I have been doing this for twelve years now. Writing against RPG-a-Day. Against. Again and again. Every day, every August, since 2015. Most often on my own, sometimes collaboratively with others here on d6ideas or across different (German) blogs.
2015: ArtifactaDay
2016: Loot-a-Day
2017: Rival-a-Day
2018: Ad-Blog
2019: RPG+Ally+a+Day
2020: Not One Step Back
2021: Veteran-a-Day
2022: The Thousand Titles of the Cat Emperor
2023: Sommerverdichtung (German only)
2024: CampaignConceptaDay
2025: A-Piece-of-History-Every-Day / Calculating World(s)history
And now? The German next door neighbours at Kritischer Fehlschlag have issued the rallying cry “Crime Scene” (German).
But here? After twelve years of doing this dirty work? There is but one possible answer:
The Dirty Dozen.
Interpreted via the lense of the so called Dirty Dozen of persistent organic pollutants such as DDT and dioxins (although an earlier thought was the likewise so called Dirty Dozen of biological weapons and this might still colour some of the entries).
One-hundred-and-fourty-four poisons and pollutants (in the widest, freest sense). Twelve each for twelve systems. Thirty-one days. Twelve years. Against RPG-a-Day. Again.
The PESA’s collaborative Wild Coast campaign, also going for more than five years now (although I myself have not been doing much the last couple of years), offers a great entry point to the pollution topic via its established use of magical – and poisonous and addictive – lotus flowers: Lotus residues in the environment, by-products of the alchemical refinement of the already dangerous magical flowers.
- Brown lotus residue – high concentrations lead to slightly hazy thinking and give a -1 penalty of saves against lotus addiction
- Red lotus residue – accelerated aging (one additional day per week of increased exposure) and -1 on saves against effects that result in aging
- Green lotus residue – exsudation and -1 on all saves against effects involving water (including ice and steam)
- Grey lotus residue – flaky skin and -1 on saves against petrification
- Black lotus residue – flashes of dark foreboding and -1 on saves against death
- Pink lotus residue – rosy mood and -1 on saves against charm