I’ve released an Intro version (what some folks may call a “Quickstart”) of my Forged in the Dark game, Copperhead County. Copperhead County is about organized crime, political corruption, and the nature of the modern American South. You’ll play a crew of outlaws in the year 201x who band together to survive and thrive in post-recession America by adventuring their way to capitalist success. Do you want to play an RPG in the real world, dealing with real-life issues? Do you like things like Blades in the Dark, GTA, The Wire, Justified, Breaking Bad, or Fargo? Come on over.
This Intro PDF isn’t standalone and will require the Blades SRD to play, but is otherwise fully playable and contains all PC and crew playbooks, reference sheets, rules info, starting situations, some setting and faction info, a Spotify soundtrack, and the Best Brands Heist, the only published RPG adventure where you rob a big-box retail store.
This is a fully developed game that has been written and playtested over the last few years. My focus now is in finishing it as an actual book/product (a lot of which is already done) and raising money for editorial, art, online support, etc. This version of the Intro PDF is free, but will eventually be supplanted by an expanded EA version that will launch alongside the Official Copperhead County Crowdfund Campaign™ in the coming weeks.
If you read, like, play, and/or enjoy the game, please tell me and everyone you know! Stay tuned for more news about #CopperheadCounty
This looks awesome. The flavor of the special abilities fits the setting perfectly. I’d love to see more of the setting-
Hell yeah. I need to get a game of this going real dang soon.
Eric Brunsell Thank you! My current scheme is to expand this PDF with full faction and setting writeups and include that with a lil Kickstarter next month.
Quick question — I noticed on the character sheets that there are 6 “special armor” boxes. Is there a reason for that? Do you have the ability to get multiple special armors during a job? In my hack, I’m testing a special armor refresh on any critical roll.
Eric Brunsell Each special armor ability gives you a use of special armor and a new way it can be used. If you have more than one playbook’s special armor ability, you can have multiple uses of it and multiple ways to use it.
YES I LOVE IT
Hap and Leonard 21st century!
Calum Grace you know, I was on the fence about making a ‘Quickstart’ vs just finishing my lonely work on the book, and your interest in playing helped me decide to make this! I really appreciate it, especially when your own game is so dope.
Wright Johnson you are very kind!!!
Rebecca W I very badly need to catch up on Hap & Leonard!!!
Jason Eley Man, that’s really cool to hear! Not gonna lie, this is also giving ME the kick-up-the-arse I need to get my next version finished, and get a proper game of Copperhead County going with my erstwhile gang of crooks.
Jason Eley Sooooo good. And sooo Copperhead County. As if Justified wasn’t a good enough mirror.
It’s so great to see this getting nearer to your full release. You’ve crafted a great game in a wonderfully evocative setting.
Probably my favorite Blades hack!
Logan Shoup Thomas Howell aw shucks. y’all too nice
By the way, Adam Schwaninger will be running a session of this on Saturday, April 28th with Once Upon A Game. Sign up to play with him! I will be watching you from the shadows.
docs.google.com – Once Upon A Game Scheduling
Hey Jason Eley, this feels like an interview question, and I don’t mean to be antagonizing at all, but I was just wondering:
What do you feel are some critical differences between this game and Mark Diaz Truman’s Cartel, other than the system? You both seem to be scratching a very similar genre itch, and realistically I feel like I’m going to end up only wanting to play the one I enjoy more.
Bonus question: Do you feel that Cartel’s ongoing kickstarter is going to have any negative impact on the success of Copperhead County’s crowdfunding, since it will follow immediately behind it with a similar theme?
Blaze Azelski No problem! I am very happy to address really any question anyone has. I think Cartel and MDT are both very good. I think these are very different games beyond that they are both regionally specific, modern-day crime RPGs.
First, to expand on systems, I think that is actually very meaningful. There’s a large gameplay difference between a Pbta-style game and a FitD-style game which creates very different play structures and experiences. Cartel is focused on shorter play and specific moves and situations. Copperhead County is a Blades-style game focused on long-term campaign play, with player-driven actions, crews, and all that entails. In Cartel you’re exploring a specific situation of being caught up in the machinations of an all-powerful cartel. In Copperhead County, you’re forming a crew and building an empire across several ‘seasons’ of play.
There are certain genre similarities and shared reference points between them, but Cartel is about the drug war, and Copperhead County isn’t necessarily; its about the broader role of organized crime, corruption, and capitalism in American life. I intentionally built the crews and claims so that players can engage with whatever crimes they want; if you want to be drug dealers, you can, but you can also deal whatever drugs you want (in my current campaign, they took over a rival crew’s molly operation). But you can also be vice dealers, or just steal stuff, or just fight people and take their turf. Or you can combine those into whatever your group is interested in pursuing. In the long-term, crews are also expected to get involved in the local law enforcement and political apparatuses to ensure their own survival.
I think both games come from similar impulses and goals that are nonetheless pointed at very different subjects. Cartel is about MDT’s thoughts on being Mexican-American and Mexican culture, while Copperhead County is about my thoughts on being a southerner and the specific history of the south, and the role the south plays in American culture. Accordingly, the settings are very different!
As to whether it will affect my crowdfunding plans, I’m sure it will! That’s fine. I’ve been a fan of Cartel for a while, but I didn’t know it was about to go live in a full version, and I’m going to proceed with my own plans regardless. There’s also the fact that MDT is a well-known designer who owns a publishing company, and I am a nobody who is self-publishing this game. Therefore Magpie is asking for, and receiving, much more funding than I am asking for or expect to receive. I enthusiastically backed Cartel and hopefully people will appreciate my own pitch enough to spare me $10.
Fun things to do in Copperhead County:
1. Make a Blood crew of street (or trail) racers, like Fast & Furious meets Dukes of Hazzard. It’s all about family with the Blood crew type.
2. House of Cards, but locally. It’s election year! Work for (or against) the criminal factions sponsoring various political candidates. Or get a Wheeler in your crew and campaign on your own terms.
3. Fargo, but in Tennessee. I couldn’t watch season 2 without mentally assigning playbooks and crew types to the various characters.
House of Cards, but locally, is also the big storyline in my current campaign (which Adam Schwaninger is in!). There’s a special election for County Trustee, the position handling the distribution of public funds, and three candidates backed by various criminal and legitimate powers. The PCs are a Blood (family) crew, and the Stringer’s wife is the Democratic candidate. Recently, the crew covertly attended a Republican fundraiser at a country club, tailed their opponent to a private lounge, and bugged the room.
I think that’s a pretty unique plot in gaming.
Adam Schwaninger Hey Adam, are you still looking for more people for Once Upon A Game for this? Because I would love to join. Also, any rules or screening or anything since its on Twitch?
Yup! The signup’s here: docs.google.com – Once Upon A Game Scheduling and as long as you have a mic/camera you should be okay. I’ve been a player twice and it was very low pressure.
Adam Schwaninger Awesome! I’ll sign up. Quick question, is the new player slot for new role players or people new to Once Upon A Game?
Those specific slots I think are for people new to OUAG?
Ok, I’ll sign up there, but I’m totally willing to move.