1	1	x
Suppress'd	-1	1	-1	Quieter Firing
Long	2	2	x	Cannot fire at close combat attackers
Needle	1	x	x	Gun Damage-die size -1 vs Armored
Perforated	-1	1	-1	Roll -1 Flaw (Minimum 1 for Chimneys)

-Stock-

Name	Accuracy	Load	Capacity	Damage Sz+	Extra
Shoulder	2	1	x	x	Aiming cuts penalties to zero
Butt	x	1	x	1	x
Wire	-1	-1	x	x	x
Folding	x	x	x	x	-1 Rounds to Reload (min 1)
Heavy Weapons	x	2	+1/2	x	Roll +1 Flaw

-Flaw-

d10	Name	Effect
1	Fragile	On melee hit or explosion, gun breaks/jams. Requires field Repairs.
2	Hair Trigger	Can only aim the gun for one round at a time.
3	Sloppy	Reloading takes +1 round.
4	Overheats	Roll any >20 on attack roll; gun must cool down to fire again safely.
5	Sparse	Treat base Capacity as if Sidearm sized. Reroll if sidearm or Heavy stock.
6	Rattles	-2 to Sneaking when equipped.
7	Bulky	+1 to Load
8	Unreliable	Jams on a roll of 19 or higher.
9	Greasy	Needs greasing every 1d4+1 turns, or will jam next time it fires.
10	Kicks	After firing you get -2 Accuracy if you shoot again the next round.

Garden- Strange Object Generator

These objects are the most mysterious and secret treasures of Garden. Often hoarded by the rich, these incredible objects are only found within the lockers that line the walls in Garden's secret underground service tunnels, which no one truly owns or has fully mapped. The mysterious tunnels are dangerous and finding a locker with anything in it is rare, but whenever they are found, they can fetch a high price- if you can get it out of there in one piece.

Roll once for each table.

Physical Form – 1d20

[1] Guitar OR Saxophone

[2] Toaster

[3] Film Reel. Don't try to watch it.

[4] Unopened glass bottle of Coca Cola

[5] Martini Glass

[6] Origami folded from newspaper. The shape is a random animal.

[7] Really big book. It's an almanac for a city you've never heard of.

[8] Penny OR Single Bullet

[9] Steering Wheel.

[10] Pinstripe Suit. One size off.

[11] Fuzzy Dice. Like the kind you hang from your rear view mirror.

[12] Milk man's cap.

[13] Typewriter.

[14] Powder case. Mirror in the lid.

[15] Ceramic Lamp. Pink, with white lampshade.

[16] Rotary Phone. If you plug it in and try to use it, you just hear ominous whispers.

[17] Teddy Bear

[18] The object is something from the past of whoever opened the locker.

[19] The object is a bit old fashioned. Roll on the Random Item Table.

[20] Roll on this table again, but roll once on the Unusual Form table below.

Unusual Form – 1d12

The strange object gets to be extra strange. This unusual form modifies the object you roll on the physical form table.

[1] It's rusted, corroded, or moth-eaten very heavily. Still works otherwise.

[2] The object is warped, as though bent through a machine. Still works otherwise.

[3] The object is covered in stickers/patches, autographs, graffiti, etc.

[4] Made of paper mache. If Origami Shape- it's made of folded sheet metal.

[5] Made of metal. It looks like a perfect cast. If it's already metal- double in size.

[6] It's not an object, just a life-sized portrait of an object instead. Artist's skill is phenomenal.

[7] Normal appearance, glows in the dark. Random color.

[8] Normal appearance, hums ominously in quiet places.
[9] Normal appearance, but sepia tone. Like it was pulled out of a movie.
[10] The object grows little green mushrooms out of its cracks. Only if kept moist.

[11] The object grows fur, which can be pulled out easily. Sheds.

[12] The object grows metal spikes, which can be clipped with some difficulty. Be careful.

Abilities

Every Strange Object has an ability. There are six kinds of strange object abilities. In order to “get” the benefit or negative of any ability, the person must be the last one to touch it or currently holding/carrying it. Objects small enough to fit in the palm of your hand or pocket must be carried to have their effects, otherwise you must touch an object once a week and be the last person to touch it to have the effects. Large objects that cannot be carried grant their effects to its "owner"- usually the person who last touched it. You must touch the object once a week to continue its ability.

Very rarely, certain Strange Objects are found with incredible abilities- even for a Strange Object. For a Major strange object; roll on the special subtable. If you roll a Major Strange object with identical abilities to another one in your campaign; reroll. These are unique.

