QZ by Jason Tocci A hack of Electric Bastionland and Into the Odd inspired by Roadside Picnic and Annihilation. 100 character 'alterations' (like being able to hear warnings uttered by animals, finger bones you can shoot as projectiles, and when you get a cut, the skin opens to reveal a functional eyeball). Includes news, searchable callsign database, license renewals and updates, DX spotting reports, APRS resources, clubs, solar report, and links. Security Champion! Is the game that tests your ability to fight off hackers. Players are tasked with saving their own company before hackers destroy it from the inside out. The Office Quartz is moving. In this diary, the question is: How do you capture a company’s culture in a physical space? Help us figure it out.
A downloadable game
A hack of Electric Bastionland and Into the Odd inspired by Roadside Picnic and Annihilation.
- 100 character 'alterations' (like being able to hear warnings uttered by animals, finger bones you can shoot as projectiles, and when you get a cut, the skin opens to reveal a functional eyeball)
- 40 pre-made artifacts (like seeds that grow into human hands, foggy lenses that show the past, and tables to randomly make your own artifacts, like a hovering, pearlescent lattice of crystal that absorbs light)
- 80 super-compact encounters (like a baseball-sized tick that turns you invisible, a disembodied brain trying to burrow into your skull to eat your brain and take over your body, and an extremely awkward birthday party)
- Tables to generate alien-warped terrain in the City, the Wilderness, the Wasteland, and the Tunnels below, plus a few example locations (like a settlement built out of scrap on giant sea-mushrooms where residents are kept in the dark about the outside world)
- 78 pages including covers and 22 full-page illustrations
The Guard wants to control it.
The Lab wants to understand it.
The Underground wants to profit off it.
You need to survive it.
Welcome to the Quarantine Zone.
Currently marked down to $5 during the completion of playtesting and revisions. If you get a chance to play it, please leave a comment or get in touch at pretendo.games!
Recommended for 1 GM and 1 or more additional players.
Character keeper spreadsheet for online play.
Rules inspired by Electric Bastionland.
Illustrations by BEEPLE (Mike Winkelmann).
| Status | Released |
| Category | Physical game |
| Rating | |
| Author | Jason Tocci |
| Genre | Role Playing |
| Tags | annihilation, bastionland, into-the-odd, osr, roadside-picnic, Sandbox, Sci-fi, weird |
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Free Download
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community Copies
If any of the following describe you, please feel welcome to download a free PDF, no questions asked.
- Not sure you can afford it
- You wear a mask out, and try to help other people during this weird time
- Contributed a game to Eclectic Bastion Jam
Thanks to Dee Pennyway, creator of Mnemomic, for instructions on setting up community copies on Itch.io.
Development log
- Character KeeperAug 24, 2020
- Welcome to the Quarantine ZoneAug 14, 2020
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Qz Tray
I took a train to Bristol between UK lockdowns and had a few hours to wile away, so I made a random bestiary for QZ. Entirely narrative, all stats require making up on the fly. (Also suitable for 24XX or basically anything similar.)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fFO_dXqYgsXK01MIC5jtpGXwuRPyRye7S5ceHWlK...
In many ways what I set out to do here was create a BEEPLE-creature generator, although arguably I need more iconic pop culture characters and/or debased politicians to realise that goal.
Maybe in future I'll add some 24XX style columns with adaptations for different contexts, and BEEPLEverse can feature as one of them.
Added a generator in the sheet now too. Got a few kinks to work out but I'm calling it done for now!
Can I get in touch with you somewhere other than here, Jason?
Yes, apologies for the delayed reply! Email me at jason at pretendo dot games.
Just published a review of this game at https://perplexingruins.blogspot.com/
Hope it works
You're welcome! Is this still planned for edited POD? ETA? Or should I look to local printing.
Working plan is POD in 2021 (on the early side I hope), after I have a chance to make updates from playtests. The good news is that revisions should be way faster than they have been for Agents of the ODD, as I don’t feel the need to “fix” the graphic design on this one. 😅
On p52 there looks to be a word or so missing from:
- Could such dramatic ecological effects that extend even beyond the QZ?
Amazing hack - can't wait to get it to the table!
During character creation, I'm not 100% clear on the following phrasing (for example):
- check three times below; at least 1 scientist skillset required
- check 3 boxes below; at least 1 must be a soldier skillset
Does this mean to take three skillsets, one to three of which are from the relevant Scientist/Soldier list, and the remainder of which are drawn from the table on p16?
Or does it mean to take one to three skillsets and one to two contacts?
I'm pretty sure it means the latter, but the 'at least 1 must be a scientist/soldier skillset is slightly throwing me, since there are only two other (contact) boxes anyway, so checking three without one of them being a skillset would be impossible.
The slight difference in phrasing (three/3), (times/boxes) and also (skillset/scientist skillset/team role/soldier skillset) also slightly threw me at first, although that's a minor gripe.
Thanks for the kind words and for the question—I had a feeling this might be confusing the way I phrased it, so I'll definitely adjust for the revised version. You're correct that the intended meaning was that every scientist has to specialize in some kind of science; if you get to check two boxes, you shouldn't just take two contacts. It occurs to me now that this restriction might not even be necessary, though. Hey, maybe if you play a scientist and take two contacts, but no specialty, you're a grad student or something, and haven't picked a specialty yet. And maybe you should get to pick from page 16, considering that plenty of scientists and soldiers have had other jobs too.
Qzone
I guess the short answer is that intended it the latter way you phrased it, but I welcome you to interpret it either way and let me know how it goes. 🙂
Qz Modifier
Thanks for the reply!
In retrospect, I quite like the skillset speciality limitation paired with allowing a pick from p16 (if they can pick 2 or more).
Is it intended to be possible to pick more than one speciality skillset?
Sure! I definitely know scientists who work in multiple fields of expertise.
Thanks! And if you have a chance, I’d love to hear any feedback!
I was expecting this since I heard about it on Twitter and boy oh boy was it worth the wait! I haven't read through all of it yet, but just by skimming through it you can see it's a fantastic game and/or toolbox. The layout is really good, easy to read and navigate. The art is extremely evocative and sets the mood perfectly! Highly recommended!
Will come back with more comments once I read through the book, but...
YOU GOT BEEPLE's ART?! Why are you not advertising on here that you've got freaking BEEPLE's ART?
Because everything I used is creative commons licensed, so anybody can use Beeple's art!
EDIT: I'd been mistakenly informed that all Beeple's everydays are CC licensed, but he's said in a few places (including via email) that okay with folks using his stuff.
What‽I didn't know that! That is awesome news!
...also - they fit so well with your game - they make my mind spinning with ideas :)
Seriously, as soon as I'm done with fixes on this, I have to launch right into my sci-fi game for another jam using more of this art. So good.
Information about the QZAB program, which allows local educational agencies to solicit contributions from private enterprises and to issue tax-exempt bonds and use the proceeds for specified educational purposes.The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act repealed the authority to issue tax credit bonds after December 31, 2017. With the passage of this legislation the authority to issue Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs) has been repealed. For this reason there will be no further authorizations provided by the California Department of Education for the issuance of QZABs.
Qualified Zone Academy Bond Application (DOC)
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