Basic Ability Table - 1d6

[1] Lucky

[2] Cursed

[3] Bane

[4] Boon

[5] Psychic Amplifier

[6] Psychic Blocker

Strange Object Abilities

Lucky items grant luck to their owner. This translates as a +1 to any d20 roll, once per night. This effect is usually passive but can be called upon by a character by stroking the amulet, affixing their “lucky” hat, etc. This power can only work on one person once per night; if you steal a lucky item after it's been used, you'll feel like its luck has been “used up” until tomorrow.

For objects that are small, they must be carried to have the effect. For larger objects, you simply need to touch it once a week. Large objects can also grant this effect a degree of separation away; if you order someone to do something for you, the 'luck' of this item can benefit whoever you are ordering around. There are crime lords who have “antiques” in their homes that are actually lucky items from the storage lockers; things just seem to go their way and their gang prospers.

Cursed items are the opposite of lucky items. If you touch a cursed item, you automatically fail the next saving throw that comes your way. Unlike lucky items, this has no limit on how many people or times it can harm you, but only one “curse” hangs over you at a time until it strikes. Wearing thin gloves when you touch it or brushing up against it still counts as touching it- you need a more secure or thicker case to protect yourself from its effects for transport.

Cursed items work if you touch it, if it be small or big. If you can trick or force someone into touching it, it could be used as a kind of weapon, but otherwise it's just a liability. However, even Cursed items are worth a fortune, as any Strange Object is very valuable.

Banes are Strange Objects that seem to be anathema to the psychic manifestations and unnatural beings of Garden. While carrying a Bane, you have +2 to hit and deal +2 damage to all psychic beings or constructs of unknown energies. Uniquely, carrying a Bane makes damage you deal against a reality warper not be able to healed by their normal regeneration.

Banes are uncommon, highly sought after items used to hunt down and kill Slashers, Reality Warpers, and other spooky threats that lurk in Garden's shadows. Note that these hunts fail just as often as they succeed, and the Banes are constantly being lost or destroyed, even among the Strange Objects, these are a rarity.

Boons are Strange Objects that are especially stable, and spread that stability to others. The Boon item will be especially hard to damage; ceramic or glass items are weirdly shatter proof, metal items bend back into shape if twisted, cloth and wooden items seem fire retardant. If you carry or have last touched a Boon item, your maximum Hit Points increases by +2. If you go with a week without touching the item, you lose this benefit (maximum, not current).

Boons are commonly seen among the more adventurous sorts of Garden's populace. While a small benefit, the ability to better survive a gunshot or a beating is extremely valuable. The Boon also has a unique ability- if touched by a person with an incurable or terminal illness they receive a saving throw. Upon success, the Boon loses its power permanently and the person becomes healed. If the saving throw fails, the item keeps its power and the person cannot try again on this item, though could have better luck with another Boon- you can imagine how desperate a sick person may be to collect these.

Psychic Amplifiers are the most highly sought after Strange Objects. They enhance waves of psychic energy and sharpen the mind of any psychics who carry it or who have lasted touched it. The psychic in question deals +1 damage with Psychic attacks, and their Psychic powers are boosted by a magnitude of about 10%. So if they could telekinetically shove a 200 pound man, they could now shove a 220 pound man and so on.

Psychic Amplifier are sought after and collected by rich and powerful psychics to boost their powers, but many of the ones who collect them can become too powerful and begin unlocking mind-bending, reality warping abilities instead. The Psychic Amplifers also have a unique ability- if touched by someone with psychic potential, they awaken their psychic powers over the next 2d6 weeks, and the item loses its charge. For this reason, Psychics are even more defensive about these items then one might imagine, and will stop at nothing to hide or keep others away.

Psychic Blockers are Strange Objects with the ability to confound psychic energies and break them apart, similar to interference with radio waves. If you carry a Psychic Blocker, you get +1 resistance to psychic attacks (and +1 to saving throws against psychic powers). If the psychic blocker is too large to carry, then it offers no benefit for touching it but instead “blanks” out the area around out, equal to an apartment or wing of a house, which blocks all attempts at psychic scrying or sensing abilities.

Psychic Blockers are very useful Strange Objects to get a hold of, especially if you're wanted or made a powerful rival in the psychic world. The resistance is also very useful for adventuring types, as it can help protect you against both psychic attacks, psychic traps, and psychic creatures or other negative manifestations of psychic energy and unsolved pathos. In Garden, negative psychic energy can bleed from the walls in some places, and this object acts almost like an anchor to the real world.

 

Major Strange-Object Ability - 1d12
[1] Roll on the basic ability table; triple effect.

 

[2] Roll twice on the basic ability table; combine effects. If you get luck + cursed, it makes YOU lucky, but curses EVERYONE else near you.
 

[3] If you tap, open, shake, or 'use' the object in a specific way; it can release a massive cloud of purple smoke. The smoke can fill up an auditorium. Breathing the smoke for more then three rounds means you must save or be knocked unconscious for a turn.

[4] If the object is small and carried or worn with you; you cannot be harmed by bullets. (Unless if the shooter possess a Bane). The bullets just miss you or hit you but don't "do anything"- the same applies to your own bullets however, and all your guns jam or fail. If the object cannot be carried with you, then all guns and firearms jam and fail within the range of a city block around it. The object's ability is nullified as long as it is kept in a thick, opaque case or hidden in a closet somewhere.

 

[5] This object transforms once per week- roll a new Physical Form every week. If the object had an Unusual Form, it will always have that same unusual form, otherwise it never gets one (reroll 20s). You cannot observe this object in mid transformation. Carrying or owning this object stops your from aging, but you slowly change into something else.

 

[6] Within pure darkness, this object becomes a horrible monster. If any light falls on it at all, it simply remains as an object. It will try to escape, and has inscrutable goals.

[7] If you carry this object with you, you can once per week walk through a door that leads somewhere else in the city- you'll appear through a door about three blocks away. If you own this object for at least four years you can begin to decide exactly what door to appear out of that you know, but it must be within the same borough of Garden as a maximum range.

 

If the object is too large to carry; it works differently. Instead, it allows you to create a semi-permanent portal. You can select a random door, such as an antique door leaning against a wall, a manhole, closet, etc. that will become your emergency portal. You can end up walking through your emergency portal by running blindly, getting lost, or closing your eyes and counting to ten. Maximum once a week.

[8] Somewhere on this object is a dial or knob. If you turn the dial, you can "adjust" how visible you are to others. All the way down makes everyone ignore you, able to walk right past armed guards. Where as all the way up makes you very popular and you can't even attempt stealth. 

 

This is a psychic or mental effect, not a physical one; you still show up on cameras and are still physical present. People who are hunting you can figure out to shoot where footprints appear as you run even if they can't actually "see" you. This object is also unique as someone can adjust the knob besides you to adjust your setting- it doesn't count as adjusting their own visibility unless they own it or carry it for at least a week.

[9] This object has a "care taker". Somewhere on the object is a name- speaking the name will cause a strange person to appear behind the nearest shadowy corner or from behind you. This person looks like a generic alien of whatever world this object came from. This person sees and hears everything the object can, and can be asked questions. They are generally helpful and know tons of secrets about the city and the previous owners, but cannot guarantee their loyalty to you (they serve whoever owns the item) and refuse to speak on anything about the underground service tunnels.

[10] This object produces money. If the object is small enough to be carried around in your pocket, then it produces a few crumbled dollar bills in it when you reach in. If the object is worn or carried around, then the money will be produced inside of the object, or spit out of a slot when turned on or shaken, etc. Objects carried in the pocket can produce a maximum of $5 per night, and are essentially there when you need them. Objects larger then that can produce a maximum of $20 per night, but don't have to be drawn out at once and can be stored up a while inside the object like a piggy bank.

 

Obviously, anyone who owns this object will gain a new source of income and be quite rich. The money is created by the object, but can't be detected as counterfit. If the Garden city council switches the currency over, the object will create strange "half dollars" or bills that look like a mix of both for up to a month until it gets it right, producing the right kind of legal tender again.

 

[11] This object acts as a bank for psychic energy. If you touch the object while you have Psychic stress, the object absorbs 1d6 points of Psychic stress. If you touch the object more then once a night, or if someone without any psychic stress touches it, they are blasted with 2d10 Psychic stress from its stored energy bank. If the object is destroyed, up to an entire city block will be overloaded with psychic energies, causing mass hysteria, unconsciousness, and psychic feedback. All psychic manifestations or creatures gain +1 HD and become more aggressive during this storm.

 

[12] Touching this object gives you 1d6 Psychic stress, but grants the user a random Psychic Power for about twelve hours. Even people with zero psychic ability can be bestowed a power. When this period ends, they take another 1d6 Psychic stress and one point of internalized stress. 

 

If a Psychic touches this, they gain a second psychic ability which combines with their first for the same period, but causes no stress. This item can create reality warpers; as few psychics can remain sane after experiencing such a rush of power. The exception are Blankers; touching this object permanently drains it of its charge and the Blanker's power remains unchanged.